Activision Blizzard, despite already experiencing financial success for the year, plans to do more to ensure that 2022 will be an even better one for the company.
(Photo : Illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
UKRAINE – 2021/03/11: In this photo illustration the stock market information of Activision Blizzard, Inc. displayed on a smartphone with the logo in the background.
The company just teased a so-called “significant step change” to drive future financial growth by next year, reports TweakTown. To start with, Activision Blizzard laid out several of their biggest upcoming games in the pipeline, though no official release windows were talked about. Armin Zerza, Activision Blizzard’s new Chief Financial Officer, states that the company is making great progress on its pipeline as of late.
This news comes after it was revealed that Activision Blizzard is reaping massive rewards from the success of its Call of Duty franchise. CoD has driven up overall revenues and stock price as said in a recent earnings call: profits increased 27% to USD $2.28 billion, with shares growing to around 6%. But obviously, the top brass is not just looking to rely on Call of Duty for the foreseeable future.
Read also: Blizzard Players Drop By 29% But Company Still Sees Rise In Sales: Why?
Classic Game Series Come Back to Life
To start with, Activision Blizzard is likely focusing a good amount of resources on the upcoming Burning Crusade Expansion remake for World of Warcraft, which is coming on June 1st. WoW has long been one of the original moneymakers for Blizzard Entertainment before the merger, and they’re expecting to lure back both old and new fans alike.
Aside from that, there’s also another classic franchise with a sequel in the works. Diablo 4, first announced for last-gen platforms during BlizzCon 2019, is among the titles in Activision Blizzard’s pipeline intended to help push the planned financial step change forward. It’s gotten a lot of people excited because the bigwigs are claiming the title is going to “push forward the RPG genre,” according to a report by ComicBook.com.
(Photo : Diablo website )
For Activision Blizzard’s claim to be true, then they need to make sure that Diablo 4 is not a last-gen exclusive. Make it available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, take advantage of the powerful hardware, and perhaps they’ll be able to put their money where their mouths are.
What About Overwatch 2?
Aside from the old reliable Diablo and WoW, Overwatch 2 is also a part of Activision Blizzard’s push towards a profitable 2022. The sequel to the massively popular team-based online shooter has been in the works for quite some time now, though it hit a bit of a snag when Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan recently left the company.
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PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 25: A figurine of the video game ” Overwatch developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment is displayed during the ‘Paris Games Week’ on October 25, 2018 in Paris, France. ‘Paris Games Week’ is an international trade fair for video games and runs from October 26 to 31, 2018. Pro during the ‘Paris Games Week’ on October 25, 2018 in Paris, France. ‘Paris Games Week’ is an international trade fair for video games and runs from October 26 to 31, 2018.
With a new director at the helm in Aaron Keller, fans are a little worried about how Overwatch 2 is going to turn out. Activision Blizzard has been characteristically mum about the game, aside from the gameplay reveal in November 2019. Back then, the developers showcased new co-op modes, as well as a story campaign-the first in the franchise-which will further explore Overwatch’s overarching narrative.
Only time will tell if Activision Blizzard will reveal more about their plans before 2021 ends.
Related: 12 Interesting Facts About Activision Blizzard That You Probably Didn’t Know
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Written by RJ Pierce
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