More stuff to ponder...
Though still trying to digest all of the feedback from Heavy Gear,
I dug this up from Multimedia Wire:
Activision Rumors Reflect Fluid State of Industry
The uncertainty over Activision's [ATVI] direction appears to be
in line with the rapid pace of mergers and acquisitions within the
industry. It also may illustrate the role personality plays in the
process.
Activision is back in the M&A spotlight, but despite this week's
announcement of two acquisitions, rumors persist it soon may be an
acquisition target itself.
"Everyone's talking to everyone in this sector, both as an
acquirer and as an acquisition [target]," Wedbush Morgan analyst James
Lin says.
Activision has grown in the last few months, with a string of
acquisitions, including developers Raven Software and Redline Games.
The company's latest purchases were two European distributors,
revealed Monday (MMW, Dec. 2).
Although it recently was a buyer, rumors persist that Activision
may soon be sold, perhaps to Electronic Arts [ERTS]. "They're a very
attractive takeover target because of their distribution and their
relationship with id Software," developer of Quake and Activision's
new Quake II, Individual Investor Group analyst Aaron Edelheit says.
Despite its appeal, one key obstacle stands in the way of an
Activision takeover: Chairman/CEO Bobby Kotick, many say. "We
continue to understand from Bobby he doesn't want to do it," asserts
Dean Frost of Frost & Berman, which tracks mergers and acquisitions
for MMWIRE.
For the 1997 fiscal year ended in March, Activision reported
$7.1m profit on $86.5m in sales. That performance means Kotick
probably has the loyalty of most shareholders, Frost says.
But Activision "still doesn't have critical mass, which is
probably why you're hearing these rumors," he adds. |
