Will the Activision/Vivendi merger ruin my games?

3rd Dec, 2007

The industry is still shaking from the earthquake announcement of Vivendi and Activision's merger today, but gamers themselves are going to have a lot of questions too. Both companies hold their fair share of much-loved franchises, several of which have extremely radid fanbases, so worry is going to be high as to what the deal is really going to mean.

It seems accepted human 'wisdom' that any change is a change for the worse, and in gaming anyalteration in the corporate status quo is immediately assumed to spell death for our favourite titles. But is that necessarily true in the case of Activision Blizzard's creation? Probably not. Probably not at all.

Sit down, take a breath, shake the plaster dust off your shoulders, and we'll address your fears.

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
Latest in Action
A cartoon woman catches a tomato while cooking in Rhythm Heaven Groove
Rhythm Heaven Groove has one of Nintendo's longest-suffering fandoms absolutely feasting: "AFTER 10 YEARS WE FINALLY WON"
Assassin's Creed Shadows The Killing Field executioner boss fight
How to find and kill the executioner in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Samus firing a beam in a screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Our best look at Metroid Prime 4 yet shows Samus with a new suit and some psychic abilities, but we're still staring down a 2025 placeholder
a cyborg pac-man fused with a mysterious protagonist grabs an enemy off a ledge and eats it
Pac-Man, the gritty Metroidvania seen in Amazon's Secret Level, gets a new launch date and some very dark gameplay
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
Assassin's Creed Shadows Butterfly Collector Naoe squatting next to butterfly on tree
How to complete the Assassin's Creed Shadows Butterfly Collector quest
Latest in News
Jason Statham in A Working Man
Jason Statham and The Beekeeper director's new movie co-written by Sylvester Stallone debuts to mixed reviews with a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score
A cartoon woman catches a tomato while cooking in Rhythm Heaven Groove
Rhythm Heaven Groove has one of Nintendo's longest-suffering fandoms absolutely feasting: "AFTER 10 YEARS WE FINALLY WON"
Yaiba: Samurai Legend
Attack on Titan studio rebooting a cult classic '80s shonen anime for Netflix, and it starts streaming very soon
Screenshot from Raidou Remastered, showing main man Raidou in his detective uniform.
Shin Megami Tensei's overlooked action spin-off is coming back this summer after almost 20 years, and the OG JRPG's director hopes "things don’t end here"
A screenshot shows Pokemon Legends: Z-A protagonists standing in a city at night.
Pokemon is a stealth game now: Pokemon Legends Z-A wants you to sneak attack trainers during its nighttime battle royale
Samus firing a beam in a screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Our best look at Metroid Prime 4 yet shows Samus with a new suit and some psychic abilities, but we're still staring down a 2025 placeholder