Newly-anointed Activision Blizzard chairman Rene Penisson has stated that the publisher is perfectly positioned to lead the way across North America, Europe and the growing Asian market, having just finalised the deal.

“We are delighted that the merger has been completed,” said Penisson. “We are very excited about the opportunity for Activision Blizzard to create a broader entertainment software platform."

"We are leaders across North America and Europe and are creating a substantial footprint in the rapidly growing Asian market. We are determined to ‘think big’!”

CEO of Vivendi Jean-Bernard Lévy added: “We have created the world leader in online and console games with this transaction and the combined strengths of the two businesses offer immense growth potential."

"I am also very confident that, with the new leadership team in place, the new entity is perfectly positioned to take advantage of these rapidly developing markets across the globe.”