Activision Blizzard made an overall revenue of $1.95 billion in Q3 2020

Activision Blizzard,  announced third-quarter 2020 results and it shows that Activision Blizzard has generated $1.2 billion in revenue from microtransactions. This shows a 69 per cent increase compared to last year’s figures, where the company made $709 million from microtransactions. The report mentions that the publisher made $1.95 billion in overall revenue suggesting that revenue from microtransactions is over half of the company’s total revenue.

“Our teams continue to execute our growth plans with excellence during incredibly challenging circumstances. We are on a path to deliver sustained long-term 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,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. 

Financial Metrics

For the quarter ended 30 September 2020, Activision Blizzard’s net revenues presented in accordance with GAAP were $1.95 billion, as compared with $1.28 billion for the third quarter of 2019. GAAP net revenues from digital channels were $1.75 billion, as compared with $1.01 billion for the third quarter of 2019. GAAP operating margin was 40 per cent. GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.78, as compared with $0.26 for the third quarter of 2019.

For the quarter ended 30 September 2020, on a non-GAAP basis, Activision Blizzard’s operating margin was 44 per cent and earnings per diluted share were $0.88, as compared with $0.38 for the third quarter of 2019.

For the quarter ended 30 September 2020, operating cash flow was $196 million. For the trailing twelve-month period, operating cash flow was $2.03 billion.

Operating Metrics

For the quarter ended September 30, 2020, Activision Blizzard’s net bookings were $1.77 billion, as compared with $1.21 billion for the third quarter of 2019. Net bookings from digital channels were $1.61 billion, as compared with $975 million for the third quarter of 2019. In-game net bookings were $1.2 billion, as compared with $709 million for the third quarter of 2019.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2020, overall Activision Blizzard Monthly Active Users (MAUs) were 390 million.

Selected Business Highlights

Activision Blizzard exceeded its third-quarter outlook, with strong execution across the three strategic growth drivers: audience reach, engagement and player investment. Successful execution across major content launches, live operations and in our new approaches to engagement and business models in key franchises was the primary driver of our results. Our continued investments and successful initiatives for our largest franchises position the business for ongoing strong results into the future.

Activision

• Activision had 111 million MAUs in the third quarter.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone saw more than three times as many MAUs as the prior title in the year-ago quarter. Console MAUs grew strongly and PC MAUs grew over tenfold year-over-year. Across PC and console combined, hours played were approximately seven times higher year-over-year.
• We again saw substantial year-over-year growth in premium game sales as Warzone players chose to upgrade to the full Call of Duty experience. Modern Warfare first-year premium sales are the highest in Call of Duty’s history, with two-thirds of units sold digitally.
• Call of Duty console and PC in-game net bookings were four times the year-ago level.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will release on 13 November into the largest and most engaged community in franchise history at the time of launch, and will support cross-platform play across PC, current-generation, and next-generation consoles. Anticipation for the release is high, with far more players engaged in the game’s public testing than for the year-ago title.
• Call of Duty Mobile sustained the impressive levels of reach and engagement from the prior quarter, as the title crossed its one year anniversary. The title was the highest grossing new game in US app stores since its launch last October and is now in final large-scale testing in China, where over 50 million players have pre-registered to date.
• The inaugural season of the Call of Duty League concluded with the September Champs Weekend breaking viewership records for a Call of Duty esports event.

Blizzard

• Blizzard had 30 million MAUs in the third quarter.
• World of Warcraft MAUs were stable year-over-year. Anticipation continues to build for Shadowlands, the next expansion for modern World of Warcraft, ahead of its 23 November launch. World of Warcraft franchise engagement is at its highest level for this stage ahead of an expansion in a decade, with Shadowlands presales well ahead of any prior expansion.
• Hours played in Hearthstone grew year-over-year in the third quarter, with the Battlegrounds mode seeing sustained strong engagement since its release last November. This November will see the broad release of Duels, a new player-versus-player mode, alongside a new in-game progression system and the latest expansion, Madness at the Darkmoon Faire.
• Overwatch continues to have a large and dedicated community, with 10 million MAUs in the quarter, over four years since launch.
• Millions of Overwatch fans have engaged through the 2020 season of the Overwatch League, with the October Grand Finals being the most-watched event in the league’s history.

King

• King had 249 million MAUs in the third quarter, with Candy Crush  MAUs growing year-over-year.
• King in-game net bookings grew year-over-year and Candy Crush was once again the top grossing franchise in the U.S. app stores.
• The Farm Heroes and Bubble Witch franchises grew net bookings year-over-year as the teams delivered a higher frequency of in-game content.
• King again delivered robust double-digit year-over-year growth in advertising net bookings, with strength across both direct brand advertisers and partner networks.

Company Outlook

Net bookings are expected to be $8.10 billion for 2020 and $2.73 billion for the fourth quarter of 2020.