![]() ![]() Today we are covering the 2008 merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment. I’m Ben Gilbert.īen: And we are your hosts. Welcome back to Episode 40 of Acquired, the podcast about technology acquisitions and IPOs. we’re getting like professional actors on here.īen: I know. Thank you as well to Wilson Sonsini - You can learn more about WSGR at: ĭavid.Thanks to Silicon Valley Bank for being our banner sponsor for Acquired Season 6.We have five honorable mentions that didn’t make our Top Ten list.It is obviously subject to change going forward from both future and past acquisition performance, as well as fluctuating stock prices. This ranking represents a point in time in history, March 2, 2020.If we made an assumption not disclosed by the parent company, we linked to the source of the reported assumption. All underlying assumptions are based on public financial disclosures unless stated otherwise.We recognize this analysis is flawed (cashflow/profit multiples are better, at least for mature companies), but given the opacity of most companies’ business unit reporting, this was the only way to apply a consistent and straightforward approach to each deal. If you have any examples you think we missed ping us on Slack or email at: We used revenue multiples to estimate the current value of the acquired company, multiplying its current estimated revenue by the market cap-to-revenue multiple of the parent company’s stock. ![]() We considered all historical acquisitions - not just technology companies - but may have overlooked some in areas that we know less well.Naspers’ investment in Tencent and Softbank/Yahoo’s investment in Alibaba are disqualified for this reason. In order to count for our list, acquisitions must be at least a majority stake in the target company (otherwise it’s just an investment).David: Nellie and Joe's 100% Natural Key Lime Juice (tip: buy in bulk from Walmart/Jet).Ben: Dick Costolo on Vanity Fair's Inside the Hive podcast.Growth and success since the merger, including the launch of new game franchises Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch .The 2008 merger with storied gaming company Activision.Blizzard's role in developing the concept of online gaming, from early hacks to play against friends to World of Warcraft and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games ("MMORPG's").Emergence of the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre ("MOBA") from the Warcraft III modding community, and its growth into one of the biggest sectors in the games and esports industries today.Development of further legendary game franchises like Diablo and Starcraft, along with sequels to Warcraft and the rise of the rise of player modding.Blizzard's crazy corporate ownership changes over the years.Origin of the Real-Time Strategy game genre ("RTS") and Blizzard's fist mega-hit, Warcraft.Early success on the Super Nintendo with Rock & Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings.The team's first projects making ports for other games, including Battle Chess on the Commodore 64. ![]()
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