Vivendi on Sunday agreed to take a controlling stake in Activision, publisher of the popular Guitar Hero game, in a deal valued at about $8.1 billion.

Shares of Activision jumped $3.64, or 16 percent, to $25.79 by midday trading Monday.

The move creates the world’s largest online and console game publisher, the companies said.

“The combination of Vivendi Games, which includes Blizzard Entertainment with Activision, will result in the largest and most profitable multiplatform interactive entertainment publisher in the world,” Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said on a conference call.

The $27.50 per share offer for Activision values Vivendi Games at $8.1 billion. Vivendi has also agreed to pay $1.7 billion in cash to purchase 62.9 million Activision shares, a 31 percent premium. Vivendi will own a 52 percent stake in the newly formed Activision Blizzard.

The agreement ties together Vivendi Games, which includes Blizzard Entertainment, publisher of multiplayer online role-playing game franchise World of Warcraft, with Activision, whose game titles include Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and the Tony Hawk skating series, among others.