It was last December when game publishers Vivendi and Blizzard announced their intention to merge and form Activision Blizzard. But it’s taken until now, seven months later, for it to jump all the hurdles to make it happen.
First the deal needed a thumbs-up from the EU, and then approval from the stockholders – which finally happened this week.
With games like World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty, the new company will be a powerhouse on the game publishing scene.
Robert Kotick, president and chief executive of Activision Blizzard, said:
"With more than 10.7 million subscribers on World of Warcraft, and with tens of millions of people playing Guitar Hero, Activision Blizzard’s games transcend the traditional stereotypes and are more popular as a form of entertainment than ever before."
According to Reuters, the new company is seriously considering developing an iTunes-like store for its Guitar Hero game platform.
“When you think about the potential for what we will be able to do together, there have not been many viable alternatives to iTunes," Kotick told the news service. "If you’re downloading a song to play on your ‘Guitar Hero,’ there’s no reason why you can’t download the performance also. So there’s all kinds of things you can think about."
