Infinity Ward has largely moved on, but Activision still has high expectations for the Call of Duty brand. In today’s investment call, CEO Bobby Kotick said that the title represents “the biggest investment that we’ve ever made in the launch of a title.”
Kotick cited Call of Duty’s “incredibly broad appeal” as the main reason to throw the full weight of their resources behind the title. The Treyarch-developed shooter will also be competing directly against EA’s Medal of Honor revival, which is also due this fall.
“There’s a lot of competition,” Kotick acknowledged, “and this is something that we think has the potential to break through and appeal to a much broader consumer base than ever before.”
In the meantime, Activision’s revenues continue to rise. The publisher recorded a 12 percent year-over-year increase in profits, netting $219 million. Total revenue dipped seven percent to $967 million, but a boost in online revenue helped raise the publisher’s profit margins.
Call of Duty continues to be one of the publisher’s top performers, thanks at least in part to the 20 million units of DLC that has been sold across the franchise. World of WarCraft and its massive subscriber base also provides an important revenue stream.
Going into the third quarter, Activision can look forward to profits from the recently-released StarCraft II, which sold 1.5 million units in its first 48 hours on the market. DJ Hero 2 and the latest World of WarCraft expansion are also due this fall.
