Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Also known as: CoD 4

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Will the Activision/Vivendi merger ruin my games?

Activision Blizzard now exists. But how does that affect gamers?

Words: David Houghton, GamesRadar UK

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Are they going to mess with my games? I don’t want a sci-fi COD5 set in the Starcraft universe or any rhythm action bits coming up in WoW.

Worry not. While the companies have joined together, Activision Blizzard will still be made up of the original individual elements. Activision, Blizzard, and Activision Blizzard will each have their own management and will not be forced to lose identity. Vivendi’s non-Blizzard games will be going to the Activision stable, but that’s about it.

There might be some level of cross-inspiration as the new, wider collection of talent rubs off on the company, but given the talent involved, that will probably only lead to some exciting new franchises in the future.

So Blizzard isn’t going to get dissolved, or have its staff forced to make Tony Hawk games?

Highly unlikely. See above. Also, Activision as a publisher is known for its eclectic output, and it maintains that variety by giving its studios a lot of freedom to make their games in the right way, not by forcing a homogenised approach to game design upon them.

And it knows what it’s gaining from Blizzard. The company has been knocking it out of the park on its own for years with Warcraft and Starcraft. You don’t join up with that kind of studio to change or dilute it. You just join up to reap the benefits of what it can already do.