A Disney investor thinks it should acquire Activision Blizzard
But it wouldn't be cheap.
Disney has not so slowly been gobbling up the world of entertainment, placing countless companies and universes into the house of mouse. One investor reckons it should now add Activision Blizzard to the list, suggesting that esports would be a good fit for Disney's TV networks.
I briefly allowed myself to imagine Blizzard getting the Star Wars license, but as interesting a prospect as that could be, letting Disney monopolise another industry probably isn't a great idea. With Activision's share price dropping over the last few months, however, investment company Gerber Kawasaki Inc. thinks now is the time for it to get snatched up.
Gerber Kawasaki Inc.'s Nick Licouris told Bloomberg that it's an ideal time for Disney to make the acquisition, with the streets of Videogameland allegedly paved with gold. The company owns over $22 million worth of shares in Disney and $4.3 million in Activision.
Disney has already dabbled in games, but it's had more success licensing its properties to publishers like EA, which has held onto the Star Wars license for years. Acquiring Activision would give it a large list of talented studios that would probably be eager to root around in its big box of universes.
Activision is currently valued around $37 billion, so it's still pretty steep. Lucasfilm only cost Disney $4 billion. Only.
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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.