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Mobile games drive Activision Blizzard revenue

Record performance from King as console and esports revenue dwindles

Mobile games drive Activision Blizzard revenue

Activision Blizzard’s mobile success in 2021, including record performance from King, has helped support the company’s underwhelming console and PC success, leading to higher net revenues in 2021 compared to 2020, according to the company's earning report.

For 2021, Activision Blizzard’s net revenue was $8.80 billion, compared with $8.09 billion for 2020.

At year end, ‘mobile and ancillary’ – which includes revenue from mobile devices and standalone sales of physical merchandising – accounted for $3.1 billion of revenue, around 36 per cent of total revenue: a significant increase from the company’s 2020 mobile performance, which reached $2.5 billion.

However, Activision Blizzard fell beneath overall projections for Q4 2021, reaching $2.1 billion – a fall from $2.4 billion in the equivalent period in 2020. Mobile and ancillary accounted for $388 million, around 39 per cent.

Mobile mastery

Activision Blizzard’s earnings report states: “Fourth quarter net bookings were below our prior outlook, primarily due to lower than expected performance in the Activision segment, which offset record performance at King.”

As a result, “Activision Blizzard’s mobile net bookings grew 18 per cent year-over-year and represented 33 per cent of total net bookings in the fourth quarter”.

King’s in-game net bookings reportedly increased 14 per cent year-on-year, specifically driven by 20 per cent year-on-year growth of Candy Crush. King’s advertising revenue also increased by “over 60 per cent” in 2021.

Call of Duty Mobile net bookings also increased, with worldwide consumer spending exceeding $1 billion, and principally attributed to the title’s success in China.

No unknown details regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard were detailed in the earnings report.

This success has also been witnessed by EA, experiencing the highest bookings during Q4 2021 in the company’s history. However, Nintendo’s mobile revenue fell throughout 2021.


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Former editor of PocketGamer.biz, Khai can also be found on Vice, Star Trek, and in numerous scientific journals and publications.