Mixed results for publisher’s Q2
Beleaguered publisher Activision Blizzard released its financial results for the second quarter of 2022, presenting a mixed bag of successes and losses for some of the biggest blockbuster franchises in gaming.
Overall, the most recent quarter did not turn around the company’s recent sliding fortunes, with overall revenue down a huge 28% on the same period last year. Of course, this still equates to total revenue of around $1.64 billion USD for the quarter, so it’s hardly doomsday for the industry giant. Perhaps more concerning to the studio are the numbers pertaining to its monthly active users, which is down 12% on 2021, equating to a loss of around 361 million players across the publisher’s various online games.
Activision revenue is down 38% on 2021, which translates to a total of $490 million. In addition, the Call of Duty franchise has lost just over a quarter of its entire player base. The lobbies are hardly empty, of course, as the shooter series still retains around 96 million users. While engagement with Call of Duty Mobile remains steady, 2021’s Call of Duty Vanguard and battle royale title Call of Duty Warzone have both struggled to grow their respective communities, especially when compared to previous entries in the billion-dollar franchise.
Over at Blizzard Entertainment, revenue is down around 7% year-on-year, struggling to match the success of 2021’s World of Warcraft remaster Burning Crusade Classic. More positive news for the accountants comes from controversial free-to-play mobile title Diablo Immortal, which has seen its player base grow by 23% on the previous quarter, for a total of 27 million active users. The growth comes despite much eyebrow-raising over the title’s aggressive use of paywalls and microtransactions.
Activision Blizzard was purchased by Microsoft in January of this year for a staggering $68.7 billion. While the past year has been a slump for the publisher, it is very likely that Activision Blizzard will be looking for a turn of fortunes under the umbrella of one of the biggest corporations on the planet. It goes far beyond the bottom line, however, as Activision Blizzard remains under the microscope of its contemporaries, its community, and the State of California following an investigation into the toxic, sexist, and harassing behaviors recorded within its walls.
You can read an abridged timeline of the Activision Blizzard controversy right here.
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse
