Kotick proposed the merger to Activision's board, which agreed to it in December 2007. However, after talking to Blizzard's CEO Mike Morhaime, Kotick recognized that Vivendi would be able to give them inroads into the growing video game market in China. According to those close to Kotick, Kotick was concerned about this offer as it would force him to cede control of Activision. Lévy instead offered that he would be willing to merge Vivendi Games with Activision, but only if Vivendi kept majority control of the merged company. Kotick wanted to get access to Blizzard's World of Warcraft, a successful MMO, and suggested a means to acquire this to Lévy. Vivendi at that time had the games division Vivendi Games, a holding company principally for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. Īround 2006, Kotick reached out to Jean-Bernard Lévy, the CEO of the French media conglomerate Vivendi. Activision was also facing tougher competition from companies like Electronic Arts, as well as slowdowns in sales of their key game series. None of Activision's subsidiaries had an MMO or the capability to make one quickly. Such games provide a constant revenue stream to their publishers, rather than only a single purchase, making them a more valuable proposition. However, by around 2006, the popularity of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games started to grow. This resulted in Activision publishing several successful series of games, including Tony Hawk's, Call of Duty, and Guitar Hero. Kotick spent the next decade expanding Activision's products through acquisitions of around 25 studios. By 1997 the company was profitable again. Kotick instituted a large restructuring to reduce debt, including renaming the company back to Activision and moving it to Santa Monica, California. In 1991 a group of investors led by Bobby Kotick bought the company. This venture was not successful, incurring heavy losses. In 1988 the company expanded into non-gaming software and renamed itself Mediagenic. The original Activision company was founded in 1979, as a third-party developer for games on the Atari Video Computer System. History Background and formation (2007–2008) If approved, Activision Blizzard would become a division of Microsoft Gaming, making Microsoft the third largest gaming company (behind Tencent and Sony). Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion on January 18, 2022. Securities and Exchange Commission, multiple workplace walkouts, the resignation or dismissal of several employees, the loss of multiple company event sponsors, and hundreds of workplace harassment allegations. The suit triggered an investigation by the U.S. In late July 2021, it was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination. The company has also been involved in multiple notable controversies, including allegations of infringed patents and unpaid royalties. As of March 2018, it was the largest game company in the Americas and Europe in terms of revenue and market capitalization. Activision Blizzard's titles have broken a number of release records. Under Blizzard Entertainment, it invested in esports initiatives around several of its games, most notably Overwatch and Call of Duty. Among major intellectual properties produced by Activision Blizzard are Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk's, Spyro, Skylanders, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, and Candy Crush Saga. The company owns and operates additional subsidiary studios, as part of Activision Publishing, including Treyarch, Infinity Ward, High Moon Studios, and Toys for Bob. Activision Blizzard currently includes five business units: Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, King, Major League Gaming, and Activision Blizzard Studios. It is traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol ATVI, and since 2015 has been a member of the S&P 500 Index. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Vivendi Games. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. Activision Blizzard Consumer Products GroupĪctivision Blizzard, Inc.
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