What do you think about the recent blizzard activision deal?”
Last year’s mega-merger of video game publishers Activision and Vivendi created a monster with current annual revenue of around US$3 billion. The behemoth’s stable of products includes franchises like Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, Warcraft, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Spider-Man, Spyro, James Bond and StarCraft. In 2009, Activision Blizzard should enjoy another big year, releasing products like Guitar Hero: Metallica, StarCraft II, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Singularity, Wolfenstein, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion and Diablo III. Today Activision Blizzard Australia’s Marketing Director Colin Brown shares his thoughts on some of the gaming industry’s most important issues in Screen Play’s latest interview looking at the year ahead.
Activision Blizzard deal valued at $18.9 billion Activision and Vivendi Games are to merge, becoming the world’s largest independent videogame publisher, in a deal valued at USD 18.9 billion The new company, Activision Blizzard, now boasts a portfolio bursting with some of the top-selling videogame franchises including Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, Vivendi’s Crash Bandicoot and Spyro and Activision’s Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and the Tony Hawk series. Activision shareholders are to receive USD 27.50 a share, a 24 per cent premium over Friday’s close of USD 22.15. Vivendi Games will contribute USD 1.7 billion in cash to the company and take a 52 per cent stake. “This alliance is a major strategic step for Vivendi and is another illustration of our drive to extend our presence in the entertainment sector,” commented Jean Bernard Levy, CEO of Vivendi. “The combined strength of the existing management teams at both companies will set the stage for further profitable g
