The merge of Activision and Blizzard is a thing gamers could only dream of, the birth of a mega-publisher like this, ultimately, meaning that the quality of the games released under the brand will be high. Unfortunately, all good things have a down side and the bad part of Activision and Blizzard joining forces is that certain games were left out, with no one to publish them. Among these rejected games we can find titles like Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Arena, Ghostbusters, World at Conflict: Soviet Assault or 50 Cent: Blood On the Sand. Without a publisher, it’s uncertain if these games will ever see the light of day.
Fortunately, Atari comes to the rescue, buying the rights for the upcoming Riddick game. The game made by Starbreeze Studios will resemble the first one, both being first person shooters, and it has been announced to be launched in 2009. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, the first Riddick game created by Starbreeze Studios, was very well received by video game critics, the gameplay merging very well with the story. Escape from Butcher Bay actually gave first person shooters another dimension with its “horror survival” style and making the use of guns a secondary element in the game. The first Riddick game was a nice experience, fighting your way out of the toughest prison in the galaxy proved to be extremely entertaining.
Recently, 50 Cent: Blood On the Sand was also bought by THQ which only means that even if Activision & Blizzard won’t publish some games that doesn’t mean that the projects are lost forever. In the worst case, they can be postponed.