Atari closes former MicroProse studio
Hunt Valley offices reach the end of the line following D&D project completion.
Publisher Atari has shut its Hunt Valley development office following the completion of its most recent project, bringing an end to the studio which under its previous name, MicroProse, was responsible for several classic titles.
The studio had most recently completed work on Dungeons & Dragons Heroes, which was the only project underway at the offices - making this into a "straightforward business decision", according to Atari's VP of corporate communications, Nancy Bushkin.
The closure of the studio will entail the loss of 35 jobs, although Atari says that it is in discussion with "a handful" of the former staff of the studio regarding other positions within the publisher's network of development studios.
Hunt Valley is the studio previously known as MicroProse, and was an independent publisher and developer prior to its acquisition by Atari. Among the titles which were created at the studio, whose "star designer" was the legendary Sid Meier, are Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and Pirates.