Vivendi acquiring Activision to create Activision Blizzard

[Aurin]

http://www.destructoid.com/hold-onto-yo ... 7124.phtml

Pretty huge news.

[Maxxthepenguin]

RIP the best development house in gaming history

[Mysterio]

Fighting out of the Blue corner we have Electronic Arts..

And their challenger fighting out of the red corner... Activision Blizzard!

[Khamsin]

Looks like plain old Blizzard has competition now!

[Aurin]

Q and A on the merger from Blizzard:

Q: What are the details of the deal?
A: Under the terms of an agreement with Vivendi, Blizzard and the other companies that make up Vivendi Games will combine with Activision to form a new public company called 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.

Q: What will happen to the Blizzard brand name?
A: The Blizzard brand name will stay the same as it’s always been: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

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.

Q: Will there be any visible differences in Blizzard’s logo or packaging/marketing materials as a result of this deal?
A: No, there won’t be any changes to our company name, logo, packaging/marketing materials, or anything else along those lines.

Q: Will there be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of this deal?
A: No, there won’t be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of the combination.

Q: Will Activision and Blizzard now share development teams?
A: No, both of our companies will continue to operate as they have previously with regard to game development.

Q: Will the release schedules for any Blizzard games be impacted?
A: No, the transaction will not have any impact on our games, our day-to-day operations, or our release timelines.

Q: Will any of Blizzard’s offices close as a result of the deal? Or, will any new offices open?
A: No, all of our offices will continue to function as they have, and we don’t foresee the need to open any new offices for the time being.


Q: Will any employees move to different offices as a result of the deal?
A: We don’t anticipate making any such moves as a result of the deal.

Q: Does this deal include Activision’s and Blizzard’s international offices?
A: Yes, every part of our companies in the U.S. and abroad is involved in this deal.

Q: If Activision Blizzard is a public company, does that mean I’ll now be able to buy stock in Blizzard?
A: Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard, Inc and will continue to be a publicly listed company traded on NASDAQ. You will be able to buy stock in the combined company.

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.

[aceofspades]

blizzard is activision blizzard now, or atleast thats how i read it ...

[Maxxthepenguin]

Q: What will happen to the Blizzard brand name?
A: The Blizzard brand name will stay the same as it’s always been: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Oh ok then, I have no problem

[Cheerios]

Was Square becoming Square-Enix the end of the world for you?

[Maxxthepenguin]

Square hasn't been flawless quite like Blizzard. Blizzard has never made a game I consider 'bad' or even average.

Even WoW.

So Square merging with Enix didn't take a flawless record and lump it with a bunch of shit.

[Khamsin]

blizzard is activision blizzard now, or atleast thats how i read it ...

I read it as Vivendi and Activision are now Activision Blizzard.

[Kaisha]

So they just basically slapped a Blizzard prefix to Activision's title in hopes of future extra sales via name association with true-Blizzard?

[Ishido]

So they just basically slapped a Blizzard suffix to Activision's title in hopes of future extra sales via name association with true-Blizzard?

Fixed, and yeah.

Blizzard was already owned by Vivendi, this really won't change anything unless Activision messes with the Blizzard sub-company.

[Elesirdur]

Blizzard was the first big-name development house to be snapped up by Vivendi in the 90s. If that hadn't happened, there's no telling how quickly Blizzard might have gone out of business considering how long it takes them to develop titles.

[Killgannon]

So they just basically slapped a Blizzard suffix to Activision's title in hopes of future extra sales via name association with true-Blizzard?

Fixed, and yeah.

Blizzard was already owned by Vivendi, this really won't change anything unless Activision messes with the Blizzard sub-company.

i thought someone said the activision group wouldnt be touching ANYTHING blizzard is currently working on, so wow wont get worse, and starcraft2 should still kick ass

[Ishido]

They've stated that there will be no change to the management, development, etc of all current games and anything being developed currently. I was just saying that even saying that they really have no legal obligation to it (unless it is part of an agreement/contract they made), though it would be silly to change what Blizzard is doing right now.