Vivendi looking to unload Activision Blizzard - Report

[iveL]

Telecom giant plans to sell $8.1 billion stake in Call of Duty and World of Warcraft makers after CEO ousted for opposing restructuring, Bloomberg reports.
Changes are afoot at Vivendi, which earlier this week saw the departure of CEO Jean-Bernard Levy after the executive butted heads with the board of directors on restructuring the company. One such change in the works is the sale of Activision Blizzard, reports Bloomberg.
Who wants to buy the largest third-party publisher in the business?

According to the news service, Vivendi wants to sell its 61 percent stake in the publisher, valued at $8.1 billion. If it can't find a single buyer, it will turn to the open market to unload those shares. The sale was reportedly one of the topics discussed at an executive meeting last week.
Despite Activision Blizzard's success with the Call of Duty series and World of Warcraft, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter suggested Vivendi might not have many suitors for the game maker.
"The problem is there are no readily apparent buyers for Activision," Pachter told Bloomberg. "The only option left to Vivendi is to lever up Activision's balance sheet and pay out all of its cash as a dividend, then spin the company off."
In late 2007, Vivendi announced an $18.9 billion merger between its own games group--which included Blizzard and its World of Warcraft business--and Activision, which at the time was riding high on the success of the Guitar Hero series and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/vivendi...report-6385008

So I wonder if theirs anyone out there that could buy them.

[Knuckles Chaotix]

Maybe now someone will finally make a Crash Bandicoot game. Last I checked, Activision owned Crash Bandicoot.

[ARingcade]

So I wonder if theirs anyone out there that could buy them.

If I'm doing my math right, then at the set stake:

If 81 Million gamers each pitched in $100, then they could buy out Activision Blizzard.

[ShadiWulf]

If Apple would buy them, it would be the end of the world for certain people. lol

That is why Microsoft should buy them, that way they can ensure call of duty is forever exclusive to XBOX.

[Darkism 13]

If Apple would buy them, it would be the end of the world for certain people. lol

That is why Microsoft should buy them, that way they can ensure call of duty is forever exclusive to XBOX.

That wouldn't make any sense from a business standpoint. Why would anyone want Call of Duty to be available on only one platform when it's been a proven success on multiple platforms? The franchise will lose millions in sales. Also, Microsoft does not have a good record when it comes to buying third parties. Look how many good IP's Microsoft is sitting on.

[ShadiWulf]

That wouldn't make any sense from a business standpoint. Why would anyone want Call of Duty to be available on only one platform when it's been a proven success on multiple platforms? The franchise will lose millions in sales. Also, Microsoft does not have a good record when it comes to buying third parties. Look how many good IP's Microsoft is sitting on.

but how would that be an issue for Microsoft if it was only on their platform? Call of Duty sells XBOX 360's with just exclusive map DLC. Microsoft would have it made if Call of Duty became exclusive to XBOX. The biggest Call of Duty fans play on XBOX 360.

[rf switch]

Is $8.1 Billion really worth it to MS to get Blizzard and exclusive rights to CoD & Skylanders essentially?

[4Ks]

I just hope they aren't bought out by one of the big three, because that would severely limit the sales and audience of their games as well as force anyone who wants to play CoD/GH/whatever-else-they-publish to buy one particular system which may not be the one they really want.

[voltz]

I keep thinking Blizzard made more then enough from the Warcraft/Diablo/Starcraft franchises, maybe they should go about getting themselves independent again?

[rf switch]

I keep thinking Blizzard made more then enough from the Warcraft/Diablo/Starcraft franchises, maybe they should go about getting themselves independent again?

They seem to be able to do what they want. So the cost of that may not be worth it....yet.