Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 propels revenue, profit for Activision Blizzard

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Activision Blizzard Inc., still smoldering from the momentum of the red-hot launch last year of its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game, on Thursday reported that profit doubled and revenue shot up 33% its first quarter.

The Santa Monica game publisher posted earnings of $381 million, or 30 cents a share, on sales of $1.3 billion in the quarter ended March 31. That compares with net income of $189 million, or 14 cents, on revenue of $981 million a year earlier.

‘The results definitely speak for themselves,’ Activision Chief Executive Robert Kotick said in an interview. ‘Our key franchises are performing.’

Top among Activision’s properties is Call of Duty. The latest title in the series, Modern Warfare 2, has generated an estimated $1.3 billion in sales worldwide, making it the bestselling independently produced console game of all time.

An add-on game for the game, titled Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package, sold 1 million copies on March 30, the day it was released for download on Xbox Live. At $15 a pop, the release generated about $10.5 million for Activision in a single day, net of a 30% cut that Microsoft Corp. typically takes for games downloaded from its Xbox Live online platform.

-- Alex Pham

Screen shot from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Credit: Activision Blizzard.