Activision Blizzard 'streamlining' Vivendi

Prototype, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Ice Age survive the big merger; Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios under the microscope.

You can't make the world's largest third-party omelette without breaking a few eggs. In the wake of the merger with Vivendi Games, Activision Publishing today announced that it is streamlining the subsumed company's operations.

As part of the drive for increased efficiency, Activision will "realign" staff at Radical Entertainment (Prototype, Crash of the Titans) and High Moon Studios (The Bourne Conspiracy, Darkwatch). As for their sister subsidiaries Massive Entertainment (World in Conflict, Ground Control) and Swordfish Studios (50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Cold Winter), Activision is "exploring options," including the sale or closing of the outfits.

The future is similarly uncertain for Sierra Online (Assault Heroes 2) and Vivendi Games Mobile (Prison Break, Cake Mania 2). The publisher deemed them "non-strategic business units" and said it is exploring the possibility of closing or selling them as well.

"We are focused on improving efficiency across the combined organization and are concentrating on businesses where we have leadership positions that are aligned with Activision Publishing's long-term corporate objectives," Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said in a statement.

As for the Vivendi properties that are definitely sticking around, Activision said it is adding Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, and Ice Age to its stable of popular brands. It will also bring in two new intellectual properties Vivendi had been working on: Radical Games' Prototype, and one as yet unannounced title.

"We have conducted a thorough review of Vivendi Games' brand portfolio and are retaining those franchises and titles that are a strong fit with our long-term product strategy," Griffith said. "We are reviewing our options regarding those titles that we will not be publishing."

The press release makes no mention of other anticipated Vivendi titles like Double Fine Productions' Brutal Legend or Terminal Reality's Ghostbusters. Activision representatives did not immediately respond to GameSpot's requests for comment on the status of these and other Vivendi projects.

Back in March, Variety reported that Vivendi developers were having to repitch their games to the incoming Activision management. At the time, Double Fine head Tim Schafer said he hadn't been asked to go anywhere or pitch anything special.

[UPDATE]: An Activision Publishing representative confirmed for GameSpot that it will not be publishing Vivendi titles beyond the scope of the five announced franchises. That leaves a number of high-profile projects in limbo, including Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters, Wet, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, World at Conflict: Soviet Assault, 50 Cent Blood on the Sand, Zombie Wranglers, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust, as well as several Xbox Live Arcade titles.

85 Comments

  • lop890

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 4:31 pm PT

    ea waiting to these game to drop then they will pick then up and maybe be back to making somewhat good games while activision will be making baby games

  • Kvain

    Posted Sep 9, 2008 9:39 am PT

    Kind of disheartening for Vivendi fans. Luckily, for now, I'm not in the same boat.

  • Trooperdx3117

    Posted Sep 9, 2008 8:30 am PT

    So instead of getting world in conflict:Soviet assault we'll be getting spyro, crash bandicoot and ICE AGE, what the hell Activision. Could we be seeing the birth of a new EA

  • Cobra5

    Posted Aug 28, 2008 1:37 am PT

    I guess the chances of me seeing Ground Control III are slim... Too bad, I was really excited to find out what happened.

  • mohfrontline

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 12:36 pm PT

    I have been lookin foward to the new Riddick game I seriously hope they don't cancel it in favor of some Spyro game that no one over the age of 10 will buy. Give me a break.

  • zhuge_liang_

    Posted Jul 31, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    Ouch... World in Conflict Soviet Assault is what I've been waiting for...

  • DarkDamo

    Posted Jul 30, 2008 5:44 pm PT

    IncipitOmega: Jesus,50 cent......how can u make a game about him.

    This is the SECOND 50 cent game I don't know how they sold enough to make a second....

  • IncipitOmega

    Posted Jul 30, 2008 3:58 am PT

    Jesus,50 cent......how can u make a game about him.

  • veggita-15

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 5:53 pm PT

    Riddick, Ghortbusters and Larry are the titles I was looking foward to. While I haven't seen any confirmed cancellations yet, this is pretty upsetting to see my interests being replaced by a buch of "kiddie games". If any or none of these are allowed to see daylight, please grab everyone's attention of this situation and get a boycott started. Activision either needs to get it's priorities straight or a few people in the level of upper management should have their careers terminated. In addition, the actors who have their share of work in these projects can press charges for being forced out of a contract. Just so you know activision will still take a nice hit should they try to be another EA.

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 3:28 pm PT

    @Hvac0120 i agree 50 cent is one of the most wackest rappers im sorry gamespot u had 2 play that crap im tryin 2 4get about it.

  • JoshChambers

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 2:49 pm PT

    where is my Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust

  • Kez1984

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 2:43 pm PT

    Activision would quite happly see an end to pc exclusives, I don't like them.

  • cooldude03

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 2:17 pm PT

    I want Riddick, I hope a different publisher will pick it up.

  • brain20035

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 1:22 pm PT

    did this guy actually mistyped "World At Conflict", instead of typing World IN Conflict???!!!

  • makemeweak

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 12:58 pm PT

    So, basically, they are only keeping the profitable franchises (with the exception of prototype) - even though they are lame. And they are cutting the risky new IPs, even though they look good.

  • remark666

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 10:13 am PT

    ahh, Chronicles of Riddick common, make it, make, i want it!

  • pidow

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 10:00 am PT

    Ghostbusters....... !.

  • jmc88888

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 9:48 am PT

    That Ghostbusters game looks tight. Anyone around 30, probably 22-38, would like this game if they were a fan of the movie(s). Looks as if you were in the original movie. Destroying things in the ballroom of the upscale hotel, green slimer, and 1984 style proton pack laser beams...gotta love it. I bought the original one on Apple II way, waaay back in the day, and would definitely buy this one....hopefully it comes out. Mergers, done for a profit, that's one time and then it's gone, and you're back to being unprofitable with less resources on hand to make it profitable. But hey the stockholders make money even if they never put out a decent game. Activision, just like EA used to mean something to gamers, quality. The best games were almost always Activision, and EA, whoops guess the apple has fallen very far from the tree. At least before you come out with Shrek 67 the video game. followed by another kiddie animation film with obligatory crappy movie game. A 50 cent video game? lol dude is the cheaper than 50 cents in his real life, sues people left and right, and was about to make a dollar on his own crappy video game. lmao, serves him right. Besides, he should be in the studio making sure he wasn't a one hit/one album wonder.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 9:18 am PT

    Please Activision don't make the 50 Cent game. It was bad enough that Gamespot and other game publications had to review that piece of crap and give it web and paper space. Don't put people through that again. 50 cent is the most "commercial" rapper out there and doesn't give a crap about anything but money. This will give that piece of crap more money that he doesn't need and surely doesn't deserve. Make an Eminem game and then I'll be happy... :-)

  • necronaux

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 8:57 am PT

    Can't believe that Spyro and Crash still have anything new to offer. Bring on Riddick!

  • mikewalsh69

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 8:32 am PT

    all i hope is that they just reward the gamers every once in a while eg free maps, new game modes, buy 6 months get the 7th one free etc.

  • Captain_Yogen

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 8:02 am PT

    To SunnyYG:
    As u said: "Haven't they got any business ethics, at all? >=("
    Well, thay r doing it for business, to get a better profit.
    These days, not many developers make videogames with "love", or that stuff, most do em only for money, and that suck ass

  • BXSENTINEL

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 7:25 am PT

    and yet the intellegent decisions these game companies continue to make, never stop amazing me! im sure the next ice age will be the best selling game of all time; maybe a few hundred copies sold at least ..but the ghostbusters and riddick would never gain a profit; smart thinking activision. keep making those millions..... lol

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 6:55 am PT

    This is the downside of mergers in the gaming industry.

  • NemesisLives

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 6:48 am PT

    And now it starts...

  • SunnyYG

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 6:36 am PT

    Screw them, no one touches Massive, no one touches World in Conflict. This is insane, it's like tossing us aside just to cater to the casual gamer market. Haven't they got any business ethics, at all? >=(

  • Doom64

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 6:14 am PT

    Madness.

  • markharris31

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 5:10 am PT

    Vivendi SA is the parent company for Vivendi games and yes, they do have the controlling stake in AB. However, part of the deal is that the Activision management would take over control of Vivendi games. The execs at Vivendi SA have left the operations of all gaming under AB to the execs from Activision.

  • KhanhAgE

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 4:14 am PT

    Chronicles of Riddick and World in Conflict are being left in limbo, WHY?! Activision are lucky they have one of the best developer behind them now, Blizzard. They should be called "Blizzard Activision" not the other way around.

  • Faisal_Amir

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 4:04 am PT

    Activision's quickly becoming the new EA, now that Electronic Arts has kinda mended its ways....

  • Mike5589

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 3:57 am PT

    Someone pull the plug for Activision already.
    Only thing they know how to do is cancel highly hyped games(Ghostbusters) and then bring us nothing but useless games that no one plays anymore. They butchered the Crash Bandicoot series, naughtydog should of kept that franchise.

    Please, someone bring Ghostbusters back, I was looking forward to it.

  • jarule88

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 3:18 am PT

    Man..... who is even playing those games?????
    hahahahahahhah
    Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2...... those are games, not this ****!

  • John_of_Fire

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 2:52 am PT

    TrueProphecy22- Look harder.

    I wonder who will buy them up. Most of them look to be promising titles and most of them will be out by next Christmas.

  • TrueProphecy22

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 2:00 am PT

    Never even heard of most of those developers games...

  • Doric6

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 1:53 am PT

    I thought vivendri had the controlling stake? yet there getting walked over by activision.

    We could see EA2 if they continueing going like this.

  • crummyname

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 12:42 am PT

    Great, another EA

  • sunilian

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 12:26 am PT

    this is not good

  • arc_salvo

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 12:20 am PT

    I don't think they'll cancel Ghostbusters or Chronicles of Riddick, and especially not World at Conflict: Soviet Assault.

    The other stuff I can see canceled, including Brutal Legend (unfortunately) but not those three. Ghostbusters is too popular, World at Conflict's a successful game, and Chronicles of Riddick is a sequel to one of the most awesome games of all time.

  • gnbfd

    Posted Jul 29, 2008 12:14 am PT

    Damn Activision. You're turning into the next EA.
    No.
    This is worse than EA.
    EA would NEVER think about cancelling a Ghostbusters game.

  • SickM0R0N

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 10:14 pm PT

    This is a large wow for me, obviously activision is like the rest of the industry and looking for new customers. Ice age and spyro vs Chronicles of Riddick and Ghostbusters. I'm sad

  • slurpee720

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 10:00 pm PT

    Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, and Ice Age= Three games I'll never buy

    -This better not set back WIC: Soviet Assault, not that it should, the original was awesome.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 9:30 pm PT

    Zoomer30 PS3 home is under revision .... id rather see it come out working splendidly then a botch crap release like half the other things that are coming out these days ... its been in beta for a while now so no its not even vapor ware. The only thing im really bumming about is the whole World in conflict thing :S blizzard is safe as usual so im happy.

  • earlthecannibal

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 9:24 pm PT

    lol@ 50 cent

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 9:05 pm PT

    Bye Bye Ghostbusters, you have as much a chnace of seeing the light of day now as DNF and PS3 Home

  • blujetz1234

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 8:49 pm PT

    I want World in Conflict for XBOX 360

    not stupid Ice Age: the New Beginning or whatever piece of crap game their gnna make I mean cmon the movie stunk and the video game too

  • khamsin17

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 8:32 pm PT

    I miss Tribes 2, Tribes Vengeance was horrible. Vivendi was the reason Tribes Vengeance was horrible.

  • DontEatCream

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 8:29 pm PT

    Damn, no hope for World in Conflict? That's just rough.

  • SteveTwo

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 8:23 pm PT

    TitusAndronicus, that would be awsome. I would really love to play another Hero's Quest (Quest for Glory after the name change) as those were definately my favorite Sierra games. Fighter, Thief and Magic User, if I remember correctly :-)

  • SrTVBR

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 8:23 pm PT

    A new time is comming. Cya EA. Welcome the biggest dream maker company.

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