In keeping with Activision Blizzard’s newest monetary report, the online game firm’s PC platform outperformed consoles by $27 million at the beginning of 2023, “persevering with a pattern with the Name of Responsibility, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch 2 writer that is been constant for almost a yr now,” experiences PC Gamer. From the report: Between January 1 and March 31, Activision made $666 million on PC versus $639 on console. Its PC phase additionally outsold its console enterprise all through half of final yr, although console did outsell PC general for Activision in 2022. It is a notable change: Way back to far as I can take a look at Activision’s publicly out there monetary experiences, console has at all times been king. This was the case within the early 2000s on the peak of Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero, within the 2010s when Name of Responsibility was on the rise, and even after Activision purchased Blizzard in 2008 (WoW subscriptions had been nonetheless massive, however not Name of Responsibility massive).
Activision’s newest monetary report marks the third quarter in a row that PC outsold console, and there is motive to consider the pattern will proceed all through 2023. Activision attributes its 74% improve in PC income since this time final yr to the success of Name of Responsibility and Overwatch 2, but it surely additionally particularly highlights increased revenues for WoW: Dragonflight and Diablo Immortal (two video games that are not on console). Blizzard is presently the most important issue within the PC’s progress inside Activision. Whereas Blizzard video games are solely making about half as a lot as Name of Responsibility, 72% of that income is on PC and simply 8% is on console. Name of Responsibility’s income is extra evenly cut up: 59% console, 26% PC, and 15% cell. Blizzard’s console viewers may develop considerably when Diablo 4 launches in June concurrently on PC and consoles (a primary for the collection).
Zoom out on Activision’s numbers, and you may see the PC is gaining floor in Activision’s yearly experiences, too. Final yr, the corporate recorded the smallest hole between console and PC income in latest historical past: simply $100 million. That is a number of hundred million lower than 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. If the yr goes on like this, 2023 might be the yr that the PC turns into Activision’s second-biggest platform behind cell (Sweet Crush continues to crush).