@Zarx and BenVTrigger

So Activision should just let all the talent go to rival publishers and open up brand new studios with new people elsewhere?  I don't know anything about the type of talent Activision has in the UK, but closing good studios just because of tax breaks sounds silly.

but the point is that other studios aren't likely going to pick up these people without the tax breaks ether, if anything the talented people will be offered jobs in more profitable studios, they don't have any major studios in the UK anyway from what I can tell.

I seriously doubt that talent would just go to waste.  If Activision cared about those studios much, they would not want those people going to rivals.

If the want the talent they will offer them jobs in studios in other countries, sorry I din't word that correctly in my last post. And that is why this decision will cause a brain drain in the UK development community, a lot of the most talented people will be forced (If they want to work in the game dev industry) to move to other countries...

I've seen companies trying to move people to different locations within my own country.  The attrition rate is enormous, both before and after a move.  Trying to move people to a different country would be even worse.

They're largely localization staff, PR, management, etc.  The only real talent is the ~200 man team at at Bizarre, who they're already planning on closing or selling anyway, plus the guys at FreeStyle (and DJ Hero isn't exactly flying off the shelves)

Thinking about the lost tax reductions, this could actually impact quite a few big pubs generally.  Among the big boys, those who have UK studios...

Activision Blizzard

• Bizarre Creations
• FreeStyle Games

Electronic Arts

• Criterion Games
• EA Bright Light
• Playfish

UbiSoft Entertainment

• Ubisoft Reflections

Take-Two Interactive

• Rockstar Leeds
• Rockstar Lincoln
• Rockstar London
• Rockstar North

Sony Computer Entertainment

• SCE London Studio
• SCE Cambridge Studio
• SCE Studio Liverpool / Evolution Studio
• bigBig Studios
• Guerilla Games
• Media Molecule

THQ

• THQ Digital Warrington (aka: Juice Games)

Square Enix

• Beautiful Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios

• Lionhead Studios
• RARE

SEGA

• The Creative Assembly
• Sports Interactive

Warner Bros. Interactive

• Rocksteady Studios
• TT Games (aka: Traveler's Tales)

Disney Interactive

• Black Rock Studios

... the big pubs who don't have UK studios are Nintendo, Valve Software, Bethesda Softworks, Konami, Capcom, Namco Bandai, Level 5 and Atari.

Guerilla games are in sweden (or something).

Unless the studio was never good, they won't move. And besides, alot of those studios existed before the tax breaks were even implemented to start with. Activision are making something huge which doesn't need to be. Especially considering the $1 billion from call of duty every year.

 Guerilla Games are Holland I believe :P.

 And as much as it pains me to say it, Kotick is right here, the UK is no longer an attractive option for publishers and as it currently stands we'll be seeing more and more of our games industry leave in the next 10 years as Asia, Canada, France etc offer far cheaper developement opportunities. End of the day Activision are there to maximize profits and if a game will cost alot less to make outside the UK, then they're going to move outside the UK.

 It's just another industry which in 10 years time the UK will be scratching our heads wondering where it went, simply cause our government can't plan ahead longer then the few years until the next election. It's a real shame, really hope someone else acquires Bizarre.

Do you honestly belive there are talented people working at activision anymore? I'd rather think most of them are wrecked husts stomped into ground with no hope for better future after creating same game with diffrent number for last x years.

Why are people hating Activision for trying to run a profitable business?