Feature: Activision's Rise to Glory

Up, up and away!

In light of Activision's second quarter fiscal results, in which the publishing giant posted net revenues of more than $1 billion, we decided to take a look back at Activision's incredible rise to power. The publisher has been around for a very long time (since 1979), but it wasn't until the early '90s when Bobby Kotick took over that things really started to change.  

The last 10 years in particular have been hugely impressive. Like a rodent just slowly gnawing away at the side of your house, Activision slowly made advances every year in the marketplace. They've had nothing but consecutive years of revenue growth. Before you knew it, a decade has passed and Activision nearly increased its sales tenfold. Moreover, the company now has almost $3 billion in cash at its disposal.  

In 2005, the publisher finally passed the billion dollar mark for annual revenues. Today, Activision can do those sales numbers in a single quarter (as they just did). It's been an incredible rise. 

On the following pages we outline Activision's sales and income growth from fiscal 1998-2008 and point to some key events.