Diablo 4 helps Blizzard smash $1bn barrier in latest financial quarter

eurogamer.net:

Activision Blizzard's latest financial earnings report has arrived, and while it's good news for the company as a whole, Blizzard in particular has had a stellar quarter, surpassing $1bn USD in net bookings for the first time ever thanks to the launch of Diablo 4.

In its second quarter earnings report for the latest financial year, Activision Blizzard announced 50% year-over-year growth in net bookings, with the company amassing $2.46bn compared to the $1.64bn it reported in the second quarter of 2022.

That's down to a mix of increased «player investment in live operations content» across games such as Call of Duty, which rose by 17%, and «another quarterly net bookings record at King». The big applause, though, is reserved for Diablo 4, which, as of the end of Blizzard's record-breaking second quarter — which saw the studio's segment revenue grow by 160% year-over-year and its operating revenue more than triple — has «sold-through more units than any other Blizzard title at an equivalent stage of release.»

Activision expects that initial success to continue reaping rewards, noting the imminent release of Diablo 4's first live-service season, and «strong progress on expansions that will deliver major new features and continue the game’s acclaimed narrative for many years to come.»

Interestingly, Diablo 4's success also appears to have had a knock-on effect for Blizzard's divisive free-to-play mobile game Diablo: Immortal, which saw a significant boost in monthly net bookings shortly after Diablo 4's release in June.

Elsewhere, Activision Blizzard has reported a decline in player engagement and investment for Overwatch 2, which may go some way to explaining its imminent jump to Steam. And as for World of Warcraft, there's