Game over for Rockstar’s Vancouver studio

Rockstar, the gaming that has played a key role in the Max Payne series, announced Monday that it would be closing the doors of its Vancouver studio.

The news about Rockstar Vancouver comes hot off the heels of a spate of similar closures in B.C. that saw Activision shutdown its Radical Entertainment studio and lay off 90 employees June 28, and Ubisoft complete a closure and slash 100 jobs, according to an article in The Vancouver Sun.

Rockstar will consolidate its resources in a new facility in Oakville, financed by the Ontario government.

The studio, to be called Rockstar Toronto, will be part of an in-house development arm of parent company Take-Two Interactive Software, and will allow the company to take advantage of the province’s robust tax credit regime.

The 35 employees at the Vancouver studio will have the opportunity to relocate to any of Rockstar’s gaming studios around the world.

Rockstar VP of publishing and operations, Jennifer Kolbe, said in a statement that the company plans to grow the Rockstar Toronto workforce and add 50 new positions.

This story has been updated to clarify the extent of Rockstar’s involvement with the Max Payne franchise.