http://www.trefis.com/stock/atvi/articles/184969/activision-blizzard-preview-beating-the-industrys-slump-handily/2013-05-06
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) is expected to report earnings for the first quarter of 2013 Wednesday, May 8. [1] Successful franchises like Call of Duty and Skylanders helped the company beat the industry wide sales decline in the fourth quarter of 2012. Activision reported a 25% year-on-year increase in revenues for the three months ending December. In contrast, video game sales for the entire industry plunged 22% during the holiday period. [2] Results were buoyed by Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which was the highest selling game worldwide in 2012. [3]
The Black Ops II phenomena has shown no signs of slowing down. The game remained on the charts for the first three months of 2013, both in the U.S. and worldwide. We expect the company to deliver another solid quarter, staying ahead of the industry slow down.
Showing posts with label activision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activision. Show all posts
Monday, 6 May 2013
Monday, 3 December 2012
Lesson 20 - Games Distribution
Task 1 - Distributors for our case study games?
Read the following MCV article on Distribution ie. How the game gets from the manufacturer to the consumer. Games distribution special
After reading this, research the following facts: (click to read beyond the cut)
Read the following MCV article on Distribution ie. How the game gets from the manufacturer to the consumer. Games distribution special
After reading this, research the following facts: (click to read beyond the cut)
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores
Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores.
Special areas can be found in HMV's Oxford Street, Manchester and Glasgow branches. Each area will feature a variety of Skylanders products (including licensed cards, puzzles, wallets, bags and badges), character art, artificial grass and dedicated games stations.
GTA Shipments hit 125m as "special" series continues to grow
And that’s why the industry gets excited, sits up and pays attention when the words ‘Grand Theft Auto’ are uttered.
*Read beyond the cut for Take-Two's boss comparing Rockstar's GTA products with Activision (And COD/Black Ops) - it's like they are doing our work for us - An essential read!!*
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Black Ops 2 breaks pre-order record
A lot of people ordered the latest Call of Duty before it even came out.
Ever since the crazy astronomical numbers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in which the game sold more than 7 million copies on November 11, 2009, each iteration of the shooter franchise has performed better than the last.
Ever since the crazy astronomical numbers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in which the game sold more than 7 million copies on November 11, 2009, each iteration of the shooter franchise has performed better than the last.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Lesson 13 - Big business and the conglomerate
Videogames are big business - which is why some of the largest companies are including game companies in their product porfolios. You need to be aware of the bigger picture - aware of the huge conglomerates that overshadow the games industry.
Task 1:
Create a conglomerate map for Skylanders Giants - think of this as a hierarchy of the company. The output Skylanders game is on the bottom but there is a large multinational conglomerate on top. What companies are in between?
Task 2:
Create a conglomerate map for Grand Theft Auto 4 (or 5)
Homework for Thursday:
1.Ensure task 1 and 2 are completed for next lesson and fill any gaps in your Blogposts.
2. Read up on any GTA5 announcements that have been made in the last week
Further information on conglomerates can be found in the PowerPoint used this lesson - to be found after the cut.
Task 1:
Create a conglomerate map for Skylanders Giants - think of this as a hierarchy of the company. The output Skylanders game is on the bottom but there is a large multinational conglomerate on top. What companies are in between?
Task 2:
Create a conglomerate map for Grand Theft Auto 4 (or 5)
Homework for Thursday:
1.Ensure task 1 and 2 are completed for next lesson and fill any gaps in your Blogposts.
2. Read up on any GTA5 announcements that have been made in the last week
Further information on conglomerates can be found in the PowerPoint used this lesson - to be found after the cut.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
The main players in the games industry
The players
(Taken from The Media Student's Book, Fifth Edition by G. Branston & R. Stafford)
The majors include Sony, one of the studio conglomerates, via its Playstation, and Activision Blizzard (Skylanders / Guitar Hero / Call of Duty / Tony Hawk / Warcraft etc), the company formed from the game division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi and the software company Activision. Vivendi was briefly part of the studio major Vivendi-Universal.
Harmonix, creator of the Rock Band series is part of Viacom, so some games companies are linked to the media conglomerates.
Many independent games designers and publishers, many from the UK, have been gradually consolidated to produce major publishers like Square Enix (Japan), Ubisoft (France) and Electronic Arts and Take Two (USA).
To make a comparison in which the hardware factor is stripped out, most of these publishers have a turnover from games roughly equivalent to a major Hollywood studio take from cinema box office (ie. around $1.5 billion). According to Activision Blizzard, which has major strengths in online franchises, the combined European and North American market for gaming software in 2008 was $24 billion. There are undoubtededly parallels between films and games in terms of how the Japanese and American companies publish games that are then possibly distributed in certain territories by their rivals.
Definition
Conglomerates: Companies that are made up of separate divisions, each with distinct identities operating in different sectors of the market - and possibly different industries altogether. They are often formed through a process of 'mergers and acquisitions.' When this happens in a specific market or sector, it is termed consolidation.
Renowned industry analyst Nick Parker claims that the tipping point - the "'iTunes moment" - will occur in 2014 when the games industry might have some parity between digital distribution and retail.
(Taken from The Media Student's Book, Fifth Edition by G. Branston & R. Stafford)
The majors include Sony, one of the studio conglomerates, via its Playstation, and Activision Blizzard (Skylanders / Guitar Hero / Call of Duty / Tony Hawk / Warcraft etc), the company formed from the game division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi and the software company Activision. Vivendi was briefly part of the studio major Vivendi-Universal.
Harmonix, creator of the Rock Band series is part of Viacom, so some games companies are linked to the media conglomerates.
Many independent games designers and publishers, many from the UK, have been gradually consolidated to produce major publishers like Square Enix (Japan), Ubisoft (France) and Electronic Arts and Take Two (USA).
To make a comparison in which the hardware factor is stripped out, most of these publishers have a turnover from games roughly equivalent to a major Hollywood studio take from cinema box office (ie. around $1.5 billion). According to Activision Blizzard, which has major strengths in online franchises, the combined European and North American market for gaming software in 2008 was $24 billion. There are undoubtededly parallels between films and games in terms of how the Japanese and American companies publish games that are then possibly distributed in certain territories by their rivals.
Definition
Conglomerates: Companies that are made up of separate divisions, each with distinct identities operating in different sectors of the market - and possibly different industries altogether. They are often formed through a process of 'mergers and acquisitions.' When this happens in a specific market or sector, it is termed consolidation.
Renowned industry analyst Nick Parker claims that the tipping point - the "'iTunes moment" - will occur in 2014 when the games industry might have some parity between digital distribution and retail.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
How is Skylanders changing the way kids play games?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/figures-of-fun-how-skylanders-is-changing-the-way-children-play-7569021.html
In the Nintendo Store in midtown Manhattan a woman is asking if they have any Skylanders figurines. "Sorry ma'am, we're all out," comes the reply. "Not even under the till?" the customer pleads, "I know some stores are keeping them back."
After being patiently reassured that the $10 (£6.35) plastic toys aren't being stashed like contraband, she gives up, but not before explaining the struggle she's had getting them elsewhere.
So far, so annual toy fad – a tradition that dates back to queues for Christmas "must-haves" such as Buzz Lightyear, Furby and Tickle-Me Elmo. But, unlike the rest of the plastic delights on show at this year's New York Toy Fair, Skylanders are a bit different. Different because they combine two parents' pocket-straining items: the collectible plastic toy and the computer game. The game itself is a standard (but critically praised) platform game, written by Toy Story's Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It's available on all major consoles.
So far, so annual toy fad – a tradition that dates back to queues for Christmas "must-haves" such as Buzz Lightyear, Furby and Tickle-Me Elmo. But, unlike the rest of the plastic delights on show at this year's New York Toy Fair, Skylanders are a bit different. Different because they combine two parents' pocket-straining items: the collectible plastic toy and the computer game. The game itself is a standard (but critically praised) platform game, written by Toy Story's Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It's available on all major consoles.
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