Activision discontinues Blur video game

Blur is an arcade-style street racing game released on May 25, 2010 for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[1] It was discontinued in 2011 when the game studio behind Blur, Bizarre Creations, was shut down by Activision.^[2] The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have been discontinued, and Blur has been delisted on Steam, thus Blur is not for sale on any platform.^[3] Blur servers have been brought back online as of 2023.^[4]

Most platforms gave Blur favourable reviews.^[5] Blur sold 31,000 copies in the US in the first 5 days^[6] and sold a total of 500,000 copies by the time it was discontinued.^[7] A sequel was planned, but was abandoned and never finished due to the closing of Bizarre Creations.^[8] An officially licensed free-to-play spin-off titled "Blur Overdrive" was released on November 1, 2013 by Marmalade Play.^[9]

Activision's statement:

Over the past three years since our purchase of Bizarre Creations, the fundamentals of the racing genre have changed significantly. Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience. Bizarre is a very talented team of developers; however, because of the broader economic factors impacting the market, we are exploring our options regarding the future of the studio, including a potential sale of the business.^[10]

The consumer response to Activision discontinuing Blur was of disappointment. Players enjoyed the game's campaign mode and split-screen racing. The legal way to play Blur is to purchase a Steam key or obtain a physical disc, but this is difficult, as the game has been delisted on Steam. Because of this, many players have resorted to downloading the game on abandonware sites.^[11]

Unofficial servers for Blur are currently being hosted by the Amax Emu project.^[12]

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