Bizarre Blur-ing 360, PS3, PC this fall

Activision's post-earnings conference calls are always worth a listen. Aside from giving updates on just how the publisher continues to rake in gobs of cash--$981 million during the first three months of the year--the company's executives have no qualms about informally announcing upcoming games to enthuse shareholders and investors alike on the company's growth potential.

One such tease came earlier this month, when Activision Publishing president Mike Griffith dropped the first official mention of Bizarre Creations' newest racer, Blur. Today, Activision officially announced the driving game, saying Blur will cruise to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this fall.

Described by Griffith as the title that will "do for racing what Call of Duty did for shooters," Blur is as much a combat game as it is a racer. Elevating the term battling for position, Blur tasks gamers with taking both an offensive and defensive stance in getting to the finish line, with cars swapping paint and energy bursts to impede their opponents. The game incorporates "photo realistic" cars, as well as tracks from real-world locations, such as US destinations Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Hackney, UK, and Barcelona, Spain.

Activision promises a unique single-player experience with Blur, one that will be driven by a community-based social network. As described by the publisher, the network "evolves dynamically as players compete in different races, make new friends, rivals and fans, and connect with other racers both in-game and in real life." The community component also extends to Blur's online component, which accommodates up to 20 racers in one race as well as four-player split-screen local action.

Bizarre is best known for its Microsoft-platform-exclusive racing franchise Project Gotham Racing as well as the top-down shooter Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Activision purchased Bizarre shortly before the studio shipped Project Gotham Racing 4 in 2007.

Activision plans to show Blur for the first time during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, which runs June 1-4.