At an Analyst Day conference call event, Activision Blizzard president Bobby Kotick revealed that digital-only revenues at the company have reached $1.7 billion for the past 12 month period. Those numbers are a 22 percent increase over the $1.4 billion reached the previous year, and a 41 percent increase over the preceding period ending on June 2009.
"There are many ways to define industry leadership," said Kotick. "On relevant financial metrics, like operating margins, return on invested capital, and long-term shareholder value creation, we have few equals. And not just in games and entertainment, but throughout all industries. In fact, our 20-year record of delivering investor returns is among the best of all US public companies."
Call of Duty: Black Ops has sold 18 million map packs to its total userbase of 23 million. Modern Warfare 2 previously sold 11 million map packs over 19 million users, while World at War sold 9 million map packs with a total number of games sold also hitting 9 million. Overall, players now spend an average of $76 for each copy of Black Ops sold.
The Call of Duty brand also boasts 20 million monthly active users, with another 15 million being spread across Blizzard’s strong portfolio of titles.
"Digital revenues are associated with very high margins today, and we expect our digital revenues to continue to increase well into the future,” added Kotick. "The high margins generated from these subscribers and players gives us the resources to invest in our properties in ways that have rendered others chronically unprofitable."
