Activision Blizzard- Research Report

About Company

Activision Blizzard is a US-based video game holding company. The headquarters of the organization are located in Santa Monica, California.

Activision Blizzard came into existence in 2008 July via the unification of Vivendi Games and Activision Incorporated. Activision Incorporated is the mother organization of Activision Publishing and its shares were traded in public. 

The stocks of Activision Blizzard are bought and sold on the NASDAQ stock exchange and its stock ticker sign is ATVI. The ATVI stock has been a component of the S&P 500 index since 2015.

Business divisions of Activision Blizzard

Presently, Activision Blizzard consists of five business divisions and they are:

• Blizzard Entertainment – Manages the design, manufacturing, and delivery of video games of Blizzard. Besides, it features the e-sports performances of the firm such as Overwatch League and MLG (Major League Gaming Corp). 
• Activision Publishing – Manages the design, manufacturing, and delivery of video games from the subsidiary studios of the company.
• Major League Gaming – Major League Gaming Corp is a pro e-sports company with its head office in New York City. It has organized countless video games competitions across Canada and the United States.
• King – Manages the design and supply of the mobile games of Blizzard.
• Activision Blizzard Studios – This is a non-reporting or unlisted business division of the company. It supervises the creation of popular television and movie shows depending on the resources of the firm. 

Activision Blizzard Distribution offers logistical assistance for the supply of the company’s products inside Europe.  

Activision Blizzard is the owner and operator of extra studios beneath an autonomous studios pattern underneath Activision Publishing and they are:

• Infinity Ward 
• Treyarch 
• Toys for Bob
• High Moon Studios 

Among the principal intellectual properties generated by the company are the following: 

• Call of Duty 
• Guitar Hero 
• Crash Bandicoot 
• Spyro/Skylanders 
• Tony Hawk’s 
• StarCraft 
• World of Warcraft 
• Hearthstone
• Diablo 
• Overwatch 
• Heroes of the Storm
• Candy Crush Saga

The labels of Activision Blizzard have achieved scores of launch feats. Till March 2018, the company was the biggest in Europe and the United States, taking into account its market capitalization and sales. 

As of 2020, the company has 9,500 employees. Activision Blizzard became a part of the esteemed Fortune 500 list of companies in June 2017, only the 3rd gaming firm in the past to achieve this feat, next to Electronic Arts and Atari.

Presence of Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard has its presence in the following locations across the world:

Corporate Headquarters – Santa Monica, California

Domestic Corporate Offices – Santa Monica, California, and Irvine, California

International Corporate Offices – Stockley Park, United Kingdom, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Velizy, France

Domestic Sales Offices

• Eagan, Minnesota
• Dallas, Texas
• Fayetteville, Arkansas

International Sales Offices

The international sales offices of Activision Blizzard are based in the following locations:

• Buchs, Switzerland
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Buenos Aires, Argentina 
• Madrid, Spain
• Legnano, Italy
• Mississauga, Canada
• Mexico City, Mexico 
• Oslo, Norway
• Munich, Germany
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Paris, France
• Shanghai, China 
• Schiphol, Netherlands
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Singapore
• Taipei, Taiwan 
• Sydney, Australia
• Velizy, France

Manufacturing/Distribution Office – Fresno, California

International Studios

The international studios of Activision Blizzard are situated in the following places:

• Dublin, Ireland
• Cork, Ireland
• Liverpool, United Kingdom 
• Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
• Seoul, South Korea
• Quebec City, Canada
• Vancouver, Canada  
• Shanghai, China

International Manufacturing and Distribution 

The International manufacturing/distribution offices of Activision Blizzard are located in the places listed below:

• Burglengenfeld, Germany
• Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Venlo, Netherlands 
• Shanghai, China 

Gaming Industry

The gaming products launched by Activision Blizzard are the following:

• Crash Bandicoot series (Version 4 is available now)
• Call of Duty series (including Modern Warfare 2 – Campaign Remastered,  Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard)
• Skylanders series
• Guitar Hero series
• Tony Hawk’s series (Pro Skater 1+2)
• Sekiro (Shadows Die Twice)
• Spyro – the Dragon series
• Hearthstone
• Diablo series
• Heroes of the Storm
• StarCraft series
• Overwatch
• Candy Crush Saga
• Warcraft series

The top Blizzard Entertainment Games include the following:

As Silicon and Synapse

The Lost Vikings – It’s a puzzle platform game launched by Interplay Productions.

RPM Racing – It’s a racing game launched by Interplay Productions.

Rock n’ Roll Racing – It’s a racing game launched by Interplay Productions.

As Blizzard Entertainment

Blackthorne – It’s a cinematic platformer launched by Interplay Productions. It was launched with the name BlackHawk in a few European countries.

The Death and Return of Superman – It’s a Beat’em up genre video game released by Sunsoft.

Justice League Task Force – It’s a fighting game devised by Condor and Blizzard and launched by Sunsoft.

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans – It’s a real-time strategy game that was self-launched by Blizzard.

The Lost Vikings 2 – It’s a puzzle platform game designed by Beam Software and Blizzard and launched by Blizzard. 

Diablo – It’s an action role-playing game that was self-launched by Activision Blizzard.

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness – It’s another real-time strategy game self-launched by Activision Blizzard.   

StarCraft – It’s a real-time strategy game that was self-launched by Activision Blizzard.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos – It’s a real-time strategy game that was self-launched by Blizzard.

Diablo II – It’s an action role-playing game that was self-launched by Blizzard.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – It’s a real-time strategy game self-launched by Blizzard. 

World of Warcraft – It’s a massively multiplayer online role-playing game self-launched by Blizzard.   

Diablo III – It’s an action role-playing game self-launched by Blizzard.

Heroes of the Storm – It’s a MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena) self-launched by Blizzard. 

Hearthstone – Hearthstone is a digital collectible card game self-launched by Blizzard. 

Diablo Immortal – It’s an action role-playing game designed by NetEase and Blizzard and launched by Blizzard.

Diablo IV – It’s an action role-playing game going to be self-launched by Blizzard.

Overwatch – It’s a first-person shooter game self-launched by Blizzard.

Overwatch 2 – It’s also a first-person shooter game to be self-launched by Blizzard.

The viewpoint of Activision Blizzard

As one of the best entertainers in the worldwide gaming industry, Activision focuses on pleasing millions of game aficionados with its innovative suite of role-playing and real-time strategy games. 

Management of Activision Blizzard

Reveta Bowers

Reveta Bowers has been working as a director of the company since 2018 January. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in humanities and a master’s degree from the College of Developmental Studies in developmental psychology.

Bobby Kotick

Bobby Kotick is the Chief Executive Officer of the company and also a director. He is also a member of the board of trustees for The Center for Early Education and Harvard Westlake School and a member of the BOD for The Coca Cola Company. Furthermore, Bobby Kotick is the co-chairman and founder of the Call of Duty Endowment. 

Daniel Alegre

Daniel Alegre is the President and Chief Operating Officer of the organization. He has a bachelor’s degree with honors from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. He also holds dual Juris Doctor and MBA degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.

Armin Zerza

Armin Zerza is the Chief Financial Officer of the company since 2021 April. He is a degree holder from Vienna University.

Robert Corti

Robert Corti has been functioning as a director of the firm since 2003 December. He is a CPA (certified public accountant), a BA from Queens College in accounting, and an MBA from St. John’s University in taxation.

Hendrik Hartong III

Hendrik Hartong III has been operating as a director of the company since 2015 July. He has a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College in history and is an MBA from the prestigious Harvard University.

Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is the chairman of the Board of Directors of Activision Blizzard since 2013. He has a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in accounting and a Juris Doctor degree from the Fordham University School of Law. 

Barry Meyer

Since 2014 January, Barry Meyer has been working as a director of the company. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester in English and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Robert Mogado

Robert Mogado is the lead independent director of the company. He has a bachelor’s degree from the Chaminade University of Honolulu in philosophy and history and a Master of Public Administration degree from The State University of New York.  

Investors in Activision Blizzard

The top four investors in Activision Blizzard are: 

Activision Blizzard Financials

Review of Financials FY/Stock Performance

On July 22, 2021 ATVI closed trading with NASDAQ at $89.78 at 1:45 PM EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).

The BoD of Activision Blizzard announced a cash dividend to the tune of $0.47 per equity share and it was paid on 6th May 2021 to stockholders on the document after trading on 15th April 2021. The BoD will decide on any future dividend based on their financial status, future revenue, and cash necessities.

Disclaimer: This writeup is for academic purposes only and should not be interpreted as an investment tip. Please discuss with your investment consultant ahead of taking any investment decision.