Like fellow AAA game publisher/developer EA, Activision Blizzard also beat the Street in the first three months of 2014, with earnings per share of 19 cents and non-GAAP net revenue of $772 million, versus the analyst-expected 10 cents EPS and $688 million in revenue. Unlike EA, though, subscriptions and other forms of digital revenue rose year over year to $527 million, a 23 percent increase. That growth, however, was overshadowed by a 47 percent plummet in retail revenue, from $324 million to $172 million. Despite the launch of a new Call of Duty game late last year, console revenue was down 40 percent year over year to $150 million.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via
