Activision to merge with Blizzard in $18.9 billion deal!
Vivendi, Blizzard and the other companies that make up Vivendi Games will combine with Activision to form a new public company named Activision Blizzard. The transaction is valued at $18.9 billion! The companies promise there will be no changes in management or game development as a result of the deal, its goal is to become the most profitable third party games publisher, with sales larger than those of Electronic Arts.
“By combining Vivendi’s games business with Activision, we are creating a worldwide leader in a high-growth industry,” said Jean-Bernard Levy, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi. “We are excited about the opportunities for Activision Blizzard as a broader entertainment software platform.”
Vivendi will have a 52% ownership stake in the combined company, and current Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will take the chief executive position. Vivendi and Activision expect the transaction with Blizzard to be completed by mid-2008.Together company will own famous game brands such as: Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, Spider-Man, X-Men, Shrek, James Bond, Transformers, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, World Of Warcraft, Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo.
Activision seems to be on a roll, first they buy out developer Bizarre Creations, then they overtake EA to become America’s largest third-party publisher, and now acquiring Blizzard like this, must be a busy year. So what do you reckon is next for the company?
Call of Starcraft or World of Guitar Hero? 
