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Topic: Blizzard and Activision merge? (Read 19265 times)
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Simond
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6742
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Yeah, it's Vivendi taking control of Activision & using the Blizzard name as a smokescreen (like I said earlier).
I'm guessing the Activision CEO is a money man rather than a promoted programmer, hence why he's staying on.
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"You're really a good person, aren't you? So, there's no path for you to take here. Go home. This isn't a place for someone like you."
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dr_dre
Terracotta Army
Posts: 32
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I think its activision's try to slap EA a bit more.
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Wolf
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1248
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As a matter of fact I swallowed one of these about two hours ago and the explanation is that it is, in fact, my hand.
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Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23657
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Except that it starts off wrong -- Activision is not the dominant partner. The CEO answers to the board. Who controls the board? Vivendi. Who does the board answer to? The shareholders. Who owns the majority of the shares? Vivendi. Activision was given the CEO position to make it look like a "merger" when in fact it's an acquisition.
Edit: Actually Robert Kotick is not just a figurehead since Activision does have more experience with console games and such so there are practical reasons to have him running things but it's clear from the legal structure that Vivendi is calling all the shots.
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« Last Edit: December 03, 2007, 07:01:33 AM by Trippy »
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shiznitz
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4268
the plural of mangina
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Activision is selling out because they know GH has peaked and gets THE king of the MMOGs. Vivendi gets to monetize its games business with a publicly traded company it controls that can now self-fund development. Vivendi itself doesn't have to finance any more game development since it will be done through the new combined company.
Also, the investor slides reveal Blizzard operating income (that's pre-tax) of $517 million. That's a lot of money hats.
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I have never played WoW.
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UnSub
Contributor
Posts: 8064
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"Blizzard Entertainment [which has "over 9.3 million subscribers" to World Of Warcraft] has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit." According to Blizzard's president, Mike Morhaine the name change is just a corporate thing and won't ever appear on the games. Also, the deal is good for Blizzard because the "combined company will have strong financial flexibility, [and] resources enable us to attract and reward the best industry talent." Yes, because Blizzard is a struggling studio who can barely find industry talent.All I can think is that Vivendi looked at EA and decided they wanted to be that big too. |
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42666
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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All I can think is that Vivendi looked at EA and decided they wanted to be that big too.
Yes. Which means more sequels, more fading franchises with the occasional joy game. Blizzard will stay in the PC game business with supposed autonomy. Let's face it, Blizzard's autonomy made Vivendi very rich with WoW. Had WoW not existed, neither would Vivendi as a games company. It's in the company's best interests to let Blizzard do what it does without interference, at least until they fuck up something badly. Like say, if the WoW expansion flopped, SC2 was a buggy POS flop or everyone stopped playing WoW en masse. |
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Simond
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6742
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Just had a thought - L70ETC in GH4?  |
"You're really a good person, aren't you? So, there's no path for you to take here. Go home. This isn't a place for someone like you."
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geldonyetich2
Terracotta Army
Posts: 811
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Another exchange going through my head.
Vivendi: Okay, Blizzard, you and Activision are merging. We'll call you Activizzard.
Blizzard: Well, alright, I guess we'll take Activision under our wing.
Vivendi: Oh no, we're putting Activision in charge.
Activision: Th4t's r1t3 b14tch!!
Blizzard: What?! Those guys have been downsliding for years.
Vivendi: Listen, Blizzard, we're really ticked off about all that money you wasted on Starcraft: Ghost, don't even start with us.
Blizzard: But World of Warcraft had made you billions! It's probably the main reason you're still in business!
Vivendi: Shut up, you worthless hacks.
Activision: Y0u t3ll th3m b0zz!
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Wolf
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1248
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What? Why? I don't get it.
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As a matter of fact I swallowed one of these about two hours ago and the explanation is that it is, in fact, my hand.
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LK
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4268
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Yes, because Blizzard is a struggling studio who can barely find industry talent.
Some of those job postings on their website have been up for some time. Also, Irvine isn't a cheap place to live. |
"Then there's the double-barreled shotgun from Doom 2 - no-one within your entire household could be of any doubt that it's been fired because it sounds like God slamming a door on his fingers." - Yahtzee Croshaw
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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cmlancas
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2511
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How the hell do you put Crash Bandicoot and Starcraft in the same sentence? |
f13 Street Cred of the week:
I can't promise anything other than trauma and tragedy. -- schild
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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Well. I didn't have photoshop at work. But I wanted to do this (glad no one else did):  Photoshop of the year if you ask me. |
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MrHat
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7432
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
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(sans Blizzard)
They're French.
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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(sans Blizzard)
They're French.
I had to make it fair PR. No one cares about the french. |
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geldonyetich2
Terracotta Army
Posts: 811
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I have to wonder what, exactly, Blizzard gets out of letting Vivendi run the show. I also wonder if this has anytrhing at all to do with Atari (formerly Infogrames). They, too, are French. Give it to me straight: Are the french taking over computer gaming?  |
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UnSub
Contributor
Posts: 8064
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Yes, because Blizzard is a struggling studio who can barely find industry talent.
Some of those job postings on their website have been up for some time. Also, Irvine isn't a cheap place to live. But becoming Activision Blizzard isn't going to change that issue. Unless they start paying double the market rate or move to a more tech-friendly place or start setting up multiple Blizzard offshoots (Blizzard East, South and Nor' Nor' West, perhaps) having Activision on board isn't going to help them recruit. Unless Blizzard really wants Activision programmers in their development seats. |
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Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474
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Crash Bandicoot is French? That explains sooo much.
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"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
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Xanthippe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4779
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From the Gamasutra article: "Blizzard Entertainment [which has "over 9.3 million subscribers" to World Of Warcraft] has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit."  Today's New York Times article. |
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geldonyetich2
Terracotta Army
Posts: 811
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So, uh, Blizzard, I know I said your game is doomed all but, uh, could you float me a loan?
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Margalis
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12335
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Ruh-roh!
Check out today's Penny Arcade.
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vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
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Simond
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6742
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Yes, because Blizzard is a struggling studio who can barely find industry talent.
Some of those job postings on their website have been up for some time. Also, Irvine isn't a cheap place to live. But becoming Activision Blizzard isn't going to change that issue. Unless they start paying double the market rate or move to a more tech-friendly place or start setting up multiple Blizzard offshoots (Blizzard East, South and Nor' Nor' West, perhaps) having Activision on board isn't going to help them recruit. Unless Blizzard really wants Activision programmers in their development seats. Blactivizzard should just send a mailshot to the Flagship Games studio along the lines of "Want to wash the stench of failure off? Come back to work for the company you stormed out of in a hissy fit! We promise we won't laugh at you for more than a decade...two, at the most"  |
"You're really a good person, aren't you? So, there's no path for you to take here. Go home. This isn't a place for someone like you."
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Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474
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"Blizzard Entertainment [which has "over 9.3 million subscribers" to World Of Warcraft] has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit."
They have to be careful. 40% margins are great for any company but stock prices are fickle. If they drop from 40% to 35%, still a ridiculously high number, their stock price will take a HUGE hit. Wall street doesn't see 35% they see 5% less than last quarter. It was probably a bad idea to take Blizzard public this way. |
"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
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Cim
Terracotta Army
Posts: 119
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I hope this doesn't mean that Blizzard is going to be forced into making a WoW 2 or a Diablo III. If they're forced to have either of those two titles (both of which I hope don't exist for another 10,000 years) out by a certain date, they're going to be rushed and suck completely.
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Theres a place on your face that can save the human race, its called a smile, the positivity that it creates takes awhile, but the grin will turn an inch into a mile.
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geldonyetich2
Terracotta Army
Posts: 811
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With any luck, it's not going to be a "EA to Origin: You're an Ultima Company Now" thing. Unsub had reported in a new denned thread that they're working on a new MMORPG. I'm betting Universe of Starcraft. |
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Simond
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6742
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Starcraft Galaxies. |
"You're really a good person, aren't you? So, there's no path for you to take here. Go home. This isn't a place for someone like you."
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MrHat
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7432
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
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