Activision Blizzard reports new records: $1.37 billion from microtransactions and 428 million active players

The company’s financial report notes the unprecedented success of the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft franchises. The publisher’s revenues for the second quarter approached $2 billion.On August 4, Activision Blizzard published a report for the second fiscal quarter of 2020 (April-June).

This period was a record for the publishing house — in many ways it was influenced by the pandemic.

Key figures of the company

• revenue for the reporting period increased to $1.93 billion against $1.4 billion last year;microtransaction revenues reached $1.37 billion (in-game purchases brought the company $778 million over the same period last year);
• a significant part of the revenue came from digital sales, which amounted to $1.82 billion (82% of total revenues);
• the total number of active players per month reached 428 million.
• Activision Blizzard considers the expansion of the audience and the increase in engagement to be the main drivers of growth, as well as the fact that players began to spend more on the company’s games.

The report notes a significant increase in revenue from all key franchises, including the success of Call of Duty: Warzone. The project managed to reach the mark of 75 million active players.

Activision Metrics

• the division’s revenue amounted to $993 million and increased by 270% compared to last year’s results;the monthly number of active players has reached 125 million;
• the main franchise of the company remained Call of Duty.
• In addition to the success of Warzone, Call of Duty Mobile showed significant growth (the report does not specify specific figures);The number of hours spent by players in Modern Warfare has increased eight times compared to last year.
• Blizzard Metrics
  

• the company’s revenue increased by 20% compared to last year’s figures and amounted to $461 million;the number of active players per month remained approximately at the same level and amounted to 32 million people;
• the main success factor was World of Warcraft — the involvement of players in the project was the highest in the last decade.
• King Indicators
  

• in the second quarter, the number of active players reached 271 million people amid the pandemic and quarantine measures;Candy Crush has once again become the most successful mobile franchise in the American market;
• The company is going to bring the Crash franchise to the mobile market by announcing the Crash Bandicoot runner: On the Run!
• with resource management and social elements.“Our record engagement rates have led to an increase in revenue and earnings per share that exceeded our past forecasts,“ said CEO Bobby Kotick.

“Despite the fact that economic instability could have an impact on our short—term results, our initiatives aimed at growth in the first half of the year should provide a foundation for long-term growth.”

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