Bizarre Creations' Blur racing to E3

In the wake of its better-than-expected quarterly results, Activision gave investors a heads-up today on its plans for next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo in an analyst conference call. Perhaps bolstered by its strong bottom line, the publisher touted the E3 debut of its upcoming racing game Blur.

Developed by Bizarre Creations (the studio behind the Project Gotham Racing series), Blur is poised "to do for racing what Call of Duty did for shooters," said Activision Publishing president Mike Griffith during the call. He added, "That was the goal when we acquired Bizarre Creations to make this game."

Reportedly described by an Activision executive as "Mario Kart meets Forza," Blur was touted by Griffith during the call as bringing "real innovation to the racing category, and it's looking very strong. You will all get a chance to see this game at E3, but suffice it to say we are excited to be entering this genre with this game."

Activision acquired Bizarre Creations in September of 2007 for an undisclosed sum. Although the purchase seemed like a major deal at the time, it was put into perspective later that year when Activision merged with Vivendi Games in a deal worth $18.9 billion.

For all of the latest from E3 2009, check back June 1-4 for GameSpot's complete coverage of E3 2009.