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{{PageCredits|description=EnormousRat, Luigitehplumber and SBF2004|capture=EnormousRat and Luigitehplumber}}
===Background===
'''Vivendi Games''' was founded in 1996 when CUC International, an American consumer services conglomerate, entered into the video game industry by purchasing two large game companies: [[Davidson & Associates]] (owners of [[Blizzard Entertainment]], [[Knowledge Adventure]] and other smaller companies) and [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra On-Line]] (owned various developers including [[Dynamix Software]], Papyrus Design Software, Impressions Games, [[Coktel Studio|Coktel Vision]], etc.), forming CUC Software.
The history of Vivendi Games started in 2000, when the French media giant Vivendi SA bought Universal Interactive and renamed it "Vivendi Universal Games" (VUG). Thus the company started publishing video games, though most of them were presented under the name of VUG's subsidiary, Sierra Entertainment, which was taken over a few years earlier through a long chain of acquisitions. In 2006, the word "Universal" in the name was abandoned and games were starting to be published under the Sierra Entertainment name. in 2008 VG merged with Activision and formed "Activision Blizzard". All games are now published under the name of Activision.
The company went through various name changes over its lifespan. It was renamed to Cendant Sofware in 1997 when CUC and Hospitality Franchise Systems merged, and after Cendant was involved in a financial scandal, they sold the video game division to Vivendi's recently-acquired company Havas in 1998, who renamed it Havas Interactive. In 2000, Vivendi purchased Segram's (which owned [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] at that time), and the parent company became known as Vivendi Universal SA. Universal Studios subsidiary [[Universal Interactive]] was moved to Havas Interactive, and in 2001, the division was renamed as Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing, which by 2002 became '''Vivendi Universal Games'''. By then, the company operated various labels and businesses including Sierra Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment, [[Knowledge Adventure]], [[Black Label Games]], [[NDA Productions]], Coktel Studio and [[Fox Interactive]], among others.
In 2006, after their parent company announced to rebrand themselves back as Vivendi SA, the video game division followed suit and became Vivendi Games. By then, the company began publishing all their mainstream titles under the Sierra name.
===1st Logo (2001-2006)===
In December 2007, Vivendi Games announced they would merge with [[Activision Publishing|Activision]], which was finalised in July 2008, with Vivendi Games being folded into the new parent company: Activision Blizzard. All mainstream games are now published under the Activision name.
{{YouTube|id=7fbld3tewC8|id2=FJnnR_iFmm8|id3=T8oHc9Nwk_0}}
{{ImageTOC
'''Logo:''' On a white background, we see the words "VIVENDI" and "UNIVERSAL" stacked together, with a purple bar below them. The logo is overlapped by shadows running horizontally and painting the words in red and blue. Before the animation is finished, the word "games" is wiped into the plum bar by a shadow.
|Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing (2001).png|1st Logo (2001-2002)
|Vivendi_Universal_Games_(2002).png|2nd Logo (2002-2006)
|Vivendi_Universal_Games_(2004).png|3rd Logo (August 12, 2003-April 26, 2005)
|Vivendi_Universal_Games_(2003).jpg|4th Logo (September 16, 2003-2007)
}}
===1st Logo (2001-2002)===
'''Early Variant:''' Before 2002,There is a version where "INTERACTIVE PUBLISHING" replaces the purple bar. It however mainly appeared on PC titles.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing (2001).png|Main logo used on most PC titles
Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing (2001, Kelly Club Clubhouse Fun).jpg|''Kelly Club: Clubhouse Fun'' (GBC)
Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing (2001, Diva Starz Mall Mania).jpg|''Diva Starz: Mall Mania'' (GBC)
</gallery>
'''Visuals:''' On a white background are the words "{{font|Arial|{{color|red|'''VIVENDI'''}}}}" and "{{font|Arial|{{color|blue|'''UNIVERSΛL'''}}}}" in their corporate font stacked together, and the words "{{font|Arial|{{color|red|'''INTERACTIVE PUBLISHING'''}}}}" below.
'''Variant:''' On <u>''Diva Starz: Mall Mania''</u>, nothing appears below the Vivendi Universal logo.
'''Technique:''' A still, sprite-based graphic.
'''Audio:''' None or the opening theme of the game.
'''Availability:''' It appears on earlier PC and Game Boy Color titles. This was used mainly for kid-friendly/educational games while the company used their other publishing brands for core titles.
* It appears on a small number of ''Barbie'' titles: ''Barbie Beach Vacation'' and ''Secret Agent Barbie'' are such examples. Most ''Barbie'' licensed titles from this period only use [[Barbie Software]] vanity cards.
* It also appears on ''Kelly Club: Clubhouse Fun'' (GBC) and ''Diva Starz: Mall Mania'' (GBC).
===2nd Logo (2002-2006)===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Vivendi Universal Games (2002).png|Standard logo, used on most PC/console titles
Vivendi Universal Games (2003, Barbie Gotta Have Games).png|''Barbie: Gotta Have Games'' (2003, PS1)
Vivendi Universal Games (2003, Barbie Horse Adventures Mystery Ride).png|''Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride'' (2003, PC)
Vivendi Universal Games (2002, Secret Agent Barbie Royal Jewels Mission).png|''Secret Agent Barbie: Royal Jewels Mission'' (2002, GBA)
Vivendi Universal Games (2002, Barbie Groovy Games).png|''Barbie Groovy Games'' (2002, GBA)
Screenshot 20211212-183515 YouTube.jpg|GBA titles and ''Crash Nitro Kart'' variant
</gallery>
'''Visuals:''' On a white background are the words "{{font|Arial|{{color|red|'''VIVENDI'''}}}}" and "{{font|Arial|{{color|blue|'''UNIVERSΛL'''}}}}" in their corporate font stacked together, and a purple bar is seen below with the word "{{font|Arial|games}}" in it.
'''Variants:'''
* On some titles, the <u>bar may take the entirety of the bottom of the logo</u>.
*Another rare variant has just "Vivendi Universal" on black background.
* On <u>the GBA and NDS versions of ''Robots''</u>, the still logo is superimposed over the game's intro.
*There is also a still version.
* <u>Some Game Boy Advance releases</u> and <u>the console versions of ''Crash Nitro Kart''</u> have this logo in a box rectangle with two edges rounded.
'''FX/SFXTechnique:''' ComputerA still, digital graphic (with fading effects on occasion).
'''Audio:''' None or the opening theme of the game.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Many repeating Tangerine Dream-like scurry sounds. None for the silent version.
'''Availability:''' It appears on handheld titles on the GBA and DS, as well as PC titles. It also appears on some console titles.
'''Music/Sound Variants:''' On the Non-American demo version of ''Spyro: A Hero's Tail'' packaged in the PS2 Magazine Demo Discs, a different synth music is played plus there are more chimes added to the jingle.
* Once again, ''Barbie'' titles will have this logo alongside the [[Barbie Software]]. Such examples include ''Barbie Sparkling Ice Snow'' (PC), ''Barbie as Rapunzel: A Creative Adventure!'' (PC), ''Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride'' (PC), ''Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue'' (PS2/Xbox), ''Barbie: Gotta Have Games'' (PS1), ''Barbie Fashion Show'' (PC), ''Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus'' (PC) and ''My Scene Goes Hollywood CD-ROM'' (PC).
* Also appears on ''Kelly Club: Pet Parade'' (PC), ''American Idol: The Search For a Super Star'' (PC), ''Tribes Vengeance'' (PC), ''Butt-Ugly Martians: Martian Boot Camp'' (PC), ''Butt-Ugly Martians: Zoom or Doom!'' (PS2/GameCube), the demo of ''Freedom Force vs. the 3rd Reich'' (PC, retail release solely has the Sierra logo), ''Hulk'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox/PC), ''Crash Nitro Kart'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox), ''Battlestar Galactica'' (PS2/Xbox), among others.
* It appears on almost every GBA title from the company, such as the ''Spyro Superpack'' (a re-release of two previous ''Spyro'' games) for the GBA, and ''Robots'' for GBA and NDS.
* It also appeared on the European release of ''Bomberman Generation'' (GCN), although none of the other [[Majesco Entertainment]] titles that VU published in Europe have this logo. It also doesn't appear on ''Whirl Tour'' (PS2/GameCube) despite the logo appearing on the cover.
===3rd Logo (August 12, 2003-April 26, 2005)===
'''Availability:''' Common. Most games with this logo have it with Sierra's following, such as on ''Ground Control II'', ''Robots'' and ''Empire Earth II''. It was seen without the Sierra logo on several console games, including ''Fight Club'', ''My Scene: CD-ROM'', ''The Simpsons: Hit & Run'' for Xbox, PS2, GCN and PC, ''Spyro: A Hero's Tail'' for PS2 and GCN (the Xbox version uses the Sierra logo instead of this logo), and ''Crash Twinsanity'' for PS2 and Xbox, as well as the ''Spyro Superpack'' (a re-release of two previous ''Spyro'' games) for the GBA. The "publishing" version is extremely rare.The still version can be seen on some ''Barbie'' games, ''My Scene Goes Hollywood CD-ROM'' and ''American Idol: The Search For a Super Star''.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Vivendi Universal Games (2004).png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=FJnnR_iFmm8|id2=T8oHc9Nwk_0}}
'''Visuals:''' On a white background is the Vivendi Universal logo with the same purple bar below the words. The logo is overlapped by shadows running horizontally and painting the words in red and blue. Before the animation is finished, the word "games" is wiped into the purple bar by a shadow.
'''Editor's Note:''' None.
'''Variant:''' Another rare variant has just "VIVENDI UNIVERSAL" on a black background.
'''Technique:''' Computer effects.
'''Audio:''' Many repeating ''Tangerine Dream''-like scurry sounds.
===2nd Logo (2001-2006)===
{{NeedsImages}}
'''Logo:''' Two words, "VIVENDI" and "UNIVERSAL" fly into the screen (overlapping each other) and take their places, while the plum line appears below and the letters "games" zoom to it. The result looks like exactly as the first logo.
'''Audio Variant:''' On some titles, different synth music is played with more chimes added to the jingle.
'''Variants:'''
*Some Game Boy Advance releases have this logo in the box rectangle with two edges rounded.
'''Availability:'''
*There is a still version on the demo of Freedom Force vs. the 3rd Reich. *The retail revision replaces it with the Sierra logo. Tribes: Vengeance also has the still logo.
* It first appeared on the North American release of ''Futurama'' (PS2/Xbox) and went on to appear on ''The Simpsons: Hit & Run'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox/PC), ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds'' (PS2/GCN/PC), ''The X-Files: Resist or Serve'' (PS2), ''Spyro: A Hero's Tail'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox; the PAL PS2/Xbox versions use the Sierra logo), ''Crash Twinsanity'' (PS2/Xbox), ''Robots'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox; the PC version has the next logo), and ''Predator: Concrete Jungle'' (PS2/Xbox).
* The alternate music version appears on at least three ''Barbie'' PC titles: ''Barbie Beauty Boutique'', ''Barbie: Mermaid Adventure'' and ''Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper''. The alternate music version also appears on ''My Scene CD-ROM'' for PC.
===4th Logo (September 16, 2003-2007)===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Vivendi Universal Games (2003).jpg
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=RC_vfVFbQzk|id2=77ZiTZhpZYo}}
[[File:Vivendi universal theme 2.mp4|center|250px]]
'''Visuals:''' On a white background, the words "{{font|Arial|{{color|red|'''VIVENDI'''}}}}" and "{{font|Arial|{{color|blue|'''UNIVERSΛL'''}}}}" from before fly into the screen (overlapping each other) and take their places, while the purple bar appears below and the letters of "{{font|Arial|games}}" zoom to it. The result looks exactly like the previous logo.
'''Technique:''' 2D computer animation.
'''Audio:''' It is most commonly a background air synth followed by whooshing-like sounds of the letters flying.
'''FX/SFX:''' A windy jingle and whoosh as the "games" fly in.
'''Audio Variants:'''
'''Music/Sounds:''' The background air-synth followed by a whooshing-like sounds of letters flying.
* Sometimes, it uses a weird dubstep-like sounder.
* Sometimes, it uses the alternate version of the last logo's track.
'''Availability:''' It appears on almost every title from the company under their label, sometimes with Sierra's logo as well.
'''Availability:''' Not as common as the previous logo. Can be found on several games like ''Hulk''. Also seen on Battlestar Galactica, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds'', Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007, and 50 Cent: Bulletproof.
* Track 1:
** It appears on ''SWAT: Global Strike Team'' (PS2/Xbox), ''Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat'' (PS2/Xbox/PC), ''Van Helsing'' (PS2/Xbox), ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'' (Xbox/PC), ''Disney's Aladdin Chess Adventures'' (PC), ''Adiboo and the Energy Thieves'' (PS2/PC), ''Men of Valor'' (Xbox/PC), ''Fight Club'' (PS2/Xbox), ''Red Ninja: End of Honor'' (PS2/Xbox), ''50 Cent: Bulletproof'' (PS2/Xbox), ''Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007'' (PC), ''Bass Pro Shops Trophy Bass 2007'' (Xbox/PC), ''Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007'' (Xbox/PC) and the PS2 demo for ''Spyro: A Hero's Tail''.
*** It appears with the [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra]] logo on ''Homeworld 2'' (PC), the European version of ''Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox/PC), ''Contract J.A.C.K.'' (PC), ''The Hobbit'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox/PC), ''Metal Arms: Glitch in the System'' (PS2/GCN/Xbox), ''Lords of the Realm III'' (PC), ''Ground Control II: Mission Exodus'' (PC) and ''Evil Genius'' (PC). It also appears in the files of ''Empire Earth II'' (PC), although only the Sierra logo appears.
* Track 2: It appears on ''Hunter: The Reckoning - Redeemer'' (Xbox) and with the Sierra logo on ''Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude'' (PS2/Xbox/PC).
* Track 3: It appears on the PC version of ''Robots''.
{{Video Game-Navbox}}
'''Editor's Note:''' None.
[[Category:VideoAmerican Gamevideo Logosgame logos]]
[[Category:American_Video_Game_LogosVideo game logos]]
[[Category:American_LogosUnited States]]
[[Category:Microsoft]]
[[Category:Activision Blizzard]]
[[Category:Vivendi]]
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