A crowd is waiting for a video presentation at the Activision booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, in Los Angeles, California.
Jonathan Alcorn | Reuters
Video game publisher Activision Blizzard missed estimates for adjusted sales in the first quarter on Monday, hurt by low demand for their latest title “Call of Duty: Vanguard”.
Activision’s performance has been hit by lower premium sales for “Call of Duty: Vanguard” and weaker engagement in “Call of Duty: Warzone”, with a return to pre-pandemic habits that force players to spend less time on their consoles.
The company, which is being taken over by Microsoft, has also faced backlash over its response to allegations of internal sexual harassment and discrimination against female employees.
The Santa Monica, California-based company’s quarterly adjusted sales were $ 1.48 billion compared to analysts’ estimates of $ 1.80 billion, according to Refinitive IBES data.
Net income for the quarter ended March 31 fell to $ 395 million, or 50 cents per share, from $ 619 million, or 79 cents per share, a year earlier.
Exclusive items earned Activision 64 cents per. shares.