Orange County’s biggest deal yet closed Thursday after more than six months of approvals and back and forth with shareholders.
Irvine’s Blizzard Entertainment Inc., the biggest maker of multiplayer online video games, was combined with Activision Inc. to form the top video game company.
The Santa Monica-based company, dubbed Activision Blizzard Inc., was formed in a complex deal by Blizzard’s French parent, Vivendi SA, and valued at about $19 billion.
The deal was first announced in December and faced months of hurdles from the European Union, which had concerns about the new company threatening competition.
It was finally cleared by the European Commission in April. A final vote by shareholders happened earlier this week.
At the end of the transaction, Vivendi is set to end up with a 68% stake in Activision Blizzard.
Blizzard’s Irvine operations will remain intact and continue to be run by longtime leader Mike Morhaime.
The move makes Activision Blizzard the biggest video game developer with yearly sales of $4 billion.
