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Aussie Brisbane studios safe from flood waters

THQ's Studio Oz, Halfbrick, and Creative Assembly braving flood waters affecting Queensland capital; most hope to get back to normal working hours early next week.

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As flood waters get ready to hit their peak in the central suburbs of Brisbane tomorrow, the Australian gaming industry's focus is fixed squarely on a handful of development studios that call the Queensland capital home.

After speaking to THQ's Studio Oz (Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno), Halfbrick (Heatseeker, Raskulls, Fruit Ninja), and Sega's Creative Assembly (Medieval II: Total War, Stormrise) studios earlier today, GameSpot AU can confirm that all employees from the three studios and their families are safe, and that none of the companies have been affected by rising flood waters as of this time.

Studio Oz, located in Fortitude Valley just outside the Brisbane CBD, is currently still in operation, but at a reduced capacity. Most of the studio's employees have moved to higher ground or have gone home, with other buildings in the area already affected by flood waters. The studio occupied the first three floors of its building, but has not yet been affected. Its employees are hoping to resume a normal working week from Monday.

Halfbrick, located in Kelvin Grove on the outskirts of the Brisbane CBD, instructed all its employees to go home yesterday afternoon following radio reports of evacuations nearby. Although the studio is not operating today, it is hoping to reopen by Friday this week depending on how quickly flood waters recede. Although the studio is in a central position, marketing manager Phil Larsen says there is little chance of flooding because Halfbrick's offices occupy the top level of a two-story building located on top of a hill.

Sega's Creative Assembly studio is also doing well--it told GameSpot AU it's "business as usual," despite its location close to Studio Oz in Fortitude Valley.

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