Activision Unveils Blur

Activision Blizzard is keen on creating a racing game that will blow the rival Need For Speed series from Electronic Arts out of the water and off the track. Its latest attempt is set to be named Blur and should be released during autumn for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC. Development duties are being handled by studio Bizarre Creations.

Blur will focus on head to head racing, which pits a variety of cars against one another while they try to get ahead on winding and narrow tracks. 20 cars will be featured in Blur and they will be able to get power ups to stay ahead, with some of them allowing players to take enemies off the track with huge bursts of energy.

It sounds like some sort of Mario Kart for adults, as all the cars will be depicted in their full glory, being as close to photo realism as possible. The tracks will also be taken from the real world and most of them will be set in big cities, like New York or Barcelona.

Martyn Chudley, who is the creative director at developer Bizarre Creations, stated that “We did our homework and saw a huge opportunity to move beyond traditional racers and create a game completely focused on making racing ‘fun’ again.”

Chudley added that “Blur delivers a new style of racing experience for all gamers, regardless of their experience, skill or genre preferences. Everything the player does, both in their cars and with their cars, is a dramatic adrenaline rush; it’s a real blast!”

Multiplayer should support no less than 20 players online and each console will support local multiplayer for as many as four players. There will be some social networking options, like custom multiplayer groups and communication between players.