Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc., maker of the popular Call of Duty franchise, and a group of investors are buying out most of Vivendi SA's majority stake in the company for $8.2 billion.

The deal, which was announced late Thursday, will reduce Vivendi's 61.1 percent share of Activision to 12 percent and effectively end its control of the company. Vivendi became a majority stakeholder of Activision in 2008 when its subsidiary, Blizzard Entertainment, combined with Activision.