Activision Blizzard has announced record financial results for 2020, with net revenue of $8.09bn and net income of $2.22bn. The success has been largely attributed to its flagship franchises Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, which accounted for over 50% of net bookings. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone both experienced high sales throughout 2020, while World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, Shadowlands, saw strong engagement from fans. The company has several new titles in development, including mobile games based on its popular franchises Call of Duty and Diablo. CEO Bobby Kotick expressed optimism about the future of the company in the online and mobile gaming sectors.
Activision Blizzard Reports Record Profits for 2020, Thanks to Call of Duty and World of Warcraft
Overview
Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s leading game publishers, has announced record financial results for the year 2020. The company’s net revenue was $8.09 billion, while its net income was $2.22 billion. This was a significant increase from the $6.49 billion in net revenue and $1.81 billion in net income that the company generated in 2019.
Call of Duty and World of Warcraft
The company attributed its success to the continued popularity of its flagship franchises, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. These titles were the main drivers of revenue growth for the year – accounting for over 50% of the company’s net bookings.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was released in 2019 and quickly became one of the top-selling games of the year. This title, along with the free-to-play Warzone battle royale game, continued to rack up strong sales throughout 2020. In fact, the company reported that Call of Duty experienced its highest premium sales in a decade during the year.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
World of Warcraft, the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), released its eighth expansion – Shadowlands – in November 2020. This new content was met with strong sales and increased engagement from the game’s loyal fanbase. The company reported a “significant increase” in both player count and playtime for the title.
Future Outlook
The company’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, expressed optimism for the future of Activision Blizzard, stating that the company is “uniquely positioned to capitalise on the ongoing shift to online and mobile gaming”. The company has several upcoming titles, including mobile games based on its popular franchises, such as Call of Duty and Diablo.
Conclusion
Activision Blizzard’s success in 2020 can be largely attributed to the continued popularity of its flagship franchises – Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The company’s financial results reflect the strength of these titles and the wider gaming industry, which has seen significant growth in recent years. With several new titles in development, the company looks set for continued success in the years to come.