|
is awesome32274 Posts
SANTA MONICA, Calif. & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Vivendi (Euronext Paris: VIV) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to combine Vivendi Games, Vivendi's interactive entertainment business -- which includes Blizzard Entertainment’s® World of Warcraft®, the world’s #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise -- with Activision, creating the world’s largest pure-play online and console game publisher. The new company, Activision Blizzard, is expected to have approximately $3.8 billion in pro forma combined calendar 2007 revenues and the highest operating margins of any major third-party video game publisher. On closing of the transaction, Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI.
Activision, one of the world’s leading independent publishers of interactive entertainment, is best known for its top-selling franchises, including Guitar Hero®, Call of Duty® and the Tony Hawk series, as well as Spider-Man™, X-Men™, Shrek®, James Bond™ and TRANSFORMERS™. Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit. Blizzard owns the #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise, World of Warcraft, which currently has over 9.3 million subscribers worldwide. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Vivendi Games also owns popular franchises, including Crash Bandicoot™ and Spyro™. Pro forma for calendar 2007, Activision Blizzard expects to generate approximately 70% of its revenues from owned franchises. As a result of the business combination, Activision Blizzard expects to have the most diversified and broadest portfolio of interactive entertainment assets in its industry, positioning the combined company to capitalize on the continued worldwide growth in interactive entertainment.
http://www.ad-hoc-news.de/Aktie/12717405/News/14442529/ACTIVISION.html
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071202005054&newsLang=en
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN0236714920071202
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=139685
http://www.euroinvestor.co.uk/news/shownewsstory.aspx?storyid=9668052&BW=20071202005054
|
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
|
|
|
I think Blizzarrovision would be a better name
|
Blizzard isnt merging with activision, Vivendi the parent company did, blizz just stuck following vivendi.
|
|
|
On December 03 2007 02:35 XCetron wrote:
Blizzard isnt merging with activision, Vivendi the parent company did, blizz just stuck following vivendi. Parent companies people. Just like how Disney has rights to ABC and ESPN I think.
|
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
Square didnt have much of a choice at the time, it was almost broke, it was more of a buy out than a merger tbh
|
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
Wtf totally unrelated? Come on, if you've got the same exact developers working in the same exact development teams, what difference does it make? It's not like the developers get worse because they have a name change at the upper levels, or that top Activision bosses will tell Blizzard to start sucking now.
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 03 2007 03:03 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_- Wtf totally unrelated? Come on, if you've got the same exact developers working in the same exact development teams, what difference does it make? It's not like the developers get worse because they have a name change at the upper levels, or that top Activision bosses will tell Blizzard to start sucking now. Yeah? And what would you all be saying if EA was the publisher that took over Blizzard?
It always start at the top.
|
one more step towards the New World Order! the end is near...
|
On December 03 2007 03:13 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 03:03 Myrmidon wrote:On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_- Wtf totally unrelated? Come on, if you've got the same exact developers working in the same exact development teams, what difference does it make? It's not like the developers get worse because they have a name change at the upper levels, or that top Activision bosses will tell Blizzard to start sucking now. Yeah? And what would you all be saying if EA was the publisher that took over Blizzard? It always start at the top.
I dunno how you read it but to me it says Activision and Vivendi are mutually merging, rather than a take over by Activision. So I imagine it still has reign over itself for the most part
|
Does this mean anything for us? By us I mean the people that buy their games and even more specifically anything going to happen to SC2 such as delays`?
|
merging could be good or bad, well see after the games come out
|
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
lmao
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 03 2007 03:21 Woyn wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 03:13 Jibba wrote:On December 03 2007 03:03 Myrmidon wrote:On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_- Wtf totally unrelated? Come on, if you've got the same exact developers working in the same exact development teams, what difference does it make? It's not like the developers get worse because they have a name change at the upper levels, or that top Activision bosses will tell Blizzard to start sucking now. Yeah? And what would you all be saying if EA was the publisher that took over Blizzard? It always start at the top. I dunno how you read it but to me it says Activision and Vivendi are mutually merging, rather than a take over by Activision. So I imagine it still has reign over itself for the most part Right, but Blizzard is under Vivendi and now Activision. Essentially, Blizzard has a new "half boss" and whether that's good or bad, I have no clue. I think it's fair to assume they won't operate exactly the same as they were before.
Maybe they make them take out MBS, maybe we end up with Starcraft 64 2. :x
|
Excellent. I can't wait for the new version of Pitfall where you have to jump and swing over a burrowed lurker.
|
thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
They had already become shit before then.
|
If this means blizzard will start making more unique games instead of the same 3 franchises over and over this seems awesome as long as they keep taking their time and polish their games like always. Somehow I don't think there will be much of an impact though.
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
Every SquareSoft game I've played is an rpg that's almost identical to the other ones, it's only natural people realized they started to suck and that those assholes had to come up with something decent again.
This is what I found on the blizzard.com site at press releases:
VIVENDI AND ACTIVISION TO CREATE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD – WORLD'S LARGEST, MOST PROFITABLE PURE-PLAY VIDEO GAME PUBLISHER
First of all, why does this shit always have to be in caps? Second of all, the whole MOST PROFITABLE part doesn't really seem very appealing to me. I have to say I liked it better when blizzard was smaller, blizzard has always made top quality games, this just feels like it can only get worse from here on. I just hope I'm wrong.
|
Blizzard would be so much richer if they had just stayed independent the entire time
like Vivendi's gaming divisions is pretty much Blizzard + a bunch of random crappy games
|
On December 03 2007 02:33 Equinox_kr wrote:
What the freak. Why is Blizzard merging with ACTIVISION? Look at what happened to SquareSoft; they merge with Enix to make SquareEnix and then they make FFX-2 -_-
SquareEnix made some GREAT games...
|
On December 03 2007 03:31 Funchucks wrote:
Excellent. I can't wait for the new version of Pitfall where you have to jump and swing over a burrowed lurker.
One of the many posts that make me come to TL every day.
|
I'm guessing they'll leave Blizzard alone for the most part, they're smart enough to realize which companies need to left to their own devices.
Then again, this is Activision we're talking about..
|
I usually hate it when stuff like this happens, hopefully it won't affect Starcraft too much..
|
guys, Activision ruined id software ):
|
I better buy stocks, but I'm probobly too late.
|
http://www.blizzard.com/press/activision-faq.shtml
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.
|
On December 03 2007 04:30 Zanno wrote:
guys, Activision ruined id software ):
ahaha, activision didn't ruin id
id never had a storytelling bone in its body, it's always been about tech for them, and when nobody licensed doom3 engine cus it kinda sucks, well... their new engine better kick major major ass or that's it.
|
This guarantees some Starcraft songs in the next Guitar hero :D
|
I was looking through activision games and realized they made Jedi Knights. Now that game was the shit multiplayer. The one hit killer moves were awesome lol. Anyone else played this?
|
Baltimore, USA22254 Posts
As long as this has absolutely nothing to do with game development itself, which I think would be insanely stupid on Activision's part to interfere with, then we're all good.
|
GrandInquisitor
New York City13113 Posts
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time.
Wow.
|
Snet
United States3573 Posts
this doesn't really bother me at all
|
On December 03 2007 05:06 Scorpion wrote:
This guarantees some Starcraft songs in the next Guitar hero :D
this made me laugh, iunno why
thank god they aren't tampering with anything, just a merge
|
I can see them not tampering with development, but what happens when the game is half a year overdue (like all Blizzard games seem to be). I hope they don't push for a release before Blizzard is ready, just to get some faster profit.
|
On December 03 2007 06:03 cz wrote:
I can see them not tampering with development, but what happens when the game is half a year overdue (like all Blizzard games seem to be). I hope they don't push for a release before Blizzard is ready, just to get some faster profit.
Did you not read the FAQ above?
|
On December 03 2007 05:51 Snet wrote:
this doesn't really bother me at all
words worth quoting.
|
Northern Ireland1200 Posts
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.
Nice. I wonder what they are secretly working on 
|
nice, im really impressed with CoD4 and the quality put into that game. This could be a great thing for gamers XD
|
WHAT THE HELL???
It should be BLIZZARD activision, not activision BLIZZARD! It's a conspiracy, I tell you!
On December 03 2007 05:43 GrandInquisitor wrote:Show nested quote +Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Wow.
The funny thing is that the top game is "the sims" 
|
On December 03 2007 06:18 zizou21 wrote:
nice, im really impressed with CoD4 and the quality put into that game. This could be a great thing for gamers XD
That's like saying vivendi was responsible for the quality of starcraft. Infinity Ward created the cod series, activision produced it. (On a sidenote: activision actually tried to force IW to make a cod game every year but IW refused because they demanded at least 2 years which resulted in cod3 not being made by IW.)
|
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.
This can only be bad from my perspective. Blizzard needs no extra money nor does it need an "all-star" sales team.
I can see some power high bastard fucking with blizzard sometime in the future.
|
|
|
Korea (South)11578 Posts
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.
stay rest assured, nothing changes for SCII
|
This is already mentioned in the OP... duh.
|
Best quote ever: "Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time"
tbh I dont see the need for the merger, but w/e. when one company already created 4/5 best selling games of all time, why would they want to merge. oh well.
|
Hey guys think of the good news....this means we will have diablo 3, 4 and 5 coming soon!!!
In all seriousness though, this doesn't seem like its too bad of a thing, as long as they don't take blizzard developers and put them on activision projects.
|
dude, blizzard is so popular, for what they are now, if they become with activision, everything will suck, we gotta make them listen to customers this time, no bullcrap (Parent dont listen to children) thing.. we gotta DO SOMETHING OMG I DONT WANT SC2 TO SUCK NUTS OMG!#%!$^@7
|
On December 03 2007 07:05 Folca wrote:
dude, blizzard is so popular, for what they are now, if they become with activision, everything will suck, we gotta make them listen to customers this time, no bullcrap (Parent dont listen to children) thing.. we gotta DO SOMETHING OMG I DONT WANT SC2 TO SUCK NUTS OMG!#%!$^@7
Please get some reading comprehension.
|
|
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 03 2007 07:00 fight_or_flight wrote:
Hey guys think of the good news....this means we will have diablo 3, 4 and 5 coming soon!!!
That actually brings up a good point. Even if Blizzard's development team doesn't change, Activision/Vivendi still own their brands and can hire other studios to make shitty sequels, like someone else mentioned with CoD3.
|
It's a merger, not a buyout. In short, Activision has no right to tell Blizzard what to do. Instead, the best gamemaker and the best game publisher will work together.
I don't think that's going to impact games, but gone is the day you have to be up very early to buy the new WoW expansion, as production will probably be a lot better.
|
United States7166 Posts
Actalizzard sounds better
|
The Blizzard Vision is obviously the best or Blizzardvision if you prefer that
|
United States7166 Posts
Blizzavision rolls off the tongue easier
|
Holy Shit.
I own Activision stock which I bought at $16, and I just deposited more money last week debating on whether or not i should buy some more. Seeing how it's already gone up and it's near it's 52 week high, it was debatable.
Just bought the stock with the money right now Ha. I think this'll be huge for Activision's stock, which has already been doing well.
Thanks for posting this thread! 
|
I can't really see the point of joining Activision. there release genre are way different from Blizzard.. The only game that catches the blizzy eye is Quake.
|
wow mr.x! so lucky! how much stock you bought initially though?
|
On December 03 2007 08:53 artofmagic wrote:
I can't really see the point of joining Activision. there release genre are way different from Blizzard.. The only game that catches the blizzy eye is Quake.
You mentioned the reason in your own post and you can't really see the point?
It's also pretty clearly mentioned in the announcement...
|
On December 03 2007 08:53 artofmagic wrote:
I can't really see the point of joining Activision. there release genre are way different from Blizzard.. The only game that catches the blizzy eye is Quake.
Well maybe blizz will make console games now.
|
Congrats to them.
I doubt this will impact Blizzard's ability to put out great titles. The only thing I'd worry about is if they change their employee bonus structure from a cash system to a share option structure. I've never been at a company where the average employee is both so isolated from and so oblivious to financial matters like revenue, cash flow, and profits. It's just not part of their collective conscious in the slightest. I'd wager the majority don't have even a rudimentary understanding of corporate finances. That's probably a huge part of why they've been able games as good as they have.
But it's also reason they're probably more susceptible than most to alien, new pressures where a free market judges your value every minute. It doesn't take long before you start noticing correlations between announcements and changes in the company's, and your own valuation with share options. It's very hard not to let that creep into your decision making. I'm sure their management will make every effort to prevent that from happening, but time will tell.
Good luck to all the teams there
|
hopefully blizzard has enough influence to resist the new outside pressures that will eventually bear down upon them
|
Can someone who IS knowledgeable about this topic, give me a pro's/cons about this merger?
|
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the fact they said this won't effect their day-to-day operation is a flat out lie. Now the company will be more public than ever and their are new shareholders who have a stake in what they do. In fact look what happened to the original team (Bill R. and co.) and Blizzard North once Vivendi stepped in. There was a dispute where Bill left and then Vivendi shut down the Blizzard North office. Of course they'll say what you want to hear. Bleh! I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
|
I think it's only about time til blizzard completely sucks at developing, they havn't made a good game since diablo 2 after all.
wc3 + wow arn't good 
|
8748 Posts
On December 03 2007 10:01 MarklarMarklar wrote:wc3 + wow arn't good
To think there have been hundreds of debates on the quality of WC3 and WoW and all this time MarklarMarklar had the answer. Thank you for finally informing us. We'll be sure to pass it on to the rest of the world.
|
Doesnt this just mean activision is now a subsidery of viveldi?
The only common thing between blizzard and activision is that the have the same owner and thats it.
|
On December 03 2007 10:20 NonY[rC] wrote:To think there have been hundreds of debates on the quality of WC3 and WoW and all this time MarklarMarklar had the answer. Thank you for finally informing us. We'll be sure to pass it on to the rest of the world.
no problem i'm signing autographs in my blog
|
Physician
United States4146 Posts
|
Cayman Islands24199 Posts
doesn't really say a lot. like most of these reports. corporate restructuring may not bring about any substantive changes to the relevant operations that produce games and stuff.
|
On December 03 2007 06:35 lololol wrote:WHAT THE HELL??? It should be BLIZZARD activision, not activision BLIZZARD! It's a conspiracy, I tell you! Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 05:43 GrandInquisitor wrote:Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Wow. The funny thing is that the top game is "the sims"
Well, the Sims appeals to both girls and guys, I know my ex used to play Sims a lot -_-
|
On blizzard website they have a Q & A basically saying nothing will change. Ok so what exactly WILL change? Less funding allocated to blizzard or what?
|
On December 03 2007 06:09 SoleSteeler wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 06:03 cz wrote:
I can see them not tampering with development, but what happens when the game is half a year overdue (like all Blizzard games seem to be). I hope they don't push for a release before Blizzard is ready, just to get some faster profit. Did you not read the FAQ above?
And you are absolutely certain that everything in that press release is 100% accurate and will remain accurate into the next few years? They are owned by Activision now, and whatever Activision decides is what Blizzard must do. Two years down the line and some game is slow to be released, do you really think they are going to care what they said pre-merger, to their subordinates?
|
On December 03 2007 12:34 Equinox_kr wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 06:35 lololol wrote:WHAT THE HELL??? It should be BLIZZARD activision, not activision BLIZZARD! It's a conspiracy, I tell you! On December 03 2007 05:43 GrandInquisitor wrote:Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Wow. The funny thing is that the top game is "the sims" Well, the Sims appeals to both girls and guys, I know my ex used to play Sims a lot -_-
Sims is definitely a girl's game.
|
On December 03 2007 10:01 Showtime! wrote:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the fact they said this won't effect their day-to-day operation is a flat out lie. Now the company will be more public than ever and their are new shareholders who have a stake in what they do. In fact look what happened to the original team (Bill R. and co.) and Blizzard North once Vivendi stepped in. There was a dispute where Bill left and then Vivendi shut down the Blizzard North office. Of course they'll say what you want to hear. Bleh! I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
So you admit you know nothing about why Blizzard North left?
|
From what I understand Vivendi is basicly buying Activision and combining it with their game division to create a company that can rival EA. After the merge Vivendi will become the parent company of ActivisionBlizzard with 52% ownership and in 2008 they plan to boost that stake up to 68%.
Their combined portfolio of money making franchises will include:
Guitar Hero
Call of Duty
Tony Hawk
Doom
Quake
World of Warcraft
Personally, I think this is terrible idea because the video gaming industry is extremely competitive and profits are alway slim. By merging into a giant public corporation there will be a lot of outsiders, investment banks and fund managers getting involved in the company and demanding higher profits, more dividends, etc... So AcitivisionBlizzard will be forced to release more games, cut cost (read - layoffs, more no pay overtime...) etc. Even though the Blizzard FAQ claims that NOTHING will change but if nothing will change why would they merge in the first place? The least that will change will be merging of the management and financial structure, I think this is a terrible move but there is nothing Blizzard, as a tiny division of a Vivendi - the largest multimedia corporation in Europe, can do about this.
"Vivendi Games will convert its equity into Activision shares valued at $8.1 billion, and Vivendi will buy an additional $1.7 billion of stock, for a total of $9.8 billion, giving Vivendi a 52 percent stake in a new company to be called Activision Blizzard. On that basis, Activision and Vivendi valued the combined company at $18.9 billion."
"After the transaction closes, expected in the first half of 2008, Activision Blizzard will launch a $4 billion all-cash tender offer to purchase up to 146.5 million Activision Blizzard common shares at $27.50 each. Vivendi also has agreed to acquire an additional $700 million of newly issued Activision shares, giving Vivendi about a 68 percent stake in Activision Blizzard if the tender offer is fully subscribed."
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071202/vivendi_activision.html
|
On December 03 2007 15:14 cz wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 06:09 SoleSteeler wrote:On December 03 2007 06:03 cz wrote:
I can see them not tampering with development, but what happens when the game is half a year overdue (like all Blizzard games seem to be). I hope they don't push for a release before Blizzard is ready, just to get some faster profit. Did you not read the FAQ above? And you are absolutely certain that everything in that press release is 100% accurate and will remain accurate into the next few years? They are owned by Activision now, and whatever Activision decides is what Blizzard must do. Two years down the line and some game is slow to be released, do you really think they are going to care what they said pre-merger, to their subordinates?
Vivendi owns Blizzard, and has for several years. Vivendi also owns this Activision Blizzard merge. Why would they start to force Blizzard to release unfinished games now?
|
iNcontroL
USA29055 Posts
PERHAPS THEY WILL STOP MAKING SC2 AND OUR GAME WILL BE SAVED?
-or-
They will shove a fucking nail gun up the developers asses of SC2 (currently) and tell them to stop smoking crack while drawing pictures of lazers and crickets and asking us to acknowledge them as SC units and concepts.
|
Haha, if you are profit minded buy Activision stock first thing tomorrow morning (EST). It's opening price will be $22.15 and "after the transaction closes, expected in the first half of 2008, Activision Blizzard will launch a $4 billion all-cash tender offer to purchase up to 146.5 million Activision Blizzard common shares at $27.50 each. So if videndi keep their word doing this will give you a nice 20% profit for your investments, which is not bad for a 7 month period.
|
IF they try to compete with EA , and involve blizzard in doing that , we're doomed.
i don't wanna see a game released each week like EA does , and then abandon them.
|
On December 03 2007 10:01 MarklarMarklar wrote:I think it's only about time til blizzard completely sucks at developing, they havn't made a good game since diablo 2 after all. wc3 + wow arn't good
tell that to the 9.3 million subscribers.
i played wow at a very competitive level for 2.5 years.
its a very fun game.
|
Sydney2287 Posts
On December 03 2007 05:43 GrandInquisitor wrote:Show nested quote +Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Wow.
I thought much the same thing when I read that.
|
On December 03 2007 17:16 Meta wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 10:01 MarklarMarklar wrote:I think it's only about time til blizzard completely sucks at developing, they havn't made a good game since diablo 2 after all. wc3 + wow arn't good tell that to the 9.3 million subscribers. i played wow at a very competitive level for 2.5 years. its a very fun game.
you dont even get to set your own attributes dude!!!
and more like 9.3 million idiots
|
On December 03 2007 19:13 MarklarMarklar wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 17:16 Meta wrote:On December 03 2007 10:01 MarklarMarklar wrote:I think it's only about time til blizzard completely sucks at developing, they havn't made a good game since diablo 2 after all. wc3 + wow arn't good tell that to the 9.3 million subscribers. i played wow at a very competitive level for 2.5 years. its a very fun game. you dont even get to set your own attributes dude!!! and more like 9.3 million idiots
Would you kindly stop polluting the topic? Thank you.
|
Vivendi 5 years ago: Vivendi stock plummets as chairman leaves office
News Link
Vivendi Universal shares plummeted more than 40 percent at one point Tuesday, hitting 14-year lows. The Paris exchange briefly suspended trading six times to slow the fall.
"Vivendi could well be worth more on a break-up," said Jeremy Podger, a portfolio manager at Investec Asset Management.
|
I'm very surprised that blizzard steal stuck with Vivendi. I mean with the amout of cash they are earning with WoW and others they should just operate on their own.
|
Seems like Activision wants a pot of gold also raise the Index of other competition.
A positive hope, SC:Ghost?
Guitar Hero, Blizzard mix. (then I will really buy the game)
|
On December 03 2007 19:52 haduken wrote:
I'm very surprised that blizzard steal stuck with Vivendi. I mean with the amout of cash they are earning with WoW and others they should just operate on their own.
Blizzard is owned by Vivendi. It can't just leave. The employees could all theoretically walk out but they wouldn't be able to take anything with them except themselves.
|
On December 03 2007 16:47 Million wrote:
Haha, if you are profit minded buy Activision stock first thing tomorrow morning (EST). It's opening price will be $22.15 and "after the transaction closes, expected in the first half of 2008, Activision Blizzard will launch a $4 billion all-cash tender offer to purchase up to 146.5 million Activision Blizzard common shares at $27.50 each. So if videndi keep their word doing this will give you a nice 20% profit for your investments, which is not bad for a 7 month period.
The shares are bid up by money managers of large investment houses long before the individual investor has any chance of buying shares. In fact the stock is ALREADY at $27.40 as of right now - 3:27 AM PST due to PRE-MARKET trading. I.E trading that the average investor can't take part in.
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 03 2007 17:16 Meta wrote:Show nested quote +On December 03 2007 10:01 MarklarMarklar wrote:I think it's only about time til blizzard completely sucks at developing, they havn't made a good game since diablo 2 after all. wc3 + wow arn't good tell that to the 9.3 million subscribers. i played wow at a very competitive level for 2.5 years. its a very fun game. What does that even mean? Competitive PvP has been around for about 6 months and it's not particularly enthralling.
Unless you mean competitive PvE (you competed against the computer?) and even then it's mostly just entertaining because of the people you play with (which is why MMOs succeed in the first place), not because the instances are designed that well. At end game, it's essentially just a colorful instant messaging program.
Still, Blizzard is obviously a wonderful cash cow to own, but we'll see if more programmers keep splintering off, like the HG:L and Aion crews.
|
On December 03 2007 17:00 Dariush wrote:
IF they try to compete with EA , and involve blizzard in doing that , we're doomed.
i don't wanna see a game released each week like EA does , and then abandon them.
That's my biggest fear, because that's essentially what this merger was for: to compete with EA.
|
On December 03 2007 20:26 mindspike wrote:
The shares are bid up by money managers of large investment houses long before the individual investor has any chance of buying shares. In fact the stock is ALREADY at $27.40 as of right now - 3:27 AM PST due to PRE-MARKET trading. I.E trading that the average investor can't take part in.
Basically yes, but you don't need to be a money manager to invest in a company during off hours... Any average investor with an account approved for options and margins can do it I believe... Wish I'd heard about this earlier.
edit: looks like you don't even need that anymore. links: http://www.izone.com/hours.html
|
prikooolna :DDD
best luck to Actioblizzion!!!
|
or perhaps you could stop trolling yourself lololol and take your own advice. Vivendi closed down Blizzard North not long after they bought Blizzard Ent. That is all you need to know and good link Physician. Everyone should pay close attention to the first point (new owner, a board of directors to report to, in other words a new hierarchy which will change things). The second point isn't really valid because the parent company can make many modifications. This would be in the agreement and being the majority owner.
|
They closed North down, but all those people pretty much just merged into Blizzard "South" (regular Blizzard)
There is still three teams like there's always been.
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 04 2007 03:35 SoleSteeler wrote:
They closed North down, but all those people pretty much just merged into Blizzard "South" (regular Blizzard)
There is still three teams like there's always been. No, 30+ members of Blizzard North (including the founders of the original company) left for separate developers like Flagship Studios (Hellgate: London/Mythos) and Castaway studio.
The core of Flagship Studios has been collaborating as a team since 1993 when they founded Condor Studios (later bought out and renamed Blizzard North) and in addition to the Diablo franchise were key high level executives in the development of Warcraft, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft. Flagship Studios was formed following the en mass resignation of Blizzard North management following a dispute with Blizzard Entertainment parent company Vivendi.
|
i hope to see good titles from this new company
|
Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
|
On December 04 2007 06:02 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On December 04 2007 03:35 SoleSteeler wrote:
They closed North down, but all those people pretty much just merged into Blizzard "South" (regular Blizzard)
There is still three teams like there's always been. No, 30+ members of Blizzard North (including the founders of the original company) left for separate developers like Flagship Studios (Hellgate: London/Mythos) and Castaway studio. Show nested quote +The core of Flagship Studios has been collaborating as a team since 1993 when they founded Condor Studios (later bought out and renamed Blizzard North) and in addition to the Diablo franchise were key high level executives in the development of Warcraft, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft. Flagship Studios was formed following the en mass resignation of Blizzard North management following a dispute with Blizzard Entertainment parent company Vivendi.
Yes I know that, but like I said, not all the members left. I also don't believe it was 30+, more like 5-6 wasn't it? From everything I've read, it was about that.
The rest of the team got merged into Blizzard south.
|
United States22883 Posts
On December 04 2007 06:24 Kennigit wrote:The big man himself stepped up on a Sunday morning to give a few words on the merger. We have nothing to worry about by the sounds of it. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3164670
Morhaine: Absolutely. And I can tell you that as long as I am at Blizzard Entertainment we are not going to change the Blizzard Entertainment brand.
Teehee. Anyone else see where this might be going?
Yes I know that, but like I said, not all the members left. I also don't believe it was 30+, more like 5-6 wasn't it? From everything I've read, it was about that.
From Castaway's website it looks like they've got 6+ former Blizzard employees and I know Flagship has at least 4 Blizzard North executives and probably a handful of other designers/programmers. I'm too lazy to go through their site and figure it all out, but the company does talk a LOT about it's Blizzard North past.
|
Well yeah, they have the the Schaefer brothers, Bill Roper and such. They were the brains behind the Diablo franchise, so naturally they'd talk a lot about that. I also know that they had a couple (2-3) of the lead programmers from North. Much more than that though, I've never read anything.
|
United States12235 Posts
Last I heard, Castaway was dead.
As for the people within Flagship, there are a rather large number of former Blizzard North employees there. Tyler, Peter, Erich, Max, Bill, Matt, Dave, Ken, and Phil are who I can think of off the top of my head. Plus they hired some close friends of the company like Pat Harris.
|
Blizzard is dead, the year is 2007 and heartless non-contributing corporate commi bastards rule everything. Its only natural that idiots band together and feel safe. Enjoy thors and asshole darkwalkers.
|
On December 04 2007 09:10 snes.tq wrote:
Blizzard is dead, the year is 2007 and heartless non-contributing corporate commi bastards rule everything.
This sentence made me lawl. Corporate commies!
|
On December 04 2007 01:31 Showtime! wrote:
or perhaps you could stop trolling yourself lololol and take your own advice. Vivendi closed down Blizzard North not long after they bought Blizzard Ent. That is all you need to know and good link Physician. Everyone should pay close attention to the first point (new owner, a board of directors to report to, in other words a new hierarchy which will change things). The second point isn't really valid because the parent company can make many modifications. This would be in the agreement and being the majority owner.
If you want to show, that you're an idiot, just say it, no need to talk shit out of your ass.
Vivendi did not close down Blizz North, the developers there left, because of the lack of direct comunication with the Vivendi and because it was unstable and the future was unsure - Vivendi shares went down 40% around that time.
|
World of Guitarcraft: Wrath of The Shred King
|
On December 05 2007 01:30 TransfuSe wrote:
World of Guitarcraft: Wrath of The Shred King
I'd play that.
Correction, I'd play the living fuck out of that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://i1.tinypic.com/6jodfz5.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/dreddss.jpg)
