HotS slated for first half of 2013, WoW subs up - ActiBlizz Q3 12

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson Former News Editor

Published on Nov. 7, 2012

Activision-Blizzard as released its Q3 2012 financial report, in which the firm divulged net revenues of $841 million, compared to $754 million year-over-year.

Acti-Blizz Q3 2012

Diablo 3 has sold over 10 million copies in North America and Europe.

Another expansion is being looked into for Diablo 3, said Mike Morhaime, but there is nothing to announce at this time.

World of Warcraft subscriptions are once again over the 10 million mark.

StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty has sold over 6 million copies to date.

StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm still slated for release during the first half of 2013; Blizzard is working "hard" to release it during that time frame.

Internal testing on Blizzard All Stars is going well, according to Mike Morhaime, and more information will be shared at a later date.

Black Ops 2 pre-orders are tracking "well ahead" of Modern Warfare 3.

Digital sales contributed $430 million which was 51% of the firm’s total net revenue.

"There is absolutely nothing we can say about next-gen hardware," said CEO Bobby Kotick.

Profits were $226 million, up from $148 million year-over-year. Net revenues from digital channels were $430 million and represented 51% of the company’s total net revenue.

"Our unyielding commitment to excellence, the strength of our employees around the globe and our focus on creating great entertainment experiences have enabled us to once again deliver better-than-expected financial results," said CEO Bobby Kotick. " We have, for the third straight year, generated over $1 billion of operating cash flow for the trailing twelve month period ending September 30.

"Our performance was driven by the launch of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and continued sales of its top-selling PC game, Diablo 3, as well as Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, and sales of titles in the Call of Duty franchise.

"Based on our strong third-quarter performance and increased visibility into the remainder of the year, we are raising our full-year financial outlook."

Black Ops 2 pre-orders are tracking well ahead of Modern Warfare 3, according to Activision Publishing boss, Eric Hirshberg, who also reiterated changes to Elite and the season pass detailed last month.

For the fist nine months of the current fiscal year, Activision Blizzard was the number one PC publisher in the US and Europe. Additionally, for the third quarter, Blizzard Entertainment had two of the top
five PC games with Diablo 3 selling over 10 million copies, and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.

The firm reiterated Mists of Pandaria sell-through numbers during its first week of availability, which was 2.7 million copies. The expansion was launched in China on October 2 which saw 1 million peak concurrent users, According to Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime.

World of Warcraft subscriptions were also up past 10 million, compared to the 9.1 million reported at the end of Q2 2012 in August.

Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure was the best-selling console and handheld game overall in dollars, including accessory packs and figures, in North America and Europe for the first nine months of 2012.

Activision's current release slate is as follows: November 13 - Black Ops 2 and Black Ops: Declassified; Wipeout 3 releases on November 18, and Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse on November 20.

“As we look to 2013, we are cautious about business prospects given a continually challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition and very difficult year-over-year comparables due to Blizzard’s record-shattering Diablo 3 sales in 2012," Kotick added.

"Expect that over the long-term, we will maintain our leadership position as the world’s leading interactive entertainment company by delivering great games to audiences around the world.”

A call to investors is occurring now, so check back periodically for updates.

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