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Activision hires ex-Microsoft CFO Dennis Durkin
Dennis Durkin may not be a name you recognize, but for 12 years he's worked in the belly of the beast that is Microsoft as corporate VP, COO and CFO of the company's Interactive Entertainment Business. The last few years he's worked specifically in the games division. Today, Activision has snatched Durkin up, Microsoft has announced. Mitchell Koch, currently Microsoft's VP of worldwide sales and marketing, will succeed Durkin effective March 19.Dennis Durkin will report directly to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick as the company's chief financial officer, overseeing all finances for the publisher. Thomas Tippl has served as interim CFO since 2010, when he was bumped up to COO.
Activision: At least two Blizzard titles coming in 2012, if none released this year
Speaking during a financial earnings call today, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said that if we don't see any games from Blizzard this year, the publisher expects to see them next year. "Because Blizzard Entertainment has not yet confirmed the launch date for its next global release," Tippl told investors and press, "our outlook at this time does not include a new game from Blizzard in 2011." But don't worry, Blizzard fans, Activision's got a whip it's not afraid to crack: "Should we not release a major title from Blizzard this year, we would expect for planning purposes to launch a minimum of two Blizzard titles in 2012." Presumably, those two titles would be Heart of the Swarm (the Zerg-based expansion for Starcraft 2) and the long-awaited Diablo 3. Blizzard president Mike Morhaime joined the call after Tippl spoke and promised that more information was coming about both. Blizzard's developers, he said, are hard at work on Heart of the Swarm, and we'll hear more "in the coming months." Additionally, Morhaime said that he would talk about Diablo 3 "and the upcoming beta on the next call," in about three months. "Until we get to beta and have the community help us test the game," he later said, "we're not going to lock in a release date." Blizzard is also working to get both World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Starcraft 2 out in China, but had "no specific updates to share at this time" about those releases -- or the "Titan" MMO, for that matter. Morhaime did plug both the upcoming BlizzCon and Blizzard's twentieth anniversary this year, and closed by saying that "the games we have in the pipeline represent the best and widest slate of games we have ever produced."
Call of Duty DLC to be Activision's 'largest digital offering ever'
Activision's CFO Thomas Tippl has promised at an industry conference in New York that 2011 will bring the company's "largest digital offering ever" in the form of DLC for the Call of Duty franchise. Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg made a similar statement last week, saying that Activision would offer "the Call of Duty community our largest line of an exciting new digital content ever." That could just be lots of new maps and content packs to download, or it could finally be the long-rumored subscription-based service Activision reportedly wants to put in place. Either way, if you were one of the many, many people who shelled out $60 for Call of Duty: Black Ops earlier this week, Activision says not to put your wallet away just yet -- it's got some other offers coming soon that you might want to take advantage of.
Activision taking a wait-and-see approach to Kinect / Move, 'concerned' about high prices
To hear Microsoft and Sony tell it, you'd think that there's no question that Kinect and Playstation Move will each become as integral to their respective consoles as a regular controller is. But not every game publisher is hopping on board just yet, and Activision is now publicly voicing some skepticism about the motion controllers. Speaking to Gamasutra last week, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said that he is "absolutely" concerned about what he considers high price points for the devices, and as a result he says that Activision will "have to see how much of an install base they're going to develop." Tippl further goes on to say that Activision has "few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player," and that he doesn't see it as "something that will be in every game, because I don't think it's one size fits all. It's not going to enhance the experience for every game." He does ultimately leave it in the hands of consumers, however, so if Kinect sells, we could well finally get a proper Air Guitar Hero game.
Activision not fully supporting Move/Kinect, wary of high prices
Wondering why we didn't see a Kinect version of Guitar Hero or a Move-enabled Call of Duty at E3? COO Thomas Tippl told Gamasutra it's because Activision is hesitant to dive into the motion market, mostly due to the high price point of Move and expected high price of Microsoft's Kinect. "I think as a publisher, you have to be concerned about how the price drives a lot of the outcome of how big of an install base there's going to be," he said. "The bigger the install base, the more likely that you can make sense out of your investment. So, the lower the price, the better. In this economic environment, it's probably more important than ever." He makes a solid point: a lot of the driving power (not all) behind Nintendo's Wii has been its low price point, which many feel has helped sell the idea of motion-based gaming to the mainstream -- the exact audience both Microsoft and Sony are trying to captivate with their new motion control tech. Tippl also added that, while this new tech affords interesting new opportunities for developers and third-party publishers, it's not an experience suited for every type of game, yet he feels it could benefit some of Activision's brands. "We have a few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player. Tony Hawk is an example. We have our Rapala Fishing franchise. But it's not going to be something that will be in every game, because I don't think it's one size fits all. It's not going to enhance the experience for every game."
Activision to fund costs of Bungie project, which will occupy nearly 200 staff
Reporting today on first quarter 2010 earnings, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick devoted some airtime to the publisher's ten-year "alliance" with Bungie. Speaking to investors during a conference call, Kotick described Bungie's new IP for Activision, which is in pre-production, as "unlike anything audiences have ever seen before." He added, "Bungie will have almost 200 people working on the project, and they're excited to have their products available on multiple platforms in many countries around the world." Later in the call, COO Thomas Tippl declined to give specific financial details about the parternship, but said, "there was no upfront payment provided." Tippl confirmed that "Activision will be funding the development expenses," and later concluded: "We expect that, as of the first release, the deal will be accretive to Activision's operating margin every year of the alliance." To put that in Kotick terms: "So, reaching these new larger audiences will be both creatively satisfying and financially rewarding for Bungie and Acivision Blizzard shareholders."
Halo developer Bungie enters 10-year partnership with Activision
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder at Activision. Bungie has just announced that it has entered into a ten-year publishing agreement with Activision, which will receive exclusive, worldwide rights to publish all games based on Bungie's "next big action game universe." The deal also notes that Activision will have the rights to publish said games on "multiple platforms and devices," meaning Bungie's longstanding Xbox exclusivity may come to an end. Furthermore, the agreement specifies that Bungie will remain an independent company and will retain all rights to its intellectual property. Bungie president Harold Ryan notes that the two companies have been working on the deal "over the past nine months." The specificity of the agreement is noteworthy, especially that Activision only has rights to publish games based on Bungie's new intellectual property -- its "next big action game universe," whatever that may be. The fact that Bungie will retain ownership of its IP is particularly interesting, especially in light of the widening rift between Activision and Infinity Ward. When Bungie famously split with Microsoft in 2007, it was assumed Microsoft would retain first right of refusal on any future Bungie projects. It's unclear why (or if) Microsoft refused Bungie's latest project, though the company's apparent multiplatform ambitions would provide a likely explanation -- that is, assuming Bungie doesn't have more than one project in the pipeline. Update: Added commentary from Activision's Thomas Tippl and Bungie's Harold Ryan after the break.
Activision exec Thomas Tippl speaks out on current Infinity Ward conditions
Ever since the private relationship between the ex-Infinity Ward heads and Activision management broke down and became a publicly debated matter (through two lawsuits), the state of affairs at IW have been up in the air. Various reports from "sources close to the studio" have arisen at Kotaku, with one alleged insider calling the studio "dead" and another giving a far less grim report. Activision execs, however, have been fairly quiet on the situation -- that is, until now: Chief Operating and Financial Officer Thomas Tippl spoke with the LA Times Company Town blog this week, saying that the development house "still has nearly 100 people," he claims. "They've built a deep bench, and the change of guard will provide an opportunity for some of the rising stars to put their own stamp on the Call of Duty franchise." Further, he refutes charges that his company has been anything other than good to its studios. "We treat our developers extremely well," Tippl stated. He contineud that Activision's "independent studio model" allows developers "a lot of creative freedom while we take care of the back office stuff." Whatever the internal issues are, he reconfirmed that three separate internal studios are currently hard at work on Call of Duty titles.
Acti-Blizz restructuring, assigns new executive to Blizzard
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Acti_Blizz_restructuring_assigns_new_executive_to_Blizzard'; The Los Angeles Times reports that Activision-Blizzard has undergone a significant internal reorganization and elected not to notify investors or the public. The changes were circulated in an inter-company memo obtained by the newspaper and later confirmed by a company spokesperson. The new company map features one business unit focused squarely on the Call of Duty franchise, another overseeing Activision-owned brands such as Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero, and a third unit to handle licensed properties. Blizzard Entertainment rounds out the fourth unit but interestingly, Blizzard's Mike Morhaime now reports directly to newly appointed chief operating officer Thomas Tippl, who in turn reports to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. "This is an important change as it will allow me, with Thomas, to become more deeply involved in areas of the business where I believe we can capture great potential and opportunity," Kotick said in the employee memo. Check out the original article from the L.A. Times. [Correction: Activision-Blizzard has two primary divisions, Activision Publishing and Blizzard Entertainment. The Activision Publishing arm has reorganized into three separate business units.]
Report: Activision reshuffles execs in US, UK; layoffs result
According to "internal memos" acquired by the LA Times, Activision has switched up more of its executive positions, in addition to the change in position for Thomas Tippl, who is currently co-serving CFO/CCO/COO (enough acronyms?). A representative for the company told the LA Times, "We realigned our structure to better reflect our slate and marketing opportunities and direct our resources against the largest, most profitable business segments," without directly confirming a claimed 15 layoffs in the US. The report claims that, in an email from company head Bobby Kotick, Activision revealed that business head Mike Griffith will now serve as vice chairman and adviser to Kotick, while Thomas Tippl's new job is detailed as "the only executive reporting directly to Kotick" (and overseer of Blizzard head Mike Morhaime). Heading up licensed game properties will now supposedly be Dave Oxford, in addition to Maria Stripp taking over "all internally owned titles besides Call of Duty and Blizzard games" (CTO Steve Pearce and product head Steve Ackrich are temporarily overseeing the CoD franchise). Further, MCV confirmed with Activision that the corporate reshuffling will result in changes in the publisher's UK division as well, though no specifics are available at this time. The site claims to have independently confirmed UK layoffs have already occurred, and we've reached out to Activision for clarification on both reports. Source - Activision Blizzard quietly hits reset button [latimes.com] Source - Activision UK to restructure [MCV] If you're with Activision or a former employee and would like to speak with Joystiq regarding the company's situation, please feel free to contact us. (Your tips will remain confidential. Please leave a valid email address in case we have further questions. Thank you!)
Activision quietly restructures senior management
An article from the LA Times reports that Activision Blizzard Inc. has quietly made some internal changes to senior management and internal organization within Activision: one focused on the military game Call of Duty, another handling internally owned properties like Guitar Hero and the Tony Hawk series, and a third handling licensed properties. Why these changes weren't relayed to investors or the press is still unknown, but it's likely due to the fact that they could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Activision has seen flagging sales for two of its former cash-cow franchises, Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero, and a recent very public scuffle with Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampanella following their ejection from their positions as heads of Activision's Infinity Ward studio painted the studio in a negative light with gamers. This kind of restructuring could point to turmoil within the company, an image that an industry juggernaut like Activision would want to avoid. So, what do these changes mean for Blizzard, and for World of Warcraft? Activision got a hold of us to say "nothing at all" -- the restructuring was for Activision's side of the business only. It's important to remember that Activision-Blizzard is an umbrella company that contains two separate divisions: Activision Publishing and Blizzard Entertainment. Activision restructured into three different units, but Blizzard remains independent.
Activision CFO Thomas Tippl now COO
Acitvision chief financial officer Thomas Tippl was recently promoted to the position of chief operating officer at the publisher, and will serve double duty as temporary acting CFO while a replacement is found. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission from last week detailed the executive swap (titled the "Tippl Amendment," effective as of March 23), including an $885k annual salary, stock options, an annual raise "at least equal to the average [undisclosed] percentage increase" (pending approval by the board), and a yearly performance-based bonus of "120 percent of his base salary [$1,062,000]." The wonderfully candid thing about SEC filings is that there's little room for spin or marketing, but the downside is all the financial jargon -- like the fact that part of Tippl's new contract entitles him to a grant of 225,000 "performance shares" that "vest ratably." This means we're put in a position where we're telling you about stuff that is at the least pretty confusing and likely kind of meaningless. So let's break it down! "Performance shares" are, according to Investopedia, "shares of company stock given to managers only if certain company wide performance criteria are met, such as earnings per share targets." Meaning, in so many words, that Activision has to meet a certain performance level in order for Tippl to earn said shares. That they will "vest ratably" is only to say that on Feb. 15 of each year for the next four years, he will earn part of that eventual 225,000-share goal (in 2014) ... should he stay in his position for all that time, of course. And finally, this is all based on the prediction that he delivers a higher or equal to non-GAAP earning per share when compared to the previous year. In short, he has to either break even or make money to get the stocks, and he has to maintain that for the next four years. Quite a tall order, sir! [Via Edge]
Activision pursuing 'online monetization models' for Call of Duty franchise
For quite some time now, Activision execs have been hinting at the idea of MMO monetization being implemented in games other than Blizzard's behemoth World of Warcraft. Speaking at the BMO Capital Markets Conference this past week, another Activision exec – CFO Thomas Tippl – was tasked with the question of whether or not WoW's "successful online business model" (read: monthly subscription fees) would end up in other Activision properties. "It's definitely an aspiration that we see potential in, particularly as we look at different business models to monetize the online gameplay," Tippl says, according to an IGN report. "I think it's been mutually beneficial, and you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some of some of our biggest franchises like Call of Duty." He also notes that "there is demand from the core gamers to pay up for that," which likely means that many of you who got Activision's survey back in June supported this. Shame on you. [Via CVG]
Activision CFO: "Blizzard is top notch"
Develop magazine got to talk to Thomas Tippl, who is Activision's CFO (we've heard a lot from CEO Bobby Kotick, but never from Tippl before) about the Activision Blizzard merger and how it will affect both companies. Tippl reiterates what we've heard before: that Activision has no plans to tell Blizzard how to do their jobs when they've been doing so well already.He does, however, say that a "portfolio review" is in order, and so employees of Sierra (Vivendi's other games division) should start working on their resumes, if they haven't started already. He also says the sales teams of each company will likely be consolidated -- they want to put an "all-star team" together, but the thing about stars is that not everyone can be one.So the merger remains good news for Blizzard, not-so-good news for the rest of Vivendi. We're still curious to see what happens when/if Blizzard falls out of Activision's good graces. Sure, everything is peachy-keen right now, but when Blizzard's stubborn commitment to quality bumps up against Activision's almost yearly franchise releases, who'll walk away the victor?[Via WorldofWar.net]
