Activision Blizzard: It's Official

This afternoon, game publisher Activision announced that its shareholders have voted to approve a merger with Vivendi Games. The proposed merger between the two video game giants was announced in December, but required the blessing of Activision shareholders. The game publisher said that 92 percent of shareholders approved the deal, which is expected to close tomorrow. One analyst has predicted that the merged company would make $1.38 billion in profits during its first financial year, enough to make Activision Blizzard the world's largest game publisher. Game industry analyst Michael Pachter said that the merger should be a positive development for consumers. For years, the industry's biggest player has been Electronic Arts, known for titles such as the popular Madden football franchise. So large is EA that it has often... [read full story]