2021 a record for Activision, $ 5.1 billion from microtransactions alone

Activision Blizzard registered a new historical record of $ 5.1 billion in microtransactions and revenue from season tickets in 2021.

Despite a highly problematic situation for Activision Blizzard, at the center of numerous controversies and court cases after the serious accusations made last summer, 2021 was a year to remember for the American company looking at revenues, which it obviously hopes to replicate. in 2022 with the release of the next Call of Duty curated by Infinity Wardthe battle royale Warzone 2 and other notable titles.

2021 was Activision Blizzard’s best year ever. The company, which will be acquired by Microsoft in the coming months unless the Federal Trade Commission decides to the contrary, has reached all-time highs in terms of net revenues ($ 8.804 billion), operating profit ($ 3.62 billion) and a whopping $ 2.7 billion net profit.

The company generated a staggering $ 5.1 billion from in-game purchases through its live service titles, which include DLCs, World of Warcraft subscriptions and, of course, lootbox and cosmetic items. A big chunk of that figure comes from the Call of Duty franchise, which despite Vanguard’s poor performance, continues to grind revenue from Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, and Modern Warfare.

It’s not hard to understand why Microsoft took an interest in the company. The Redmond giant plans to grow its Xbox Game Pass service by expanding its catalog and offer, and the acquisition of Activision will allow it to have access to the large market for live service games and microtransactions.

An acquisition that will also make current CEO Bobby Kotick happy, whose resignation will bring a frighteningly high figure into his pocket.

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