Activision Blizzard to be sold to Microsoft (or Warner) for $10 billion?!

[Sub-stance1]

i certainly wish it had a different impact on the industry, 4 was it for me. every single release after did my head in. i can't stand COD.

Oh, so I guess its personal for you then.

yeah but the devs dont exist anymore so i was being mean on purpose whilst skirting other issues i have with Activision >_>

But the IP can still live on and it does have a substantial following.

probably comes down to whatever their long term goals are. and the objectives they've set. if they seek to dominate then simply denying the PS brand a major seller will do some damage, on the other hand, if the seek revenue streams then allowing Activision to exist as s subssidiary is prolly what they'll go with.

as you said earlier, its all speculation, next gen consoles ain't finalized yet and so its all assumption at this point. only the companies themselves know how to best integrate Activision into their business model.

If this even happens I don't really see much of a change considering COD, but it does open up some opportunities for MS because of the other IPs published by Activision.

[mynd]

My only problem with all of this is, a fair slice of worth of the company would dissapear if they stop making games for other platforms.
Now in syaing, RARE have continued to make DS games.
But I just cant see this being strategically right for MS unless they really simply just want to own Call of Duty.

[Sub-stance1]

My only problem with all of this is, a fair slice of worth of the company would dissapear if they stop making games for other platforms.
Now in syaing, RARE have continued to make DS games.
But I just cant see this being strategically right for MS unless they really simply just want to own Call of Duty.

I really don't think MS will buy. They sure have been using the check book lately though. They bought cenesta, skype, zcam, Perceptive Pixel, and they just bought Yammer a few weeks ago.

[coolguy]

I hope this is a rumor .not haveing cod on the ps3 and ps4 would stink

[A7MAD]

Just get it for the 360 or PC...

[acryllicaltair]

for a billion bucks, MS could buy several good studios and fund a good amount of first party games. Dont ever see them buying Activision Blizzard, they are better off investing somewhere else.

[Fijiandoce]

Oh, so I guess its personal for you then.

not really, there's a number of EA titles i dislike o.O
don't know how you'd draw this conclusion

But the IP can still live on and it does have a substantial following.

im trying to skirt the real issue here >_> lets we not talk about the dev

If this even happens I don't really see much of a change considering COD, but it does open up some opportunities for MS because of the other IPs published by Activision.

yeah, but the other ips suck. Tony Hawk, Spyro, Crash, Guitar Hero, endless Movie Games

prototype was the only other ip from these guys and because the sales numbers were bad....bye bye dev.

Warner has a lesser publishing branch so this would be good for them.....also with the addition of the Movie licences they'd get more back. but like i say, as an investor its not a wise purchase given the industry will soon transition.

[radgamer420]

Just get it for the 360 or PC...

Plus COD has always been better on those two platforms anyway.

[A7MAD]

Plus COD has always been better on those two platforms anyway.

I can't dispute that.

[Morganator]

Personally, I see this as a good thing. If Sony can buy studios out without being seen as monopolistic, Microsoft should be allowed to too. Let's face facts here. Microsoft could definitely use the first party I.P. to help it compete with Sony and Nintendo.

[ps3freak18]

Personally, I see this as a good thing. If Sony can buy studios out without being seen as monopolistic, Microsoft should be allowed to too. Let's face facts here. Microsoft could definitely use the first party I.P. to help it compete with Sony and Nintendo.

Yeah it would definitely be an ace in the hole for MS to have COD an exclusive but from a revenue stand point, if they were to buy activision, it would be much better to keep the activision name and release on all platforms.

[Morganator]

Yeah it would definitely be an ace in the hole for MS to have COD an exclusive but from a revenue stand point, if they were to buy activision, it would be much better to keep the activision name and release on all platforms.

Maybe. Then again, keeping COD exclusive to PC and Xbox would ensure Microsoft has something to anchor to the Xbox brand.

[MacP]

It will be good to see how this all pans out. They are big company no matter what IP they have/don't have.

[*goo]

why 'World of Warcraft' of course, and diablo, and the other one...i forget its name >_>
MMORPG is blizzards domain. enter at your creditors mercy

how can the PC in itself be a monopoly. its got MAC to keep it company

I'm still not getting it... And you're not really clarifying what you mean, Lol.

[Fijiandoce]

I'm still not getting it... And you're not really clarifying what you mean, Lol.

Blizzard produce WOW, Diablo, and that other one. these three combined take up so much of the market its near enough plausible to count it as a monopoly....i wasn't being to serious when i stated it though, as i was being a bit lax with the term, as i tend to be... but for the everyman, WOW is what every MMORPG is compared to.



clearly not a monopoly, if you want the actual market form it'll be called an oligopoly....but com'on, who's gunna know this word outside of the economists
and i'd rather prefer to not have to describe the differences to people.....i did enough of that in high school.

[Dave]

Just like AT&T trying to purchase T-Mobile, the FCC will shut down any opportunity that Microsoft has in purchasing Activision Blizzard.

[X2]

Vivendi’s Search for Activision Suitors Off to Slow Start
By Christopher Palmeri, Cliff Edwards and Marie Mawad - Jul 13, 2012 4:19 PM CT

Vivendi SA (VIV) Chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou, looking for a buyer for the company’s $8.27 billion stake in Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI), is finding little enthusiasm among potential suitors.

Fourtou, in an interview yesterday at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, said Vivendi may sell its 61 percent stake in Activision, the largest U.S. video-game publisher. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), maker of the Xbox console, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO) and Walt Disney Co. (DIS), the world’s largest entertainment company, aren’t pursuing bids, people with knowledge of their plans said.

“It’s a possibility,” Fourtou said of a sale after walking with Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick. His comments marked the first public confirmation that the holding is on the block. Asked if he was trying to find a buyer at the event, Fourtou said: “We’re always looking at opportunities for all of our businesses.”

...

For weeks, Paris-based Vivendi has canvassed possible buyers, people familiar with the matter have said.

Microsoft, while approached, isn’t actively considering a bid, according to one person. That could change, the person said. The software company, based in Redmond, Washington, would have to consider that buying Activision may jeopardize sales of the company’s “Call of Duty” games for rival consoles made by Sony Corp. (675 and Nintendo Co.

Disney, based in Burbank, California, is unlikely to bid for Activision, according to a person with knowledge of the company’s plans.

Take-Two, the New York-based publisher of “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption, isn’t interested, a person with knowledge of the company’s plans said.

...

Vivendi is seeking a cash sale, one person said. That could complicate any deal with China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd. (700) or Japan’s Nexon Co. (3659), both of which were approached, according to the people. Neither company has sufficient cash to fund such a purchase.

...

Kotick, who has led Activision for at least 20 years, has seen his largest shareholder transformed from a stable, hands- off investor to a candidate for breakup. Strolling yesterday with Fourtou, he walked away before the chairman’s comments to a reporter.

Asked a day earlier about a sale, Kotick replied, “It’s great weather.”

Vivendi will consider selling Activision shares on the market if it can’t find a buyer, a person with knowledge of the matter said last month. The French company is planning to make some announcements about its strategy when it reports first-half earnings on Aug. 30, a person familiar with the matter said.

With few expressing interest in buying control of Activision, a large public sale of stock may depress the price, said Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. in Dallas. Kotick may need to line up partners for a management-led plan to buy Vivendi’s stake, he said.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...low-start.html

[Morganator]

LOLz. I get the feeling that Activision is somehow damaged goods and Vivendi wants the company about as bad as it wants bankruptcy.

Nice.

Double Nice.