Activision Blizzard Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results - Ahead of Expectations

Blizzard Posted 2020/10/29 at 8:27 PM by Archimtiros

Call of DutyShadowlandspowerpoint presentationevent transcriptsecond quarter coverageShadowlandsDiablo IVBlack Ops: Cold WarWarzonelargest team everShadowlands

"Our teams continue to execute our growth plans with excellence during incredibly challenging circumstances. We are on a path to deliver sustained longterm growth across our fully-owned franchises. With confidence in our ability to continue to execute, we are raising our outlook for the year and remain enthusiastic for our growth prospects next year."
- Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard

HighlightsActivision

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone monthly active users (MAUs) tripled to over 111 million since last year, with over 7 times as many hours played across console and PC combined.

Modern Warfare first year premium sales are the highest in franchise history, with 2/3 of units sold digitally.

Call of Duty console and PC in-game net bookings were four times higher.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will release on November 13 into the largest and most engaged community at the time of
launch in franchise history.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 launched to fantastic reviews and became the fastest title in the series to reach over 1 million units sold, highlighting increased opportunity for classic franchises.

Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft is holding stable since last year, with Blizzard total at 30 million monthly active users (MAUs).

Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion, with franchise engagement at its highest level at this stage ahead of an expansion release in a decade.

Hearthstone hours played have grown since last year, with Battlegrounds seeing sustained strong engagement since its release last November.

Duels and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will release in November, alongside a new in-game
progression system.

Overwatch is sustaining 10M MAUs in the quarter, over four years since launch.

The October Grand Finals were the most-watched event in the Overwatch League’s history.

Diablo Immortal has passed internal company play testing and will soon enter external regional testing.

King

249 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the third quarter.

Now starting to see the benefits of last year’s initiatives with a healthier payer base that is responding positively to compelling new features and live operations.

Candy Crush was once again the top grossing franchise in the U.S. app
stores.

Greater frequency of in-game content has also led to net bookings growth in Farm Heroes and Bubble Witch.

Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! will be coming to to mobile in Spring 2021, with very strong fan reception at around 10M pre-registrations.

Call of DutyWarzoneBlack Ops Cold WarModern WarfareShadowlandsCall of Dutydevelopment of mobile titles for all franchises

12 3…5

Comment by AbsoluteRTDAhead of expectations, still being paid minimum wages :(Comment by GrumpyRookBlizzard is doing well. Time to fire some.folks.Comment by octnoirBlizzard Entertainment is reported to have the largest team everBlizzard is holding stable since last year at 30 million monthly active users (MAUs).Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion, with franchise engagement at its highest level at this stage ahead of an expansion release in a decade.Comment by ThoreyaRemovedComment by FoxiesWorld of Warcraft is holding stable since last year at 30 million monthly active users (MAUs).Comment by ItsLyannaRemovedComment by worpetisoofc they are doing better, they keep firing ppl and shutting down placesComment by ItsLyannaBlizzard Entertainment is reported to have the largest team everWorld of Warcraft is holding stable since last year at 30 million monthly active users (MAUs).Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion, with franchise engagement at its highest level at this stage ahead of an expansion release in a decade.Comment by mewhywhy"Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion, with franchise engagement at its highest level at this stage ahead of an expansion release in a decade."

Really? :O Guess that's why they actually want to make sure it's the best it can be and had the whole delay.Comment by GarrusN7Wait, since their profit increased by 4%, doesnt that mean that if they didn't fire all those people they could have been only on 1% or on a negative or something?Comment by megasuperbCool laying off all those employees during a pandemic really made spreadsheet number go brrrrrrComment by perculiaHey, we've corrected the 30m MAU, this referred to Blizzard altogether, not WoW. Sorry for the confusion! We have also added a link to the full event transcript - https://investor.activision.com/static-files/18a3bfed-dfc7-4b5a-a6fa-416d87163950Comment by octnoirBlizzard Entertainment is reported to have the largest team everWorld of Warcraft is holding stable since last year at 30 million monthly active users (MAUs).Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion, with franchise engagement at its highest level at this stage ahead of an expansion release in a decade.Comment by brenoflegendHey, we've corrected the 30m MAU, this referred to Blizzard altogether, not WoW. Sorry for the confusion! We have also added a link to the full event transcript - https://investor.activision.com/static-files/18a3bfed-dfc7-4b5a-a6fa-416d87163950Comment by AerisotBlizzard is doing well. Time to fire some.folks.Comment by FayeAhead of expectations, still being paid minimum wages :(HonorComment by k0thelis1Doing better than expected, yet still feel the need to shut down the Versailles site.Comment by Matrixwolfohhh so thats why they announce SL release date today...
ahead of exspectations... well the toxic forums exspect it to be trash
i think it was good whether delay or not, delay did not even do anythign that really matters like new class or alleid race per covenant or worgen tails and more customizationsComment by Necrodogeso who wants to talk about this being an official image with Sylvanas and crash bandicootComment by DoomSlapDoing better than expected, yet still feel the need to shut down the Versailles site.

12 3…5