First time since 2019 that Activision's active player base has fallen below 100 million

As of June 30, Call of Duty publisher's MAU totaled 94 million, down from 100 million in the first quarter. Since the release of Call of Duty Mobile in the fourth quarter of 2019, its MAUs have been above 100 million, peaking at 150 million during the first quarter of 2021.

Activision announced Monday that its second-quarter revenue and operating income declined year-over-year due to lower engagement for the Call of Duty franchise, but grew compared to the first quarter.” As the company prepares to release two new Call of Duty games in the fourth quarter, engagement is expected to increase.

The release date for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has been confirmed by Activision as October 28, 2022. Later this year, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 will also be released as an expansion to the Modern Warfare universe.

“Activision's newly expanded studios continue to make excellent progress on an innovative mobile experience that will extend Warzone to the largest and fastest growing mobile platform,” the company stated on Monday. “Call of Duty's teams are well-positioned to support these launches with extensive live operations, as well as continue developing new premium content through 2023 and beyond..”

Activision Blizzard will be acquired by Xbox owner Microsoft for 68.7 billion dollars in a deal announced in January. Sony indicated in new documents that it believes Call of Duty could lead users to switch to Xbox if the proposed acquisition is approved by regulators.

source: VGC