Blur 2 never reached release because Bizarre Creations closed while an unfinished racing project was in development. Activision had said the original Blur failed to find a commercial audience, while former developers later described the game as difficult to position. The evidence connects the studio’s closure with the sequel’s disappearance, but does not establish that weak sales alone caused the project to end or document a separate formal cancellation announcement.
What did Activision say about the original Blur?
In a statement reported by Shacknews on November 16, 2010, Activision said: “Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience.” The publisher also said it was exploring Bizarre Creations’ future, including a potential sale. That is the clearest contemporaneous account of the commercial problem and uncertainty around the studio; it is not a published explanation of a specific Blur 2 cancellation decision.
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Why was Blur difficult to sell?
Former Bizarre leaders later said the game had not resonated with the games-buying public and was difficult to pigeonhole. Former design manager Gareth Wilson said the team underestimated how hard it would be to establish a new intellectual property at that point in the console cycle, according to Game Informer’s April 6, 2011 summary of an Edge interview.
A hybrid identity that was hard to explain
Wilson’s more specific explanation was that Blur combined realistic cars with arcade racing, neon power-ups and science-fiction weapons. GameSpot’s July 21, 2011 report characterized this mix as a confusing prospect for potential buyers. That is a former developer’s interpretation of the game’s positioning, not a measured study proving why customers did or did not buy it.
#1 Best Overall
- Real Racing - Stunning racing environments in real world locations and licensed cars that look and feel great
- Power-ups - Collect addictive dynamic power-ups and use them independently or combo three of the same power-up strategically to gain an advantage over your competition
- Cinematic Realism - Experience insane collisions with licensed photo-realistic cars flipping and rolling with panels crumpling and bumpers ripping off – all brought to life with panning, cinematic camera work
- Multi-player - Features 4-player split-screen and online multiplayer supporting competitive and cooperative game play for up to 20 racers, including team racing, objective based events and custom groups
- Unique multiplayer modes are immediately shared through Blur’s social network
Was Blur 2 actually in development?
There is evidence that Bizarre was working on an unfinished racing project, but it should not be mistaken for a nearly completed sequel. Former developer Chris Davies described a 2010 prototype that reused Blur assets to explore ideas such as intense visual effects, driving through storms and dodging weapons. A Dubai level was in a more advanced, near-alpha state. Davies also said the studio had developed a new engine internally, but closed before shipping a title made with it. His account is reported by Video Games Chronicle.
This supports the conclusion that a new racing game was being developed and that some work had progressed beyond an idea. It does not establish that the entire project was near completion, that every prototype concept was destined for Blur 2, or that a formal cancellation memo was issued.
Rank #2
- Real Racing - Stunning racing environments in real world locations and licensed cars that look and feel great
- Power-ups - Collect addictive dynamic power-ups and use them independently or combo three of the same power-up strategically to gain an advantage over your competition
- Cinematic Realism - Experience insane collisions with licensed photo-realistic cars flipping and rolling with panels crumpling and bumpers ripping off – all brought to life with panning, cinematic camera work
- Multi-player - Features 4-player split-screen and online multiplayer supporting competitive and cooperative game play for up to 20 racers, including team racing, objective based events and custom groups
- Unique multiplayer modes are immediately shared through Blur’s social network
What happened to Bizarre Creations and the original game?
Bizarre Creations closed after Activision’s public statement about Blur and the studio’s uncertain future. The studio’s closure is the clearest link between the project’s disappearance and its fate: an unfinished game in development could not proceed through its original developer once the studio shut down. The sources support a combined explanation—commercial difficulty, challenges positioning a new IP, and the studio’s closure—rather than a verified single-cause account.
The original Blur, not a sequel, was released in 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. Activision’s 2010 launch announcement describes its power-ups, combat racing, career mode, four-player split-screen and multiplayer. It also presented Bizarre as a studio with more than 200 staff, and described the original game as featuring more than 50 licensed cars and over 30 real-world track locations; those figures refer to the original release, not Blur 2.
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