Activision Blizzard’s 4th quarter results and incurred revenue have marked a record breaking year for the company.
The company was able to break their record for full-year digital, mobile and in-game net revenues. Activision Blizzard was also able to break their record for the operating cash flow for the year which resulted in $2.2 billion.
“This was a record quarter to cap off a record year for Activision Blizzard,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “In 2017, our community reached new milestones for engagement, our business delivered record revenues and cash flows, and we made important progress in building future growth opportunities such as the Overwatch League™. We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunities ahead in 2018 to continue serving our players and fans.”
For the 2017 calendar year, Activision Blizzard’s net revenue managed to reach an all time high record of $7.02 billion. This is a massive jump from 2016’s net revenue which reached $6.61 billion. Activision Blizzard’s digital channels also claimed a new record of $5.48 billion.
Activision Blizzard had 385 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) in the quarter. This is broken down between King, with 290 million MAUs, Activision which saw 55 million MAUs and Blizzard which held 40 million MAUs.
King is well known for the Candy Crush franchise. The 290 million MAUs actually went down 1 per cent while the average play time hit an all new record of 37 minutes per day. This past quarter, King had two of the top-10 highest grossing games in the United States mobile app store. Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Soda Saga, claimed their spot in the top ten list for the 17th quarter in a row.
Activision’s 55 million MAUs for the quarter grew 12 per cent and matched its previous quarterly record. Through games like Call of Duty: WW II, Destiny 2, and the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, it is apparent that Activision has a devoted fan base.
Call of Duty: WW II and Destiny 2 became the top-grossing games on console this past year. These two games also claimed two of the top five most grossing consoles games that were released worldwide. Destiny 2, despite meeting mixed opinions upon release, is still one of the driving games for Activision. Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WW II managed to capture the market with a simple yet addicting loot box mechanic that keep players coming back for more. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, despite not being a multiplayer game, managed to claim the record for the most selling of a remastered collection in PlayStation 4 history.
For Blizzard, this is the 6th quarter in a row with 40 million or more MAUs that are primarily driven by Overwatch and Hearthstone. Surprisingly, Blizzard’s impressive library of unique games is claiming the least amount of the player market. Blizzard has not released any new games but they continue to update their well known franchises, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft.
Investors should be pleased with Activision Blizzard’s sales as the company is going in strong into the new year.
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