Kotick: Bungie deal to be "creatively satisfying and financially rewarding" to all

Bobby Kotick said during ActiBlizz's financial call to investors tonight that the company is excited over the deal with Bungie, and it plans to help the developer broaden its console horizons a bit.

Stating that the relationship will allow Activision as well to broaden its product portfolio, the 10-year deal with Bungie also "underscores our commitment to partnering with the best creative talent in the industry".

"This landmark alliance will deliver to consumers an entirely new intellectual property, already under development and what we believe is unlike anything audiences have ever seen before," he said.

"We expect they will be accretive to our operating margins and incredibly compelling for audiences.

"Bungie will have almost 200 people working on this project, and they're excited to have their products available on multiple platforms in many countries around the world, which they really haven't been able to do before our alliance with them.

"Bungie titles have generated more than $1.5 billion in revenues, only on the Xbox, so reaching these new larger audiences will be both creatively satisfying and financially rewarding for Bungie and Activision Blizzard shareholders.

"Bungie is a great complement to our already deep bench of the world's leading development talent, including the recent additions to the Activision family, like Sledgehammer and Bizarre Creations. Combined with the talent at Blizzard Entertainment, we believe we have the strongest creative teams anywhere in the video game industry, and we continue to be the first choice for developing talent".

COO Thomas Tippl added that when it came down to the Bungie product, no "upfront payment" was provided, but that Activision would take-care of all the development expenses and that the first release will help grow the firm's operating margin year by year.

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