Today Activision Blizzard announced its financial results for the first quarter of the calendar year 2019.
As you can see in the table below, the company’s net revenues for the quarter were higher-than-expected, significantly above the prediction shared in February, but showcased decline year-on-year.-
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick accompanied the press release with a comment, mostly focused on the overperformance and the company’s eSports initiatives.
“We started the year with strong operating discipline and exceeded our prior outlook for the first quarter. We are increasing investment in our biggest franchises to better deliver against our growth potential, and I am pleased with our progress.
We’re continuing to enhance our leadership position in esports. The second season of the Overwatch League has seen strong growth in viewership, and we’re seeing enthusiastic demand for our professional, city-based Call of Duty league franchises. We have already sold the first five Call of Duty teams in Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris and Toronto to owners who recognize the scale of the opportunity from their partnerships with us on the Overwatch League.”
We also get a selection of highlights for the company’s quarterly performance.
Audience Reach
- Activision Blizzard had 345 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) in the quarter, with 41 million at Activision, 32 million at Blizzard, and 272 million at King.
- King MAUs were up sequentially for the second quarter in a row driven by the Candy Crush franchise where MAUs again grew quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year. CandyCrush Friends Saga continues to attract both former and new players to the franchise.
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launched in March to 90-plus Metacritic scores. The game sold-through more than two million copies worldwide in less than 10 days.
Deep Engagement
- For each of Activision, Blizzard, and King, daily time spent per user increased year-over-year. For the Company overall, average time spent was approximately 50 minutes.
- Daily time spent per player across the Candy Crush franchise reached a new high, driving the King network to a record of 38 minutes.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s core player base remains highly engaged, with total hours played and daily time spent per player growing double-digits versus Call of Duty:WWII.
- The Company’s professional Call of Duty city-based league is off to a strong start, selling its first five franchise teams. In Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris and Toronto, we are partnering with existing Overwatch League team owners who have first-hand experience of our esports strategy and capabilities and recognize the scale of the opportunity for a global Call of Duty league.
- The second season of the Overwatch League commenced in February to sell-out crowds at the Blizzard Arena. Viewership hours for the second season to date are over 30% higher than in the first season.
Player Investment
- Activision Blizzard delivered approximately $800 million of in-game net bookings in the first quarter.
- For the twenty-second quarter in a row, King had two of the top-10 highest grossing titles in the U.S. mobile app stores.
If you’d like to compare, you can take a look at the past quarter’s results released in February.
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