Plans are to keep the Liverpool, England studio completely intact, along with its 160 staff members. They’ll continue to operate as a fully-owned subsidiary of Activision, and retain the Bizarre name. Games which are already complete or near launch such as PGR4, The Club and Geometry Wars Galaxies will be unaffected by the change.

According to Activision CEO Robert Kotick “Bizarre Creations is the leading independent developer with a proven track record in developing highly successful and influential original properties, especially in the racing field. They are one of the most innovative and creative studios in the industry, and we are very excited to welcome this talented creative team to Activision.”

Bizarre had already started to create versions of its popular Geometry Wars series for other platforms. The way I see it, this means that we’ll start seeing more of their titles pop up on other consoles too. They’re already “off to the races” (pun intended) developing a new racing game, along with a character game for Activision. Let’s hope that Activision really sticks to their word and keeps this talented development shop intact. I’ve seen enough mergers in my time to know that’s not always the case.

[via NEXT Generation]

In addition to announcing this major milestone, Bizarre also released the (massive) final list of vehicles in the game, and it doesn’t disappoint.

I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these vehicles and put them through their paces (especially in the rain and snow). Expect the game to hit stores (and millions of Xbox 360s) on October 2th in the U.S., and on October 12th in Europe.

[Bizarre Creations via Exophase]

After looking at the gorgeous in-game screenshots that Microsoft released the other day, I was starting to get excited about this upcoming racer. Now that I’ve seen the video, I think Gran Turismo 5 should be watching its back.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While I’m sure that racing sim fanatics will espouse the wonders of GT5′s realistic driving models, I’ve always been a fan of the slightly more arcade-y feel of the PGR series. Besides, I’m a sucker for great graphics, and this title sure looks like it’s got plenty of those. Sure, it’s possible that this intro wasn’t done in-game, but if I know Bizarre Creations, you can expect the game to look nearly this good anyway.

You can download or stream the high-resolution video here.

Now we already know the game is going to feature some amazing weather effects that actually affect your driving, but the addition of some two-wheeled vehicles could really shake things up. I’d imagine that if motorcycles do make their way into the game, die-hard fans of this acclaimed auto racing franchise might freak out about how it’ll change the game.

Given developer Bizarre Creations track record, I don’t think we need to be concerned. It’s been a really long time they made a bad game (anyone remember Fur Fighters?)

[via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

If you’re a Nintendo fan, you’ll now be able to get in on the action. Sierra Entertainment today announced that Geometry Wars: Galaxies, a follow up to the frantic 2D game is coming for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Both the Wii version and the DS version will take advantage of the unique control schemes of each device. There will also be bonus unlockable content when you link up your Wii and DS via Wi-Fi.

In addition to a variety of new levels, the game will include a full remake of the Xbox 360 classic. The new game will also feature battle and co-op multiplayer modes, which I can’t wait to check out.

While the original series was developed by Bizarre Creations, the port is being developed by KUJU Entertainment, who’s also working on the highly anticipated PSP 2D/3D platformer, Crush. Geometry Wars: Galaxies should be available for both Nintendo systems sometime this fall.