Call of Duty franchise helps Activision Blizzard to record Q2 results

Activision Blizzard has announced record second quarter financial results thanks to bumper engagement figures led by the Call of Duty franchise. 

For the quarter ended June 30, 2020, the publisher reported GAAP net revenues of $1.93 billion, which is a notable increase on the $1.40 billion amassed during the second quarter of 2019. 

Digital revenue also received a shot in the arm, with GAAP net revenues from digital channels totaling $1.59 billion, compared with $1.09 billion for the second quarter of 2019. 

The company said those numbers were the result of "strong execution against our three growth drivers of expanding audience reach, engagement, and player investment." 

While Activision Blizzard noted that each of its key franchises delivered "better-than-expected results," the publisher said growth was led by the Call of Duty series following the launch of the Warzone battle royale mode for Modern Warfare. 

Warzone has reached over 75 million players to date, increasing the number of hours played in the "Modern Warfare universe" eight-fold year-on-year. 

Call of Duty Mobile also delivered "strong sequential growth in engagement and player investment, and managed to climb to the summit of the top-grossing charts in U.S. app stores. 

Overall, Activision Blizzard attracted 428 million monthly active users in the second quarter, with World of Warcraft also increasing its reach and engagement sequentially thanks to the "shelter-at-home" conditions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and King titles like Candy Crush Saga also experiencing growth due to those coronavirus measures. 

Looking ahead, the publisher is forecasting full-year GAAP net revenues of $7.27 billion, and intends to use its Q2 performance as a springboard to "deliver sustained greater financial performance over the long term."