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Activision Blizzard finding few potential buyers - Report

Vivendi having trouble unloading Call of Duty and World of Warcraft maker; possible purchasers like Disney and Microsoft express little to no interest.

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Activision Blizzard is up for sale, but parent company Vivendi is having a hard time finding anyone to take the publisher off its books. According to a Bloomberg report, Vivendi has approached a number of major players, but has found no interested suitors as yet.

For sale by owner. Gently used.
For sale by owner. Gently used.

Citing "people with knowledge of the company's plans," Bloomberg said that both Disney and Microsoft responded coolly to the idea. Disney was "unlikely" to make an offer, while the Xbox 360 maker was said to not be considering a bid currently, though the news organization's source left open the possibility of that changing.

As for international firms, Japan's Nexon and China's Tencent were on the list of approached companies, but neither of the online game giants had the cash on hand to close the deal. If Vivendi has no luck finding suitors for its $8.1 billion stake in Activision Blizzard, the company is likely to try to sell its shares on the open market. Clarification about Vivendi's plans for the sale is expected to come when the company releases its next financial results August 30.

When asked about the company's plans for a sale, Vivendi chairman Jean-Rene Fourtou told a reporter, "It's a possibility." Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly responded to the same question, saying, "It's great weather."

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