Activision Blizzard is the biggest third party game publisher in the world. The success of the Call of Duty franchise on the Activision side and games like World of Warcraft, StarCraft II and Diablo III in the Blizzard division have helped make that happen. Vivendi, the company with the largest stake in the publisher is reportedly thinking of selling off its interest in Activision Blizzard.
Reuters reports, via unnamed sources, that Vivendi has made some unofficial inquires with a bank to look into selling its 60 percent stake in Activision Blizzard. The unnamed bank is also reportedly looking at companies with some deep pockets that could purchase Vivendi"s shares. One of the companies that was mentioned in the list was Microsoft. Certainly, the company has a pretty massive game publishing business of its own with franchises like Halo, Forza Motorsport, Flight Simulator, and many others. That"s not even counting the entire Xbox 360 game hardware console business.
Other companies mentioned as possible candidates include Time Warner, which already owns Warner Bros Interactive, and China"s Tencent. Private equity firms like KKR, Providence, and Blackstone might also have the cash and the interest to buy Vivendi"s shares.
Source: Reuters