Activision merges with Blizzard parent, Vivendi

Look out, EA -- there's a new "world's largest game publisher" in town.

Activision and Vivendi Games (parent company of Blizzard Entertainment) announced an 18.9 billion dollar merger on Sunday, forming a new company called Activision Blizzard where current Activision CEO, Robert Kotick, will remain as chief executive.

Once the merger is complete, the new enterprise will be the largest game maker in the world, easily dethroning Electronic Arts as the most dominant publisher.

Activision, based in Santa Monica, California, was the second-ever video game publisher created after unsatisfied Atari developers left to form a new company in 1979. Some of the company's most popular games include Call of Duty, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and Guitar Hero.

Vivendi Games, parent company of Blizzard Entertainment, boasts a lineup that includes four of the top five best selling PC games of all time, namely World of Warcraft, Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo.

Though not unexpected, some upcoming titles listed in a merger fact sheet include Guitar Hero IV, Call of Duty 5, and new Marvel, Tony Hawk, Dreamworks, and James Bond games.

Players worried that a merger will affect their favorite games need not worry. Both Activision and Blizzard officials have stated that the Activision Blizzard brand will not appear on any consumer products and that the business of each respective label will operate as usual.

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