Q4-2014
Latest
Microsoft's Xbox revenue up 14% thanks to console sales
Microsoft reported an increase in revenue for the Xbox platform to the tune of $104 million, or 14 percent, in its fourth quarter results (ending June 30). Xbox One and Xbox 360 sales teamed with the company's Surface sales to boost its Computing and Gaming Hardware category by 23 percent for the quarter to $1.44 billion (an increase of $274 million). In total, Microsoft reported a 17.7 percent leap in revenue, from $19.9 billion to $23.4 billion in the past quarter. Microsoft says it shipped 1.1 million consoles during the quarter, which compares to one million in the same period of time one year ago. Just last week, the company said sales of its Kinect-less packages doubled Xbox One sales in June. As of April, Microsoft shipped 5 million Xbox One systems to date. Meanwhile, NPD reported a substantial lift in video game hardware sales across the board last week, an increase of 106 percent in June compared to the previous month. [Image: Microsoft]
Take-Two makes it rain $1 billion more in fiscal 2014
Take-Two reported net revenue of $2.35 billion for fiscal 2014 (the year ending March 31, 2014), a 94 percent growth from its reported revenue of $1.21 billion in 2013. It also reported a net income of $361.7 million, which compares rather favorably to the net loss of $31.2 million it suffered last year. As of the end of fiscal 2014, Take-Two had "cash and cash equivalents of $935.4 million," plenty to make it rain a few times. As for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, Take-Two's net revenue was $195.2 million, a 34.8 percent decrease compared to the same quarter last year ($299.5 million). It also reported a net loss of $30.8 million for the quarter, which compares to the net gain of $21.2 million reported in Q4 2013. The publisher's digitally-delivered revenue increased 65 percent year-over-year to $435.1 million on a non-GAAP basis (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). In its earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted that Grand Theft Auto Online was the "single largest contributor" to the company's digital revenue growth. Take-Two also reported that it has shipped 33 million copies of GTA 5 to date. Looking ahead to the next fiscal year (ending March 31, 2015), Take-Two projects its non-GAAP net revenue to fall between $1.35 billion and $1.45 billion, and anticipates its net revenue between $120 million and $135 million for the next quarter, also on a non-GAAP basis.
EA net revenue down in Q4, fiscal year 2014 [Update: Titanfall numbers]
EA reported net revenue of $1.12 billion in Q4 2014, down from $1.21 billion in Q4 2013. This marks the end of EA's fiscal year 2014, and its overall net revenue was similarly down, from $3.8 billion in 2013 to $3.58 billion in 2014. Gross profit for the quarter was even with 2013's number at $900 million, but for the year, gross profit fell from $2.41 billion to $2.23 billion. Operating income for 2014 fell to $33 million, compared with $121 million in 2013. Net income was up for the quarter, $367 million, but down year-over-year, from $98 million to $8 million. EA launched Titanfall in March, and while it was the best-selling game that month as rated by the NPD, EA didn't provide sales numbers in its report. EA says it is the No. 1 publisher on Xbox One and PS4 in the western world, led by sales of Titanfall, Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, Need for Speed Rivals and Madden NFL 25. Mobile revenue generated $460 million (non-GAAP) in fiscal year 2014, setting a "new record" within the company. "Electronic Arts delivered outstanding results in fiscal year 2014," CEO Andrew Wilson said in the report. "Most importantly, we produced hit games, innovative digital content and services, and amazing entertainment for our players around the world." For fiscal year 2015, EA expects net revenue of $4.38 billion. In Q1 2015, EA expects net revenue of $1.2 billion. Update: EA sold 925,000 copies of Titanfall on Xbox One and PC during the quarter, COO Peter Moore announced during EA's investor call, citing numbers from NPD. The Xbox 360 version is "off to a great start as well," Moore said. [Image: EA]
Hacker attacks on websites shot up 75 percent last quarter
Akamai Technologies' State of the Internet report for Q4 2013 has just arrived, and one stat stands out like a bad rash: DDoS (denial of service) attacks were up 75 percent over last quarter, and 23 percent from the year before. Most of the targets were enterprises, and Akamai said that the likelihood of a repeat hack is one in three -- a 35 percent bump over last year. Such numbers have no doubt fueled demand for services like Google's Project Shield, which shelter businesses behind massive cloud servers that can easily absorb an onslaught. As for the countries of origin? The dubious winner of that prize (by far) was China with 43 percent of all attacks, followed by the US and Canada. The latter nation saw a not-very-polite 2500 percent bump in DDoS attacks over last year -- hopefully not a trend.
Butt-stomp the moon in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Borderlands is in the wonderful business of providing goods and guns to insatiable looters. Dubbed the best-selling game in publisher 2K's history, Borderlands 2 refines a gaming bear trap of Diablo-esque questing and shooting, sending up to four friends across the craggy planet of Pandora in search of treasure, weapons and mightier bosses to topple. It's the perfect platform for more, more, more, and Gearbox Software has delivered big and small expansions breathlessly. Some level of self-awareness has always pervaded Borderland's sense of humor, but the title of the newest game, developed in collaboration between 2K Australia and Gearbox, is the strongest instance of it yet. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! – exclamation and all – is a laughing deflection of whatever criticisms you might have in the quiver. It's not quite as big as Borderlands 2, no. It's not rethinking the franchise. It's the same engine on the same ol' Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It's filling in the backstory between games. But, y'know, it's not like Randy Pitchford's been calling it Borderlands 3! (He hasn't, honest.) I get the sense that fans are still getting more than the game's pre-emptive modesty implies, and that even a basic plan of "more Borderlands" grew into something slightly more ambitious. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes players to the low-gravity environment of the moon and the Hyperion space base that's watched over them on Pandora, and it finally lets them see things (and shoot things) as a short, eccentric robot – Claptrap.
Activision Blizzard sees 'best performance in history' during 2012
Activision Blizzard and its many, many franchises brought in $4.85 billion dollars in net revenue over the course of calendar 2012, with $1.76 billion of that hitting its coffers during the three month period ending on December 31, 2012. Digital sales represented 32 percent of that total annual new revenue, raking in $1.54 billion.As far as actual profit is concerned, Activision Blizzard reports net post-tax income of $1.14 billion for the year and $354 million for Q4; a 5.8 and 257 percent year-over-year increase, respectively."Activision Blizzard delivered the best performance in its history," CEO Bobby Kotick said in the financial statement. "In the short-term, we expect to continue delivering strong profitability, but below our record setting 2012 performance, due to a challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition and a difficult year-over-year comparison because of Blizzard's record-shattering Diablo 3 success in 2012."In addition to said Diablo 3 success, Activision Blizzard also lists Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2 and Skylanders among the many reasons that it had such a successful year, with Skylanders as a series having crested $1 billion in lifetime sales.Looking forward, Activision Blizzard anticipates total net revenues for calendar 2013 to ring up at $4.08 billion, with $1.16 billion of that being generated during the year's first quarter.
