Vivendi calls banks to broker Activision Blizzard sale

Vivendi SA, the company with a 61 per cent stake in Activision Blizzard, has purportedly called in the assistance of both Barclays and Goldman Sachs to help facilitate and broker the sale of the publishing house, though to whom, is currently unknown.

One of the rumours circulating around sites like the Wall Street Journal, is that Activision Blizzard will be buying out the Vivendi stake in order to take total control, though it will need to find around $8 billion (£5.12 billion) to do so. Other potential buyers include Disney, Microsoft, Tencent and Nexon – though other rumours suggest that there has been little in the way of enthusiasm for the buyout so far.

If Vivendi is indeed looking to sell off the publishing giant, it's not picking a bad time to do so. While MMO standard World of Warcraft is still raking in hundreds of millions a year, its dominance is beginning to wane. Add to that the fact that with the recent release of Diablo III, the next big unveiling from Blizzard is expected to be a while off, Vivendi would certainly be selling at a high point.

KitGuru Says:  All of this is still hot air at the moment though. Until an official announcement is made by Vivendi or Activision Blizzard, we'll just need to wait and see.

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