Bizarre Creations, the studio behind the Project Gotham Racing series, developed Blur as a new intellectual property under Activision's publishing umbrella. The core concept blended the studio's pedigree in realistic vehicle handling and real-world track recreation with a combat system borrowed from kart racing traditions. Tracks were modeled on real environments, including Los Angeles river canals and sections of London, though their layouts were simplified for racing. The game was released in May 2010 alongside competing titles ModNation Racers and Split/Second, a crowded window that the studio later identified as a factor in modest commercial performance.
Blur's career was structured around a series of rival characters, each with distinctive racing styles, power-up preferences, and car setups. The career guide Shannon, voiced by Natalie Lander, introduced players to these opponents. Each of the game's licensed vehicles — including the Dodge Viper and Lotus Exige — carried individual statistics across acceleration, speed, drift, grip, and stability. Some vehicles were original designs created by Bizarre Creations.
Eight distinct power-ups appeared on track and could be collected and carried simultaneously up to a maximum of three. Five were offensive weapons, with the others being a protective shield, a repair wrench restoring vehicle damage, and a nitrous boost. Most power-ups could be toggled to fire either forward or backward, and several had defensive applications against incoming attacks. Progressing through the career rewarded players with fan points, unlocked by podium finishes, stunt execution, and contextual power-up use. Trackside fan icons triggered short mid-race challenges with fan point bonuses. Defeating boss characters yielded unique car mods and their personalized vehicles.
Multiplayer supported up to four players in split-screen and up to 20 players online or via LAN. A World Tour quick-play mode assigned random cars and race sequences. Team Racing divided players into two factions, Alpha and Omega, with points awarded by finishing position. Players could issue asynchronous time-trial challenges to friends, which would travel back and forth until one party conceded. Social integration allowed players to post results to Twitter and Facebook.
During pre-release marketing, a "double tap" feature was demonstrated on Xbox Live, intended to let players combine multiple identical power-ups for amplified effects. The feature did not appear in the final game. Promotional trailers referencing it were quietly withdrawn before launch.
Blur received favorable critical reviews across all platforms according to Metacritic. Famitsu awarded it 29 out of 40 overall, with the Xbox 360 version scoring 31. Edge scored the Xbox 360 version 8 out of 10, noting its "exemplary racing" while flagging a lack of engaging structural depth. GameZone rated it 7.5 out of 10, contrasting a weaker solo experience with an "absolutely exhilarating" multiplayer mode.
Commercial results were disappointing. The game sold 31,000 units in its first five days in the United States, and ultimately reached 500,000 units lifetime — short of expectations. Bizarre Creations' Nick Davies attributed this partly to release timing, expressing confidence that strong multiplayer would sustain the game as a slow-burner. Those expectations were overtaken by events: Activision closed Bizarre Creations on 18 February 2011, citing the broader economic climate and the title's failure to find a commercial audience.
Work on a Blur sequel had begun at Bizarre Creations before the studio's closure, reportedly built on an all-new engine. Post-mortem footage released after the studio closed showed racing in Brighton with storm effects, an Audi R8 track set in Dubai with a wall-running segment, and an Ultima GTR racing through a mountain avalanche. None of this reached release.
In October 2013, a free-to-play mobile spin-off called Blur Overdrive was released on Android by Nottingham studio App Crowd, followed by an iOS version in November 2013. Blur Overdrive adopted a top-down perspective with six upgradeable cars and eight power-ups, licensed from Activision by Marmalade. The main Blur title has not been revived since Bizarre Creations' closure.