In an investor release today, Activision Blizzard announced fourth quarter and 2013 calendar year earnings were better than anticipated.
"For the calendar year 2013, GAAP net revenues from digital channels were $1.56 billion and represented 34% of the company’s total revenues," said the release.
Activison Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said, "2013 was a transformational year for Activision Blizzard and for our industry. Our transaction with Vivendi returned us to independence and eliminated the challenges and constraints of being a controlled company. The continued success of our games delivered better-than-expected financial results."
In an earnings call to investors today, company representatives outlined their successes. They point the company's earnings being driven by two major franchises: Call of Duty and Skylanders, with the franchises having "4 of the top 10 best selling games in North America and Europe." As of December 31, 2013, World of Warcraft "remains the number one subscription-based MMORPG, with approximately 7.8 million subscribers," up from 7.6 million the year prior.
Looking to the future, Kotick has high hopes for Destiny. "We expect Bungie’s Destiny, an innovative shared-world, first-person action game to be Activision Publishing’s next billion-dollar franchise," he said. "We expect that Destiny will become the best-selling new video game IP in history."
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