LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Video game developer Activision Blizzard on Thursday posted a profit that just topped estimates as "Kung Fu Panda" and "Guitar Hero: On Tour" fueled sales for the period before its merger with Blizzard.

Excluding results from Blizzard, the games unit of France's Vivendi, which makes the popular "World of Warcraft" game, Activision said net income rose to US$59 million, or 18 cents per share, from US$27.8 million, or 9 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

Activision closed its merger with Blizzard earlier this month.

Not including compensation, merger costs and other items, the Activision had a profit of 23 cents per share, topping Wall Street's expectation by a penny, according to Reuters Estimates.

Revenue rose 32 percent to US$654.2 million, beating the average Wall Street forecast of US$373.6 million. month.

Shares in Activision Blizzard slipped about 1 percent to US$35.50 in extended trade from its Nasdaq close of US$35.98 on the Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Jennifer Martinez; editing by Carol Bishopric)