MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Activision expects Destiny to be a record-breaking release when it arrives late this year. Speaking to investors last night, CEO Bobby Kotick said that the game has the potential to be Activision’s next billion dollar franchise”, adding that he expects Destiny will become the best selling new video game IP …
Read More »Activision Blizzard completes buyout from parent Vivendi
Publisher Activision Blizzard is free of its former parent Vivendi. After its plans for a buyout were initially blocked, the company announced this weekend that it had at last completed the transaction. To do so it had to acquire 429m shares and certain tax attributes” from Vivendi at a total …
Read More »Why do gamers hate on Activision? ‘Sometimes it’s fun to root against the biggest’
Success brings with it an inevitable problem – envy. And in these days of the internet and social media, this can manifest in a hostility that can at times be pretty unrelenting for the biggest companies in gaming. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg understands this, but also argues that it’s …
Read More »Activision remains ‘sceptical’ about new console business models
Free-to-play may be the current darling of many a games publisher, but don’t expect a dramatic shift in the way in which consumers pay for the next-generation of console games. With respect to new business models, I can’t comment specifically on the next-generation consoles,” Activision boss Bobby Kotick told investors …
Read More »Kotick: Beware the ides of the upcoming console transition
Activision has again beaten financial expectations, but that hasn’t stopped boss Bobby Kotick issuing a number of blunt warnings about the challenges ahead. There’s a certain irony in the fact that earlier this week EA reported weaker than expected results and then went on to hype up next-gen’s potential. Now …
Read More »Kotick interested in Activision MBO as Vivendi fails to find buyer
Vivendi’s failure to court interest in Activision could lead the way to a dramatic new outcome – an MBO spearheaded by boss Bobby Kotick. Activision has hired JP Morgan to advise on a possible buyout of Vivendi’s 60 per cent stake. The group would need to raise in the region …
Read More »Kotick speaks out on Tencent Call of Duty deal
The deal between Activision and Tencent to bring Call of Duty Online to China is the foundation” for a long relationship between the pair, boss Bobby Kotick has stated. "We are very excited about our relationship with Tencent and the opportunities for gaming in China," the Activision Blizzard CEO stated. …
Read More »Analyst: "Little risk of failure" for Old Republic
Bobby Kotick may have his doubts, but analysts are confident that Star Wars: The Old Republic is on course to attract millions of subscribers. Activision boss Kotick spoke out against the EA MMO earlier this week, claiming that George Lucas will be the only one to benefit from the game’s …
Read More »Activision predicts Skylanders shortage
Bobby Kotick has warned the markets to expect shortages of its innovative kids title Skylanders this Christmas. The game uses augmented reality technology to place real-life monster figurines into the game. This of course leads to a secondary trade in the figures for Activision. It is currently available on Xbox …
Read More »Kotick: Old Republic a win for George Lucas, not EA
Well, if nothing else EA can at least take this as proof that Activision is nervous about Star Wars: The Old Republic. EA’s upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic is seen by some as the first real contender to World of Warcraft’s subscription MMO crown. Not that Bobby Kotick agrees. …
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