Vivendi and Activision merge to create Vivendi-Activision

VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD – WORLD'S LARGEST, MOST PROFITABLE PURE-PLAY VIDEO GAME PUBLISHER

Combination Brings Activision's Best-Selling Video Games, Together With Vivendi Games' Portfolio of Leading Franchises

Vivendi to Contribute Vivendi Games Valued at $8.1 Billion, Plus $1.7 Billion in Cash in Exchange for Approximately 52% Stake in Activision Blizzard at Closing; Total Transaction Valued at $18.9 Billion

Transaction Will Unlock Value of Blizzard Entertainment's Massively Multiplayer Online Games Business and Will Be Accretive to Stockholders of Activision and Vivendi

December 2, 2007 (Santa Monica, Calif. and Paris, France) – Activision, Inc. and Vivendi today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to combine Vivendi Games, Vivendi's interactive entertainment business.

Activision, one of the world's leading independent publishers of interactive entertainment, is best known for its top- selling franchises, including Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and the Tony Hawk series, as well as Spider-Man, X-Men, Shrek, James Bond and TRANSFORMERS.

Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit. Blizzard owns the #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise, World Of Warcraft, which currently has over 9.3 million subscribers worldwide. Blizzard's World Of Warcraft, Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time.

Vivendi Games also owns popular franchises, including Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. Pro forma for calendar 2007, Activision Blizzard expects to generate approximately 70% of its revenues from owned franchises. As a result of the business combination, Activision Blizzard expects to have the most diversified and broadest portfolio of interactive entertainment assets in its industry, positioning the combined company to capitalize on the continued worldwide growth in interactive entertainment.

Truncated and edited for relevance.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.blizzard.com/press/071202.shtml

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From the FAQ released by Blizzard:

Q: What will change with regard to the day-to-day operations at Blizzard?
A: There will be no changes in the way Blizzard operates. All of the people, processes, and philosophies that have made Blizzard so successful will be preserved. Blizzard will benefit from all-star sales and distribution teams to service our products. In addition, the combined company will be stronger financially, managerially, and operationally.

Q: How will this impact Blizzard's games?
A: This will not impact Blizzard's games. We remain committed to providing the same high-quality game content and support that we always have. Development on Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, as well as on our unannounced games, is continuing as normal.

Read the rest of the FAQ here: http://www.blizzard.com/press/activision-faq.shtml

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Can someone shorten this? Or atleast a summary.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

No, it supposed to be good, because it's LT and global mods know him

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

correct me if I'm wrong but this Vivendi and Activision want to buy 52% of blizzard (or at least the part that is responsible for WoW) just to get the money from WoW monthly payment ?!
WTF !!

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

That was what the whole thing was about?

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

This is the gist of it:

Vivendi owns Blizzard and a bunch of other game studios, which currently go as Vivendi Games. What is happening is that Vivendi is merging Vivendi Games and Activision under the name Activision Blizzard.

From what I've read, there won't be any notable changes within individual studios, but this new company will have some serious pushing power when it comes to negotiating prices with retailers.

My main problem with the whole thing is that the name is seriously lame.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

All read this Activision Blizzard FAQ --> http://www.blizzard.com/press/activision-faq.shtml

Link added to the main article.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

I agree. I love the name Blizzard.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Well, at least nothing about blizzards games will change. That FAQ helped a lot, thx PKzeppelin.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

It'll always be Blizzard in our hearts.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

at least it not Actizzard or Blivision

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

un-freakin believeable!

Activision Blizzard.... weeeeak, what about BlizzardVision? or just screw the Activision part, and just keep it with Blizzard.

who'd a thunk it tho eh, 520 million per year, profit? video games? 15 years ago, i would have never have guessed, VG's were for dorks... well not anymore.

I mean, Halo is already the most sucessful thing in entertainment history, and if blizzard play their cards right, so will SC2 be 10 million players, thats alot of dough right there, throw in a "Universe of Starcraft" and watch the billions come in. 16 bucks per second from just WOW alone... nice.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Because Vivendi is the 52% owner of this new company it won't affect SC2 or any other Blizzard game(other then possibly bringing more funding into the already insanely funded operation which might or might not increase gameplay value). This is good for their company but nothing really special about SC2.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Honestly thats why the world is how it is, reading wont do you any wrong, what are you? elementary school? come on people, there cant always be pretty pictures in your books! damn, sorry if i offend you but i think its unbelievable that some people complain for such a small piece of text AND even ask for a sumary, yeah let them do your work.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

weak man, my thread pwnt yours

so...does this mean a Call of Warcraft MMO game?

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Call of Warcraft, lol.

"Kill those terrorist Blood Elves!"

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Lok-Tar Charlie Delta!!!

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

SWEET! This means I can actually buy stocks from blizzard!!! Whee! Everyone! throw in yer money! For Better Blizz Games!

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

I wish the article would have listed better games from activision. I cannot remember many of their titles but I know they have better games than that. Guitar Hero isn't my kind of game but I respect it for its originallity and Call of Duty is a good series but the rest are blah. Tony Hawk is entertaining for a couple hours then its done. The rest that they listed are just B video games inspired by movies to make a quick buck.

Also, the new name sucks.

 

Re: VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Q: When will the transaction be complete?
A: The transaction is subject to approval of Activision shareholders, customary closing conditions, and regulatory approvals. Pending approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by mid 2008.
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Everyone needs to remember that this deal is 6 months away from actually being a reality.