While much of the coverage of the union between Activision and Vivendi Universal has focused on the people reaping the benefits--including those indirectly affected by Blizzard's rockstar status as well as those who saw direct monetary advantage--little attention has been paid as yet to the victims of this mega merger. According to recent reports, Activision Blizzard will be making cost-saving staffing cuts in Vivendi's UK divisions. Several Sierra titles are also reportedly getting the axe as part of the merger.Just in case any Massively readers in the UK were wondering, this won't affect your World of Warcraft experience at all, as Blizzard's European division is being left to its own devices. This seems to only reaffirm the long-espoused notion that Blizzard was really the only prize in which Activision was actually interested. If Vivendi's other games fall by the wayside, we doubt the ActiBlizz senior management would bat an eyelash. Still, our hearts go out to the folks who have lost their jobs, and we wish them a fruitful and speedy job hunt!
