Activision Blizzard facts for kids
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Former Activision headquarters in Santa Monica, California
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| Subsidiary | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: ATVI (2008–2023) |
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessors |
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| Founded | July 9, 2008 |
| Headquarters |
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US
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| Products |
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| Revenue | US$7.53 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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US$1.67 billion (2022) |
| US$1.51 billion (2022) | |
| Total assets | US$27.4 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | US$19.2 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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17,000 (2023) |
| Parent | Vivendi (2008–2013) Microsoft Gaming (2023–present) |
| Divisions | Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group Activision Blizzard Esports Activision Blizzard Media |
| Subsidiaries |
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Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a big American company that makes and publishes video games. It is based in Santa Monica, California. This company owns many famous game studios.
Activision Blizzard was formed in July 2008. It was created when two large game companies, Activision and Vivendi Games, joined together. Today, it includes several main parts: Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, King, Major League Gaming, and Activision Blizzard Studios.
Some of the most popular games from Activision Blizzard are Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk's, Spyro, Skylanders, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, and Candy Crush Saga. The company has also invested a lot in esports, which are organized video game competitions.
In 2023, Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard. It is now part of Microsoft Gaming, alongside Xbox Game Studios.
Contents
How Activision Blizzard Started and Grew
Joining Forces: Activision and Vivendi Games (2007–2008)
The original Activision company began in 1979. It made games for the Atari Video Computer System. After some tough times, Bobby Kotick and other investors bought the company in 1991. They moved it to Santa Monica, California. Activision then grew by buying about 25 other game studios. This led to many successful game series like Tony Hawk's and Call of Duty.
Around 2006, online multiplayer games, known as MMOs, became very popular. These games, like World of Warcraft, brought in steady money. Activision didn't have a big MMO game. So, Bobby Kotick talked to Vivendi, a large French media company. Vivendi owned Blizzard Entertainment, which made World of Warcraft.
Kotick wanted to work with Blizzard. Vivendi's CEO, Jean-Bernard Lévy, suggested merging Vivendi Games with Activision. Vivendi would own most of the new company. Kotick agreed, seeing it as a way to enter the growing game market in China.
The merger was approved in 2008. The new company was named Activision Blizzard. Its main office stayed in California. Bobby Kotick became the new CEO. Vivendi owned 54% of the company. Other parts of Vivendi Games, like Sierra Entertainment, stopped operating. However, some of Sierra's games, such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, were kept by Activision.
New Games and Big Sales Records (2009–2012)
In 2010, Activision Blizzard became the world's largest video game publisher. Their games started breaking sales records.
- In 2011, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made $400 million in its first day in the US and UK. This made it the biggest entertainment launch ever at the time.
- This was the third year in a row a Call of Duty game broke the launch record. Call of Duty: Black Ops made $360 million on day one in 2010. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made $310 million in 2009.
- Later, Call of Duty: Black Ops III made $550 million worldwide in its opening weekend in 2015.
In 2011, Activision Blizzard also launched its Skylanders series. This series became famous for creating the "toys-to-life" game style. In these games, real-life toys connect to the game. The first game, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, was nominated for "Game of the Year".
Becoming Independent and Growing (2013–2014)
On July 25, 2013, Activision Blizzard bought back many shares from Vivendi. This made Vivendi no longer the main owner. Activision Blizzard became an independent company. Bobby Kotick remained the CEO.
In 2014, Activision Blizzard released a new game called Destiny. It made over $500 million in sales on its first day. This set a record for the biggest first-day launch of a brand-new game series. Also, Call of Duty: Ghosts was released in 2013 and sold $1 billion to stores on its first day. By 2014, Activision Blizzard was one of the top five gaming companies in the world by revenue.
Joining Big Indexes and New Divisions (2015–2021)
Activision Blizzard joined the S&P 500 stock index in August 2015. This is a list of 500 large US companies. They were one of only two gaming companies on the list.
In September 2015, they released a new Skylanders game. It added vehicles to the "toys to life" idea. Also, Destiny: The Taken King broke records for downloads on PlayStation.
In November 2015, Activision Blizzard bought King. King is the company that made the popular mobile game Candy Crush Saga. This was a big step into mobile gaming.
The company also started Activision Blizzard Studios in 2015. This new part of the company creates movies and TV shows based on Activision Blizzard's games. In 2017, Activision Blizzard joined the Fortune 500 list. This list includes the 500 largest US companies by total revenue.
In 2019, the company made some changes. They let go of about 8% of their staff in non-game development roles. This was to focus more on game development and key games like Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Warcraft, Diablo, and Hearthstone.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, more people played online games. This helped Activision Blizzard's online sales grow a lot. By January 2021, the company's value was estimated at $72 billion.
Workplace Changes and Microsoft Acquisition (2021–Present)
In 2021, the company faced a lawsuit about its workplace culture. The lawsuit claimed there were issues with fairness for employees. Activision Blizzard later reached a $54 million agreement in December 2023 to resolve these claims. The company has stated its commitment to improving its workplace for everyone.
On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced it would buy Activision Blizzard. This was a huge deal, worth $68.7 billion. It would make Microsoft one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. The deal was approved by many countries. It was completed on October 13, 2023.
After the acquisition, Bobby Kotick stepped down as CEO at the end of 2023. Activision Blizzard is now a part of Microsoft Gaming.
Games
- List of Activision video games
- List of Blizzard Entertainment games
- List of King games
How Activision Blizzard is Organized
Activision Blizzard has three main business parts:
- Activision Publishing: This part handles making, producing, and selling video games from its studios. It also manages the Call of Duty League.
- Blizzard Entertainment: This part makes, produces, and sells Blizzard's games. It also runs Battle.net, organizes BlizzCon, and handles the company's esports activities like MLG and the Overwatch League.
- King: This part makes and sells its mobile games, like Candy Crush Saga.
There are also other parts, like Activision Blizzard Studios. This group creates movies and TV shows based on the company's games.
Esports Initiatives
Activision Blizzard owns popular game series like Call of Duty and StarCraft. These games are very popular in esports, which are professional video game competitions.
In 2015, Activision Blizzard created a new esports division. They also bought Major League Gaming (MLG) in 2016. MLG is a well-known esports organization. This helped Activision Blizzard grow its presence in the world of competitive gaming.
In November 2016, Blizzard Entertainment launched the Overwatch League. This is a professional league for the game Overwatch. It's set up like traditional sports leagues, with teams owned by people who also own sports teams. The first season started in 2017 with 12 teams.
The first Overwatch Grand Finals in 2018 had 10.8 million viewers worldwide. Activision Blizzard also made deals with companies like ESPN and Google to stream its esports events. This helped more people watch their competitions.
Call of Duty Endowment
Since 2009, Activision Blizzard has run the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE). This program helps military veterans find good jobs after their service. By 2013, CODE started a "Seal of Distinction" program. This program gives money to non-profit groups that successfully help veterans find jobs.
The goal of CODE is to help 100,000 veterans in the US and UK find high-quality jobs by 2024. The program helps soldiers move into civilian careers. It does this by funding non-profit groups and showing how valuable veterans are in the workplace.
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See Also
In Spanish: Activision Blizzard para niños
- Lists of video game companies
- List of video game publishers
