Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

[Feb 07, 2013, 9:30 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

Activision Blizzard announces Fourth Quarter and Calendar Year 2012 Results, showing a better-than-expected outcome, showing record GAAP net revenues of $4.86 billion and record GAAP earnings per diluted share of $1.01 for the year. "We are very pleased to report that Activision Blizzard delivered the best performance in its history," says Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer, Activision Blizzard. "With better-than-expected net revenues, record operating margins and record earnings, and over $1.3 billion in operating cash flow, we continue to set the industry success bar. I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success." Strategy Informer reports that during the company's post-earnings conference call, two projects they are currently developing were mentioned: Blizzard All-Stars, the upcoming MOBA, and an unannounced MMOG, which should be officially unveiled at some point this year. It's not clear if this MMOG is the confirmed (but unannounced) Titan or one of the "lots of projects" that they aren't talking about.

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20.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 15:20

Fibrocyte

jdreyer wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 13:50: Jivaro wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 12:17: Here is the salary chart. Decide for yourself. Glassdoor is known for being slightly above the reality when it comes to large corporations and slightly below the reality with smaller companies, so don't take this info as fact. More like ballpark numbers. I don't think it's the salaries necessarily, but the hours. If you make the guys work 60-70 hours per week with no OT, then a 100K salary is only 66K, and you're saving all that money not having to hire x number more people at 100K per year. Sure - long development hours on a salary can suck but that is not unique to this company at all. That is the norm in the business - even for enterprise software development.

19.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 14:39

Dev

Fibrocyte wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 12:10: You basically bashed them for slave driving and not paying employees appropriately. What I am asking for is the proof that this is happening today. Feel free to cite your sources when you're done un-bunching your panties from your last response. I cited 2 sources for one of the bits you are quibbling with, namely "They have his thanks but not his money." You can google for the links, they aren't hard to find. One of them is even linked in this blurb from blues at the top of this page.

18.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 14:15

Jivaro

jdreyer wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 13:50: Jivaro wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 12:17: Here is the salary chart. Decide for yourself. Glassdoor is known for being slightly above the reality when it comes to large corporations and slightly below the reality with smaller companies, so don't take this info as fact. More like ballpark numbers. I don't think it's the salaries necessarily, but the hours. If you make the guys work 60-70 hours per week with no OT, then a 100K salary is only 66K, and you're saving all that money not having to hire x number more people at 100K per year. That is a fair point. Without "hours worked" listed it is a hard point to address from outside the company.

17.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 13:50

jdreyer

Jivaro wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 12:17:
Here is the salary chart. Decide for yourself. Glassdoor is known for being slightly above the reality when it comes to large corporations and slightly below the reality with smaller companies, so don't take this info as fact. More like ballpark numbers.

I don't think it's the salaries necessarily, but the hours. If you make the guys work 60-70 hours per week with no OT, then a 100K salary is only 66K, and you're saving all that money not having to hire x number more people at 100K per year.




Stay a while, and listen.

16.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 12:17

Jivaro

Here is the salary chart. Decide for yourself. Glassdoor is known for being slightly above the reality when it comes to large corporations and slightly below the reality with smaller companies, so don't take this info as fact. More like ballpark numbers.

15.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 12:10

Fibrocyte

Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 08:23: Fibrocyte wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 05:49: Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 03:29: Record operating margins? We're slave driving like never before! "I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success." They have his thanks but not his money. You know both of these things for a fact or you're just spewing jealous venom? Why would I be jealous of working for someone like Kodick? Are you fucking high? You know how you increase operating margins? You lower costs. You know where most of your costs are? Employees. And how do you do that? Worker them harder and pay them less. Recessions are a dream economy for guys like Kodick knowing they have their employees by the balls. Why do you think they fired IW? They knew they could get other people to do it for a 1/4 of what they were paying them. Am I jealous of that? Dude, take a fucking reality pill. Unless you mean am I jealous of Kodick and making monster bank like he does? No, I'm not. I could have easily been a broker or a banker - it runs in the family - but I have a conscience and I don't like fucking other people over so I can profit solely for myself. So really, either way, no not jealous in the least. What I feel for the rank and file at Actiblizz is pity. You basically bashed them for slave driving and not paying employees appropriately. What I am asking for is the proof that this is happening today. Feel free to cite your sources when you're done un-bunching your panties from your last response.

14.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 10:11

Ceribaen

wtf_man wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 09:26: I still don't get the WoW addiction. I've played many MMOs that I thought were better (and held my attention for a year or two), and after getting to the mid levels in WoW within a couple of months... looking for the addiction that everyone else seems to find... I just couldn't stand it anymore, quit, and never looked back. It has to be one of the dullest MMO's I've ever played, and I don't know why... because it's not that far off the typical MMO designs from games I've played that I felt were superior. /shrug WoW is basically the ideal 'carrot on a stick' design mmo. They give enough mini achievements to keep you satisified while having enough major achievements just out of reach to keep you striving for them. It's why when people finally do quit WoW... I don't think any of them (myself included) don't have some bitterness towards the game and how much time it sucked away from you. Meanwhile DAoC, or even EQ to an extent get remembered fondly. They didn't make it seem like they were something that they weren't. Newer MMOs emulate more the WoW design - but people are aware of what it's doing now, so easier to get in and out of the cycle without being fully sucked in.

13.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 09:26

wtf_man

I still don't get the WoW addiction. I've played many MMOs that I thought were better (and held my attention for a year or two), and after getting to the mid levels in WoW within a couple of months... looking for the addiction that everyone else seems to find... I just couldn't stand it anymore, quit, and never looked back.

It has to be one of the dullest MMO's I've ever played, and I don't know why... because it's not that far off the typical MMO designs from games I've played that I felt were superior.

/shrug




"Did you even read cutters post or are you just suffering from rectal cranial inversion." - RedEye9

12.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 08:36

fawker

I wonder how many pay-cuts, layoffs, and terminations helped bolster these numbers.

11.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 08:35

Ozmodan

Too little to late will be the story of Blizzard's MMOG. It is just a passing fancy and the genre's popularity will wane. Hope they don't expect to make alot of money from it.

10.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 08:23

Cutter

Fibrocyte wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 05:49:
Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 03:29:
Record operating margins? We're slave driving like never before!

"I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success."

They have his thanks but not his money.

You know both of these things for a fact or you're just spewing jealous venom?

Why would I be jealous of working for someone like Kodick? Are you fucking high?

You know how you increase operating margins? You lower costs. You know where most of your costs are? Employees. And how do you do that? Worker them harder and pay them less. Recessions are a dream economy for guys like Kodick knowing they have their employees by the balls.

Why do you think they fired IW? They knew they could get other people to do it for a 1/4 of what they were paying them.

Am I jealous of that? Dude, take a fucking reality pill. Unless you mean am I jealous of Kodick and making monster bank like he does? No, I'm not. I could have easily been a broker or a banker - it runs in the family - but I have a conscience and I don't like fucking other people over so I can profit solely for myself. So really, either way, no not jealous in the least. What I feel for the rank and file at Actiblizz is pity.




You've got to be cruel to be kind...in the right measure.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 06:54

Dev

Fibrocyte wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 05:49: Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 03:29: Record operating margins? We're slave driving like never before! "I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success." They have his thanks but not his money. You know both of these things for a fact or you're just spewing jealous venom? Aren't profits AFTER employees are paid? So thats an obvious fact (at least the latter). And don't forget all those employees who sued for unpaid wages relating to CoD bonuses. As for the former, I have no idea if they are slave driving or not. But software industry in general tends to have horrific hours, often without overtime pay.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 05:50

Fibrocyte

I'm interested to know what their next MMO will be like. Say what you will about WoW, it is still the best released MMO today (even though it can't hold my attention anymore). EoS might trump it, but that's a ways off.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 05:49

Fibrocyte

Cutter wrote on Feb 8, 2013, 03:29: Record operating margins? We're slave driving like never before! "I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success." They have his thanks but not his money. You know both of these things for a fact or you're just spewing jealous venom?

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 03:52

InBlack

I wish I could say that this makes me happy but basically it just pisses me off. Blizzard is catering for the lowest common denominator and obviously with their focus now on making the biggest $$$ instead of making the best game I have zero interest their upcoming releases.
Activision was relevant back in the day when they produced games "inhouse", Mechwarrior2, Interstate76 and others come to mind, I was likewise dissapointed in their subsequent turn towards the almighty $$$ but I guess thats the world we live in....




I have a nifty blue line!

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 8, 2013, 03:29

Cutter

Record operating margins? We're slave driving like never before!

"I would like to thank our incredibly talented employees around the world for their passion, drive and creativity, which continues to fuel our success."

They have his thanks but not his money.




You've got to be cruel to be kind...in the right measure.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 7, 2013, 22:45

jdreyer

Optional Nickname! wrote on Feb 7, 2013, 21:19:
Googling Bobby Kotick and Sara Lee produce no hits, other searches also have no hits. Was he not Sara Lee CEO (a now defunct company)
for a time?

He's been with Activision since '91. He's only ever worked in games.




Stay a while, and listen.

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 7, 2013, 22:09

Pete

Even though I am no longer a fan of Blizzard, I am happy for their success.




Doin' it Big

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 7, 2013, 21:19

Optional Nickname!

Googling Bobby Kotick and Sara Lee produce no hits, other searches also have no hits. Was he not Sara Lee CEO (a now defunct company) for a time?

Re: Activision/Blizzard Reveals Profits, Unannounced MMOG

Feb 7, 2013, 20:52

Dev

nm, mixed up one unremarkable shooter franchise with another unremarkable shooter franchise. This comment was edited on Feb 7, 2013, 21:12.

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