Rockstar Vancouver shut down, Rockstar Toronto absorbing staff

Rockstar Vancouver is closing its doors for good, Take-Two has announced.

The 35 employees that make up the studio have been offered jobs with the expanding Rockstar Toronto. Rockstar Toronto’s expansion is backed by Ontario’s government, though it’s unknown to what extent.

That said, a custom-built facility in Oakville, Ontario has been created to house the relocated Vancouver workers as well as dozens of new hires as well. The new Toronto team will be able to offer 50 new jobs as part of the studio’s ‘strategic partnership with the Ontario government.’

"Expanding Rockstar Toronto and bringing our Canadian development talent together under one roof underscores our commitment to building world-class teams that can make the kind of groundbreaking entertainment experiences Rockstar Games is known for," stated Jennifer Kolbe, VP of publishing and operations for Rockstar Games. We believe a single Canadian team will make for a powerful creative force on future projects.

Rockstar Vancouver was responsible for the development of Bully, and more recently helped work on Max Payne 3.