Microsoft eyeing Vivendi unit?
C|Net | at | by Mike
Reports mounted Wednesday that Microsoft is negotiating to buy video game assets of financially troubled French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said the two companies are negotiating a buyout of some Vivendi game divisions. Investment bank Investec, citing unnamed Vivendi executives, painted a similar picture in a report released late last week, saying Microsoft could pay as much as $2 billion for all of Vivendi's game-related businesses.
The company's games business has been seen as a prime sell-off target. Vivendi has three major game publishers: Sierra Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment and Universal Interactive. The studios have produced major PC hits, such as the Warcraft series and the Diablo series, but they've produced few hits for the more lucrative game-console business.