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Activision threatens to drop Sony if Sony doesn't drop PS3 and PSP prices
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says he sees the number of games bought per console slowing if the price on the PlayStation 3 doesn't go down, and that his company (the largest independent game developer in the world, thanks in part to that sweet, sweet Blizzard cash) might consider dropping the PS3 and PSP in 2010 or 2011 if things don't improve. He says Activision paid $500 million in royalties to Sony last year, but the Xbox 360 and Wii are cheaper to develop for and offer a better return on investment. Still, with 23 million PS3s out there in the world, we'd think it'd be difficult to ignore the console entirely -- especially for cross platform titles like the upcoming Modern Warfare 2, where a majority of the work takes place in content development and gameplay mechanics. Of course, with games like Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Tony Hawk now demanding the purchase of peripherals along with the game itself, Activision itself could certainly be doing more to make gaming cheaper on consumers... but we suppose that's another conversation entirely.[Via Joystiq]
Blizzard tops list of 2008's 'most successful' game devs
The game industry's annual popularity contest has begun making the rounds, and among game developers in 2008 there was none more in vogue than Activision stepchild Blizzard. According to Develop 100, a list of "the world's most successful games developers," the dev WoW-ed its peers from atop a mountain of money with more than a billion dollars in revenue each year from retail and online sales. Other notables on the list include 2007's top company, Nintendo, which was forced to settle for second, followed by GTA's Rockstar North in third. LEGO everything manufacturer Traveller's Tales ranked 12th on the list, while LittleBigPlanet's Media Molecule came in at a respectable 18th, the highest among indie UK studios. The complete list can be found on the official Develop 100 website. Check it out, and let us know if your personal favorites made the cut.
Activision Blizzard expects to rake in more money this quarter
Activision Blizzard officials took time out of their busy schedule counting money to let the world know that the conglomerate is not only filthy rich, but expects to stay that way. The company notes that its financial take for the most recent quarter is tracking ahead of its own expectations, thanks to what it calls "better-than-expected" sales of its games at retail.Prior guidance had the company pegged to bring in a hefty $860 million in revenue for the period, though it's unclear how much this figure will inflate in the wake of "strong" sales of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero titles, as well as World of some such. Actiblizzard CEO Robert Kotick noted that this "bodes well" for the company's upcoming releases, which include a salvo of games "inspired by theatrical feature films," colorful prose we're sure was inspired by the bulge in Kotick's wallet.
Activision-Blizzard is not Blizzard
I worked at Blizzard for close to three years. During my time there I saw a lot of big things happen: the closing of the Console Division and shelfing of Starcraft Ghost, the launch of the first (and second!) World of Warcraft expansion ... and one that some people say is the biggest event in Blizzard's history, Vivendi Games' merger with Activision.The merger was, of course, a controversial move; and, like any corporate maneuver, it's generated a lot of misunderstandings, misreporting, misinformation ... in general, it's been a flurry of mis-es. It's upsetting and frustrating to see so many people not understand what the merger means and, in turn, form stubborn opinions.If you want to help curb ignorance and misunderstanding regarding what's going on with the merger, you're in luck. My former employment at Blizzard means I have a lot of information to share to set the record straight. Even if you're going to continue believing that Blizzard is somehow dipping in quality or in a bad way because of the merger, at least read what I have to say. It'll be worth it.
Activision-Blizzard is not Blizzard, part 2
This portion addresses questions about the merger's affect on Blizzard's day-to-day. So if most publishers control what their developers produce, does Activision control what Blizzard does? No, since Activision is not Blizzard's publisher.What about in areas like support?When I was in support at Blizzard, the only negative change I noticed in my day-to-day work post-merger was that we suddenly had an influx of terrible A-B-themed benefits program posters hung up around the office. Things may have changed since I left, but my contacts have expressed mostly positive opinions about how things are running over there.Won't the merger result in a dip in quality of Blizzard products? Has it already?No and no. The merger gives Blizzard the opportunity to hire more employees to produce more content while maintaining the standard of quality that we expect from Blizzard. It also allows them to keep more employees due to the new financial backing provided by the merger, which affects things like benefits and payroll.Blizzard has stated that you can't get quality content made just by throwing money at it, but money obviously helps sometimes.Did Activision force Blizzard to release Wrath of the Lich King during the holiday season to maximize sales? Let me answer this with an anecdote.Blizzard's office walls are decorated with a lot of stuff -- concept art, murals, lifesize statues of characters, and posters with Blizzard's philosophies on art and design, etc. One of these posters talks about mistakes developers make, like pushing for a holiday release when the game's not done or polished enough.It's my belief, which is backed up by Blizzard bigwigs, that if they didn't feel the expansion was worthy for release then they wouldn't have released it when it was released. What's up with this money-making scheme of releasing Starcraft II as three games? This is because of their post-merger greed, right? I've been hearing this a lot lately. Even our own Mike Schramm commented that the Blizzard that let people play Warcraft 2 on Battle.net for free isn't the same Blizzard that's releasing three Starcraft II games.This really, really confuses me. Why would anyone familiar with Blizzard's work be put off by them releasing expansions? Because that's exactly what the last two Starcraft II titles will be -- expansions. One will add the Zerg campaign and one will add the Protoss campaign, as well as likely multiplayer additions and enhancements to the experience. The single-player campaign for each game will be incredibly robust as well, with tons of in-game engine cinematics and branching events. Devs explained to me that they had three choices once they realized the depth of the Terran campaign: - Shorten and pare down each campaign, resulting in campaigns about as long as Warcraft III, and release it as one game.- Make the campaigns as robust as possible and release the Protoss and Zerg campaigns in expansions.- Put everything in on game exactly how they want it and have Starcraft II come out in 2014.They said the the choice was obvious, and I agree. It's about delivering the player the best experience.Won't this merger result in a lot of stupid cross-promotions?Probably. Activision isn't known for its advertising or marketing subtlety. We dealt with it a little at work -- Activision sent us a ton of copies of Guitar Hero Aerosmith that none of us really cared about (but hey, extra Rock Band guitar, right?), as well as posters in the office with Activision desperately trying to equate our flagship properties with their licensed crap. Yes, Activision, clearly Zeratul is on the same level as the main character from Kung Fu Panda.The best I can hope for is that we'll never see World of Warcraft advertised on KFC combo meal boxes. Blizzard seems to consider the insulation of the WoW universe important, which is why we'll likely never see in-game advertising or "Lars Umlaut <Guitar Hero>" as an NPC.What's your personal opinion on the merger?From a corporate perspective, it makes sense and gives Blizzard access to more funding and assets. You can see that they've begun hiring a ton of designers and other WoW-relation positions, which can only increase the amount of content we get to experience and enjoy.From a gamer's perspective, Activision is an IP-exploiting shovelware mill run by a doddering blowhard who doesn't play games and it hurts my heart to see Blizzard's name attached to them.On the bright side, if you look at your Wrath box, you won't see Activision's logo on it anywhere. That's more than just literal -- it's symbolic, and I hope that it stays that way for a long, long time.If you have any specific questions about the merger that you think I can answer, you're more than welcome to email me at sacco [at] wowinsider dot com and I'll compile the questions and responses in a followup article.
Vivendi is dead, long live Activision-Blizzard
Okay, so we've been waiting for this moment for a few months. The waiting probably hasn't involved breathless anticipation or anything, but there's definitely been waiting. It's now official, and there's very little to go wrong -- Vivendi is merging with Activision, destroying the Vivendi Games name in favor of the new entity: Activision-Blizzard.Activision shareholders (and a little regulation-fu) were the only hold ups to the process. Today, Activision shareholders voted 92% in favor of merging with Vivendi. Which means that 8% voted against the deal -- I have to wonder what they were thinking. The old Vivendi folks have a 52% control of the new company (called Activision-Blizzard), which is projected to clock over $3.8 billion dollars annually. The close date is tomorrow -- it's still technically possible that an enormous asteroid may fall from the heavens, plunging the entirety of the Earth into a post-nuclear wasteland. Or, zombies could attack. Maybe Zombie Murlocs, with their own MySpace accounts. But short of a Murloc invasion (I, for one, welcome our new Mrlglglglge overlords), there's nothing left for the merger but for the fat lady to sing.
Activision shareholders to vote on Activision-Blizzard merger
In Blizzard company news, another major milestone for the planned Blizzard-Activision merger is now set for July 8th, when a special meeting of Activision's shareholders will vote on their merger with Vivendi Games, Inc., the parent company of Blizzard. The meeting will take place in Beverly Hills, CA. So far, Activision's been clearing the hurdles to the merger nicely, and executives from both companies seem pretty excited about the deal, so It seems unlikely that the shareholders will balk too much (then again, there is that lawsuit). The timing of this meeting is apparently later than expected according to sister site Big Download, but it is worth noting that it still beats out E3, which will take place on July 11th-13th. You'll recall that Blizzard and Activision dropped out of E3. Rumor has it that they are also planning to hold a press conference during E3, on the first day, and being able to reveal final details of when, where, and how the merger will complete during that press conference would be quite a coup, for sure. [Via Big Download]
Pachter expects strong Activision Q4 financial results
In advance of this Thursday's release of Activision's Q4 financial results, Wedbush Morgan analyst extraordinaire Michael Pachter expects Activision's sales were up 88% this quarter over last year, based on NPD data. GameDaily reports Activision's guidance expected revenues of about $350 million this quarter, but Pachter believes it's more like $425 million.Pachter further notes that Activision may see revenues decline this fiscal year as sales from Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4 wane, though the big thing for investors remains the approaching merger with Vivendi Games. Activision Blizzard should be a reality in the next few weeks and Pachter maintains a "Buy" rating on the company.
Dell offers special edition World of Warcraft laptop (for a small fortune)
Like an unholy alliance, Dell and Blizzard have teamed up to unleash this beast of a laptop computer into the world. The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition comes in Horde and Alliance flavors, and sells for $4,499 USD. WoW, indeed.Admittedly, you get a lot more than just the laptop for nearly five large. The deal includes a WoW-branded backpack, a "golden ticket" entitling the buyer to a FigurePrint of their in-game avatar, a special key to all future WoW betas, and a plethora of Warcraft merchandise, including novels, trading cards, soundtrack CDs, strategy guides, and a behind-the-scenes DVD disc.The computer itself is a 17" widescreen notebook, with backlit keyboard, illuminated speaker grills, and a built-in LCD screen dedicated to displaying in-game stats. The laptop also comes pre-loaded with World of Warcraft, as well as The Burning Crusade expansion. We haven't done the math, but we're pretty sure it's still not a bargain. Still, it's a nice little collection for the Warcraft enthusiasts out there.[Via WoW Insider]
The Joystiq Weekend: December 1 to 3, 2007
Remember this? You were supposed to be waiting up for this right now. At least you get to keep some extra money for the already-massive lineup of AAA titles this season. And there's always this, too. (Caution: link NSFW) Check out the (many) highlights for this (rather exhausting) weekend:Gerstmann-GateLatest developments in "Gerstmann-gate"Rumorang: Gerstmann-gate editionZiff Davis staff holds impromptu GameSpot rallyGerstmann-gate: Sunday morning updateExclusive: Gertsmann speaks about K&L review, futureBlackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sitesGerstmann-gate: Blackout Monday updateCNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversyGameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing noticeActi-BlizzardActivision and Blizzard parent merge in $18 billion deal Blizzard wants you to know that merger won't affect their games GameSetWatch analyzes Activision/Vivendi mergerThe Activision Blizzard conference callActivision stock way up after merger newsJoystiq Podcast Roundtable - Blizzavision ... Actiblizzard?JoystiqueryJapanese hardware sales, Nov. 19 - Nov. 25: Informative puppeteer editionReminder: Last chance to win a $5K gaming PC from Falcon NorthwestToday's danciest video: Merry Xmas 2K7Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: charitable editionNewsGuitar Hero II gets DLC: Indie Label Pack IIRock Band team offers free EA game for guitar repair delays GameTap losing over 7% of games; EA, Interplay and other publishers gone Dec. 11DS gets downloadable content with official DSVision flash card peripheralNew games this week: Universe at War: Earth Assault editionVirtual Console gets Eternal Champions, Zanac, The Dynastic HeroKuju opens new Nik Nak studio aimed at kidsResident Evil: Outbreak and Monster Hunter online services cease for PS2Microsoft reveals XBLA games coming in December and JanuaryEidos trademarks 'Tomb Raider Underworld'Metallica in talks to debut new single as Rock Band DLCBig surprise: Guitar Hero 4, Call of Duty 5, and Tony Hawk 11 confirmedSega: No plans to release NiGHTS PS2 outside of JapanThis Tuesday: Arcade HitsTomb Raider engine to power Deus Ex 3Xbox 360 video playback FAQSmash Bros blog teaches us how to make friendsTurok clips show off multiplayerTingle's Rosy Rupeeland: meanest Nintendo game ever?Play as Ken and Chun Li in Korean MMO fighting gameAndy Serkis spearheading East England game industry networkTretton admits to 'missteps' in PS3's first yearRumors & SpeculationTake-Two CEO sees industry consolidation as 'inevitable'Culture & CommunitySleater-Kinney guitarist talks Rock BandGuitar Hero brings business to six-string tutorsSomething Awful pokes fun at Mass EffectMega64's VGA 2007 TV spot makes us laugh, feel guiltyAskMen's Top 10 Hottest Women in TechDIY: Weighted Companion Cube paperweightHenry Jenkins sounds off on Spencer Halpin's 'Moral Kombat'Roll your own ugly Wii Zapper using LEGOsThe 21 days of Wii from Circuit City
