SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), today announced that Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare is the biggest entertainment launch of the year, besting not only all other video games, but also the biggest movies, music and books launched in 2014.
“Since Activision created the Call of Duty franchise in 2003, franchise revenues have exceeded $10 billion in sales worldwide, far exceeding box office receipts for such household movie franchises as Hunger Games, Transformers, Iron Man and Avengers, combined,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “Advanced Warfare is the biggest entertainment launch of 2014 in terms of revenue, surpassing all movie, music and book launches this year.”
“We poured our hearts into making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare an epic ride, and we are pleased with the performance,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Sales and engagement are up through the first week compared to last year. Season Pass sales are up, as well. The game has been very positively reviewed and the response from fans has been tremendous. We believe Advanced Warfare will be the most successful game of the year and we thank our fans for making it the biggest entertainment launch of the year.”
Activision also confirmed that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the highest-selling digital launch in console history according to Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and internal Activision estimates.
Engagement for Sledgehammer Games’ newest entry to the franchise is based on statistics from the first week after launch according to internal estimates, with gamers playing more than 370 million online matches in its first week of release, and leveling up over 200 million times in Advanced Warfare online multiplayer mode.
As a reminder, Xbox gamers who purchased a digital copy, can upgrade their Xbox 360 version to Xbox One for free, as well as PlayStation 3 players, who also purchased digitally, can upgrade to PlayStation 4 for free. This offer for full-game free upgrade within console family is limited to purchases of Xbox 360 and PS3 digital versions made by March 31, 2015, and does not apply to physical game copies. Additionally, all multiplayer stats, and all DLC purchased for in-game use, including Season Pass, transfer for free within console family, as long as players' Xbox Gamertag or PSN ID remains the same.
Biggest entertainment launch of the year is based on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare retail and digital sell-through, and reported movie, music, and book gross sales, each for the first week following initial launch, according to publicly-available data, retail customer sell-through information, and internal Activision estimates. Sales increase of Advanced Warfare versus last year is based on sell-through in week after initial launch.
The title is rated M for Mature with Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language. For the latest intel, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.facebook.com/callofduty, www.youtube.com/callofduty or follow @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, and CALL OF DUTY ADVANCED WARFARE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
