Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
Blizzard Entertainment Record Sales Boost Activision Blizzard Q2 Profits to $587M
Activision Blizzard reported strong financial performance for the second quarter of 2023, driven primarily by record-breaking sales within its Blizzard Entertainment segment.
- Activision Blizzard reported a net income of $587 million for Q2 2023, a 109.6% increase compared to $280 million in the same period of 2022.
- Total net revenue reached $2.21 billion, representing a 34.8% growth year-over-year from $1.64 billion.
- Blizzard Entertainment segment revenue surged 160% year-over-year to $1.05 billion, driven primarily by the launch of Diablo IV, which attracted over 10 million players in June.
The Other Shoe Drops: Sony Agrees to 10-Year Call of Duty Deal for PlayStation Platforms
In July 2023, Microsoft and Sony reached a binding 10-year agreement to maintain the availability of the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation platforms.
- Microsoft and Sony have signed a binding 10-year agreement to keep the Call of Duty franchise available on PlayStation consoles following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- This agreement removes the final major industry holdout, as Sony joins other platforms like Nintendo, Nvidia, and Valve in securing long-term access to the Call of Duty franchise.
- The deal represents a critical milestone for Microsoft's $69 billion USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard, significantly reducing the likelihood of successful opposition from global regulatory agencies.
Down. Not Out.: Regulators Pull Out All the Stops to Block the Activision Acquisition
This analysis examines the regulatory landscape surrounding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard following a pivotal U.S. District Court ruling.
- The U.S. District Court’s denial of the FTC’s request for a temporary injunction has significantly increased the probability of Microsoft successfully acquiring Activision Blizzard.
- Regulators failed to provide sufficient evidence that the merger would substantially reduce competition or that Microsoft possesses a financial incentive to make Call of Duty an exclusive title.
- Market confidence in further industry consolidation grew following the ruling, evidenced by rising stock prices for major publishers including Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive.
Microsoft Wins Quick Antitrust Battle
In July 2023, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled in favor of Microsoft, denying the U.S.
- In July 2023, a federal judge denied the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The court found no evidence that Microsoft intended to make the Call of Duty franchise exclusive to Xbox, citing the company's ten-year commitment to keep the title on PlayStation.
- The ruling was supported by an evidentiary record of nearly three million documents that contained no internal communications contradicting Microsoft’s public commitment to multi-platform availability.
Denied: FTC Loses Bid for Preliminary Injunction Against Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard
A federal judge has denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- A federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The court ruled that the FTC failed to demonstrate that the merger would likely lead to a substantial lessening of competition, noting that evidence suggested the deal would increase consumer access to content.
- While the ruling removes a major U.S. legal barrier, Microsoft must still resolve regulatory concerns in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Inside the Xbox Wars
The legal proceedings between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft represent a pivotal moment in the gaming industry, centering on the proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft became the subject of antitrust litigation initiated by the Federal Trade Commission to assess potential anticompetitive impacts.
- A central concern of the proceedings is whether Microsoft would restrict access to major franchises like Call of Duty to favor the Xbox platform over competitors such as Sony’s PlayStation.
- The litigation serves as a critical regulatory test for large-scale technology mergers and could establish a legal precedent for how future industry acquisitions are evaluated.
PlayStation's Top First-Party Games Now Cost >$200 Million to Make
Internal documents from the legal proceedings between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft have revealed significant financial data regarding Sony Interactive Entertainment’s first-party development costs and the commercial impact of the Call of Duty franchise on the PlayStation platform.
- Sony’s top-tier first-party titles now frequently exceed $200 million in development costs, with 'Horizon Forbidden West' costing $212 million and 'The Last of Us Part II' costing $220 million.
- The 'Call of Duty' franchise is a critical revenue pillar for PlayStation, generating $1.5 billion in worldwide consumer spending on the platform in 2021 alone.
- Over 43 million unique U.S. PlayStation users have played 'Call of Duty' since 2019, accounting for two-thirds of the platform's domestic user base.
What Are the Most Important Games on PlayStation
Analysis of a January 2023 YouGov survey commissioned by Microsoft provides insight into player behavior and brand loyalty within the European console market.
- Sony maintains a significant competitive advantage in brand loyalty, with 74% of PlayStation owners intending to stay with the brand for their next purchase compared to only 44% of Xbox owners.
- FIFA is the most influential title for console retention in Europe, with 6.4% of players stating they would switch platforms if the game were unavailable.
- Call of Duty and Fortnite are secondary drivers of platform loyalty, each influencing 3.1% of players to switch consoles if the titles were removed.
Nadella's Endgame: Spending $1.3 Million to Obtain a $69 Billion Asset
The Federal Trade Commission’s legal challenge against Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard faces significant hurdles due to a failure to account for the modern gaming landscape.
- The FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is hindered by a narrow market definition that overlooks the mobile sector, where the acquisition of King Digital would increase Microsoft’s market share from 0.3 percent to 3.8 percent.
- Regulatory arguments regarding the exclusivity of franchises like Call of Duty are challenged by evidence from Nintendo and Steam, which demonstrate that hardware and software ecosystems can remain competitive without such titles.
- Modern gaming’s shift toward free-to-play, live-service models creates long-term social environments that render traditional antitrust frameworks, designed for one-time consumption media like film, largely inapplicable.
Tencent Becomes Top Mobile Publisher by Consumer Spend Globally
The mobile market analytics firm data.ai has released its annual Top Publisher Awards, identifying the leading global mobile publishers based on consumer spending throughout 2022.
- Tencent maintained its position as the top global mobile publisher by consumer spend for the sixth consecutive year in 2022, driven by titles like Honor of Kings and mobile versions of PUBG and Call of Duty.
- ByteDance rose to the second position in global mobile publisher rankings, reflecting significant growth in consumer spending.
- Industry consolidation is actively reshaping the market, highlighted by Take-Two Interactive’s debut at number 15 following its acquisition of Zynga.
Sony’s Confidential PlayStation Secrets Just Spilled Because of a Sharpie
The inadvertent public disclosure of sensitive Sony Interactive Entertainment business data during the Federal Trade Commission’s legal challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has provided unprecedented insight into the financial mechanics of the modern gaming industry.
- Sony's confidential documents, unredacted due to a scanning error, revealed that "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Horizon Forbidden West" each cost over $200 million to develop.
- In 2021, approximately 1 million PlayStation users exclusively played "Call of Duty," while over 6 million spent more than 70% of their gaming time on the franchise.
- "Call of Duty" players spent an average of 116 hours per year on the game in 2021, with those dedicating over 70% of their time to it averaging 296 hours.
Who's Top of Steam Next Fest for June 2023?
Analysis of the June 2023 Steam Next Fest reveals a highly competitive landscape featuring approximately 1,000 PC game demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased titles tracked on the platform.
- The June 2023 Steam Next Fest featured approximately 1,000 demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased PC titles tracked on the platform.
- Core PC genres including colony sims, survival games, and roguelikes dominated the top-performing titles, with games like Viewfinder, Sea of Stars, Lies of P, and House Flipper 2 showing the strongest engagement.
- Diablo Immortal reached $500 million in cumulative mobile revenue, becoming the 15th fastest mobile title to achieve that milestone.
Companies behind it
Microsoftpublisher, owner, developer1,112- Activisionpublisher, developer526
Activision Blizzarddeveloper, publisher, owner426- Infinity Warddeveloper3
Enad Global 7 (EG7)publisher7
Nintendoowner1,430
Valvepublisher406
Overwolfowner28- Xbox Game Studiospublisher13
Electronic Artspublisher394
As the documents state it.