Microtransactions aren’t about to end.
Activision Blizzard is one of the biggest gaming companies. The California-based organization is behind some popular licenses like Call of Duty, Devil, Overwatchor world of warcraft. If for years the core of Activision Blizzard activities was focused on PC gaming, this trend has shifted with the release of various mobile titles. The latest and most controversial one is Devil Immortal and its microtransactions.
“Do you guys not have phones?” When Blizzard developer Wyatt Cheng said this during BlizzCon 2018, gamers got their pitchforks out. But mobile games might become the new trend for Activision Blizzard, considering this is now the biggest source of revenue for the company.
The organization’s latest financial report reveals that during the second quarter of 2022, more than half of Activision Blizzard’s revenues came from mobile games. The company earned $332 million from PC in this period, and $376 million on combined console sales. Mobile gaming brought in more than PC and console combined, with over $831 million in revenue.
Last year, the revenues from mobile gaming were roughly the same as consoles – mobiles made $795 million, while consoles brought it $740 million. Consoles sold more last year than this one thanks to the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard. A new installment in this series will come out later in 2022, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II coming out on October 28.
While Activision’s 2022 catalog has been pretty thin on consoles, Devil Immortal turned into a cash machine for the company on mobile platforms. This free-to-play game became controversial among players because of its emphasis on micro-transactions. But if that didn’t make gamers happy, it seemed to have fulfilled its goal of bringing some money for Activision Blizzard.
Two months after its release, Devil Immortal surpassed $100 million in global player spending. Micro-transactions are everywhere, and some players even paid $100,000 to improve their character.
Last January, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for the whopping amount of $68.7 billion. If this purchase may change the controversial company culture, it seems unlikely Microsoft would turn down the immense profits that come from mobile gaming.
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