Activision Quarterly Results Reveal Blizzard, King Software Doing Well As Call Of Duty Sees Decline In Engagement And Sales

Activision Blizzard released its financial results, hot on the heels EA’s quarterly results. 

These results usually are announced during an investor call, but the publisher published its results this time in a press statement. The reason the data was released this way is because of the ongoing deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. Nonetheless, the results reveal that Blizzard’s Warcraft, Warcraft-related, and Diablo franchises are doing well. King’s mobile software is doing great, too, but Call of Duty took a hit this year. 

“Call of Duty net bookings on console and PC declined year-over-year in the fourth quarter, reflecting lower premium sales for Call of Duty: Vanguard versus the year ago title and lower engagement in Call of Duty: Warzone,” Activision Blizzard’s press release reads. “Fourth quarter in-game player investment on console and PC remained well above the level seen prior to the March 2020 launch of Warzone.” 

The press release also confirms something mostly widely-known to people that keep up with Call of Duty: this year’s annual release is being developed by Infinity Ward, the team behind 2019’s Modern Warfare. Activision says Infinity Ward is working on “the most ambitious plan in franchise history, with industry-leading innovation and a broadly appealing franchise setting.” 

Call of Duty Mobile saw its net bookings increase year-over-year during the fourth quarter. This was due to the distribution of the title into China. Activision also says it is continuing to expand its studios and development resources worldwide to continue forward with plans for “ongoing live operations and new, unannounced titles in the Call of Duty universe.” 

World of Warcraft was a huge success on the Blizzard’s side. 

“Within the Warcraft franchise, fourth quarter World of Warcraft reach and engagement continued to benefit from the combination of the modern game and classic under a single subscription,” the press release reads. “In 2021, World of Warcraft delivered its strongest engagement and net bookings outside of a modern expansion year in a decade. Hearthstone fourth quarter net bookings grew year-over-year, driven by a steady cadence of new content.” 

The press release also says that Blizzard is planning “substantial” new content for the Warcraft franchise in 2022, including new experiences for both World of Warcraft and Heartstone. It also says Blizzard is planning to release “all-new mobile Warcraft content into players’ hands for the first time” in 2022. 

Diablo II: Revived sold the most units of any Activision Blizzard Remaster during its life than any other Activision Blizzard Remaster within an equivalent time span. 

“Blizzard is making strong progress on its pipeline, including new experiences in Warcraft, ongoing development in Diablo and Overwatch, and an exciting new IP,” the press release reads. 

King’s software, which is primary based on mobile devices, saw both net bookings, growth, and engagement grow year-over-year. 

Just weeks ago, Microsoft had announced that it was buying Activision Blizzard. This record-breaking acquisition cost $68.7Billion. Compare this acquisition to entertainment acquisitions. Next, read about dead Activision Blizzard brands that Microsoft and Xbox hope to bring back.