It is in a press release from Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard King, that the financial results for the third quarter of 2022 for Activision, Blizzard but also King were revealed. After a sharp drop in revenues in 2021 and after having struggled to get its head above water, the deployment of new games at the end of the year seems to allow it to regain some momentum. But nothing is decided in this crucial period before the takeover of the company by Microsoft, and the dissensions with one of the Chinese partners of Blizzard could well have a considerable harmful impact from the beginning of the year to come.
The quarterly report in a few key points
- Revenue for the 3rd quarter of 2022 is $1.78 billion, compared to $1.64 billion for the 2nd quarter of 2022
- Revenue for this quarter is down approximately 14.1% compared to the previous year
- Activision has 97 million monthly users
- Blizzard has 31 million monthly users
- King has 240 million monthly users
- Microsoft's takeover of Activision Blizzard King is scheduled for June 30, 2023
- World of Warcraft: Dragonflight will be released on November 29, 2022
- Diablo IV is still scheduled for release in 2023
- The launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a great success, making it one of the strongest titles of the license
- Blizzard and King's revenues are up from the previous quarter, but Activision's suffered a sharp drop
- "More regular" content is planned for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, the extension marking "a turning point" in the history of the franchise
- Overwatch 2 crushes the first opus with a number of daily players having doubled compared to Overwatch first of the name
- The publishing rights for certain Blizzard games are currently being debated by one of the company's subcontractors in China, and it is already announced that it is possible that no amicable agreement will be found. Blizzard's development in China remains on the agenda, but may prove to be more complex than so far starting in January 2023. Diablo Immortal will not be impacted by this news in this country.
Call of Duty: What to remember
- The number of monthly users of the Call of Duty franchise decreased compared to the previous quarter (94 million in the 2nd to 100 million in the 1st)
- Modern Warfare II is the fastest Call of Duty game to cross the $1 billion mark
- Warzone 2 will be deployed on November 16, 2022, the game will be Free-to-Play and content is already planned for the coming months
- Call of Duty: Mobile will be deployed in 2023. Over 20 million players have already pre-ordered the game on Google Play
- The coming year is indicated as decisive for Call of Duty thanks to the planned releases. Activision intends to continue its momentum on this license in order to "take it to new heights", marking the beginning of a new era for it.
World of Warcraft
- The rollout of Wrath of the Lich King Classic on September 26 was a huge success for the license, allowing it to greatly increase its reach and player engagement towards it at the end of the third quarter of 2022.
- The Dragonflight expansion is scheduled to release on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 in Europe
- The rate of deployment of new content on the Blizzard MMORPG is expected to be higher with this new expansion
- Regional Warcraft: Arclight Rumble testing continues and progresses correctly
Diablo
- Diablo Immortal's rollout in China last July expanded the game's overall reach around the world
- In China, Diablo Immortal is among the most played games since its release, and among the 10 generating the most revenue
- In the coming months, new events, new features and major content are planned for Diablo Immortal all over the world.
- Diablo IV continues to make "very good progress" in development, its launch is still scheduled for sometime in 2023
- Post-release content is already planned for Diablo IV, its development has already begun
Overwatch 2
- The fact that Overwatch 2 is Free-to-Play has allowed more players than ever to access the game
- Over 35 million players played Overwatch 2 in the month of release, including "many who have never played Overwatch"
- The average number of daily players is more than twice the first game
- Player investment is significant, the company believes that Overwatch 2 could be a major player in Blizzard's business model as early as the fourth quarter of 2022
- "Regular and ambitious" updates are planned for Blizzard's Shooter through seasonal content, including new characters, new maps and new game modes
- Overwatch 2 PvE Mode Still Planned For 2023
King
- King's revenue is up overall year-over-year over the same period at +8%
- Candy Crush is by far King's most profitable and consequential franchise
- The frequency of deployment of new content continues to grow, the creation of "player against player" content on Candy Crush continues as it would contribute positively to player engagement
- Time spent playing Candy Crush has increased significantly year over year
- Advertising revenue remained consistent year over year
- In November 2022, Candy Crush turns 10, and the company is pleased that the game has such strong engagement as it enters its second decade of life.
Breathtaking, incredible, majestic... There is no shortage of words when talking about the final of the League of Legends Worlds. The ceremony was exceptional and we had chills live from the Chase Center. We may be a little biased, but for us, it really is the best esport.
