Activision’s active player base falls below 100 million for the first time since 2019
Activision’s monthly active users (MAUs) have dropped below 100 million for the first time in almost three years.
During the Call of Duty publisher’s second quarter ended on June 30, MAUs totalled 94 million, down from 100 million in the first quarter.
Its MAUs had been above 100 million since the fourth quarter of 2019, which saw the release of Call of Duty Mobile, and peaked at 150 million during the first quarter of 2021.
Activision said on Monday that its second quarter revenue and operating income declined year-over-year, “reflecting lower engagement for the Call of Duty franchise, but grew versus the first quarter”.
Engagement can be expected to rise during the company’s fourth quarter, when it plans to release two new Call of Duty games.
Activision has confirmed a Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 release date of October 28, 2022.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 will also launch as an extension of the Modern Warfare universe later this year.
“Activision’s expanded studios also continue to make strong progress on an innovative mobile experience that will extend Warzone to the largest and fastest growing platform,” the company said on Monday.
“Across the Call of Duty ecosystem, the teams are well positioned to support these launches with substantial live operations while also continuing development of new premium content planned for 2023 and beyond.”
It was announced in January that Xbox owner Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal.
In newly published documents, Sony said it believes Call of Duty could inspire users to switch to Xbox should the proposed acquisition gain regulatory approval.
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