Activision + Vivendi + Blizzard = LOVE

Yes, you heard it right!

Everybody know that Activision is currently battling the grand EA for the position of "the Man" in video games publishing, hitting the jackpot with titles like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, or Tony Hawk.

Activision has joined forces with Vivendi and thus Blizzard, famous father of the Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft (World of Warcraft has over 8 million players worldwide) creating Activision Blizzard, a new company. The catch is that Vivendi will be the primary shareholder for the new Activision Blizzard, with 68% of the shares, so that (oh, the irony!) when the deal actually gets finalized Vivendi will have actually bought Activision.

"The details on the Blizzard-Activision part of the deal are as follows: <Note: quotes are taken from the FAQ on Blizzard’s website)

• Activision will change their name to Activision Blizzard.
• “We do not anticipate any difference in Blizzard's operations as a result of the combination. Joining forces with Activision will create a stronger and more diversified company that we anticipate will benefit and strengthen both brands.”
• Brand names on boxes will remain the same. i.e WoW will continue to be branded Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. There will be no change to the logo.
• “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.”
• Development on current roster will continue as normal at Blizzard (WoW: Wrath of the Lich King, StarCraft II and unnaounced games – Diablo 3?), although no word on whether this will be the case across the other Vivendi games.
• There will be no sharing of development teams across Blizzard and Activision.
• Release schedules will not change as a result of the deal… so Starcraft 2 could still come out some time in the next decade.
• The deal should be finalised by mid 2008"

This only represents the part of the deal concerning Activision and Blizzard, further details concerning Vivendi still being awaited.