Call of Duty Slumps Ahead of Potential Activision-Microsoft Deal

Hundreds of thousands of individuals stopped taking part in Name of Responsibility within the first quarter of 2022, as one among gaming’s prime franchises continued to chill off, in line with Activision Blizzard’s newest monetary outcomes. From a report: Name of Responsibility is the largest annual franchise in gaming, so any struggles can have knock-on results for the remainder of the trade. Activision Blizzard mentioned its Activision-branded video games — which almost completely encompass Name of Responsibility — had 100 million month-to-month energetic customers within the first three months of 2022. That is down from 107 million within the quarter earlier than. And it is down from 150 million within the first three months of 2021. The drop comes as Microsoft presses ahead on a bid to purchase Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. In a press launch, the corporate blamed the decline on “decrease premium gross sales” for November’s Name of Responsibility: Vanguard in comparison with November 2020’s Name of Responsibility: Black Ops Chilly Conflict. It additionally cited “decrease engagement” for free-to-play Name of Responsibility: Warzone and flat efficiency for its Name of Responsibility: Cell title.