Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced second-quarter 2019 results.

Our second quarter results exceeded our prior outlook for both revenue and earnings per share,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “In the first half of 2019 we have prioritized investments in our key franchises and, beginning in the second half of this year our audiences will have a chance to see and experience the initial results of these efforts.”

Financial Metrics

 

 

Q2

(in millions, except EPS)

 

2019

 

Prior Outlook*

 

2018

GAAP Net Revenues

 

$1,396

$1,315

$1,641

Impact of GAAP deferralsA

 

($189)

($165)

($256)

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP EPS

 

$0.43

$0.21

$0.52

Non-GAAP EPS

 

$0.53

$0.35

$0.62

Impact of GAAP deferralsA

 

($0.15)

($0.12)

($0.21)

 

 

 

 

 

* Prior outlook was provided by the company on May 2, 2019 in its earnings release.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2019, Activision Blizzard’s net revenues presented in accordance with GAAP were $1.40 billion, as compared with $1.64 billion for the second quarter of 2018. GAAP net revenues from digital channels were $1.09 billion. GAAP operating margin was 24%. GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.43, as compared with $0.52 for the second quarter of 2018.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2019, on a non-GAAP basis, Activision Blizzard’s operating margin was 32% and earnings per diluted share were $0.53, as compared with $0.62 for the second quarter of 2018.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2019, operating cash flow was $154 million. For the trailing twelve-month period, operating cash flow was $1.86 billion.

Please refer to the tables at the back of this press release for a reconciliation of the company’s GAAP and non-GAAP results.

Operating Metrics

For the quarter ended June 30, 2019, Activision Blizzard’s net bookingsB were $1.21 billion, compared with $1.38 billion for the second quarter of 2018. Net bookingsB from digital channels were $1.01 billion, as compared with $1.20 billion for the second quarter of 2018.

Selected Business Highlights

Activision Blizzard outperformed our second quarter outlook, reflecting strong creative and commercial execution as we continued to reposition the business for future growth. Across Call of Duty®, Candy Crush™, Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, and Diablo®, we are expanding our development teams so that we can accelerate the delivery of content in our pipeline, pursue new business models, broaden our communities, and delight our players.

Audience Reach

  • Activision Blizzard had 327 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs)C in the quarter.
  • King had 258 million MAUsC. Candy Crush franchise MAUsC grew year-over-year, driven by growth in Candy Crush Saga™ and the addition of Candy Crush Friends Saga™.
  • Activision had 37 million MAUsC. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 MAUsC grew year-over-year versus Call of Duty: WWII, and hours played increased by more than 50%. Crash™ Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled enjoyed positive critical reviews and strong sales, particularly through digital channels.
  • Blizzard had 32 million MAUsC. Hearthstone MAUsC grew quarter-over-quarter following the release of the Rise of Shadows™ expansion and The Dalaran Heist single-player Adventure. Overwatch MAUsC were relatively stable quarter-over-quarter, with engagement increasing following the release of the Workshop. Subscribers in World of Warcraft® increased since mid-May, following the release date announcement and beta for World of Warcraft Classic and the Rise of Azshara™ content update.

Deep Engagement

  • Total time spent in King’s Candy Crush franchise grew strongly year-over-year.
  • Total hours played in Activision’s Call of Duty franchise rose double-digits year-over-year.
  • Daily time spent per player in Blizzard’s franchises again increased year-over-year.
  • Overwatch League™ hours viewed continued to grow robustly year-over-year in the two stages held during the second quarter. Season-to-date, viewership and average minute audience have grown double-digits year-over-year.

Player Investment

  • Activision Blizzard delivered approximately $800 million of in-game net bookingsB in the second quarter.
  • King’s Candy Crush was the top-grossing franchise in the U.S. mobile app stores, a lead position it has held for the last two years1.
  • Advertising in the King network continued to ramp, with net bookingsB growing sequentially and doubling year-over-year.
  • For Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, net bookingsB from in-game items grew year-over-year versus Call of Duty: WWII and are ahead of WWII on a comparable life-to-date basis.
  • Hearthstone net bookingsB grew sequentially in Q2 following the release of Rise of Shadows and the introduction of the paid single-player Adventure, with the expansion also outperforming last Q4’s Rastakhan’s Rumble™.

Company Outlook

(in millions, except EPS)

 

GAAP
Outlook

Non-GAAP
Outlook

Impact of GAAP
deferralsA

CY 2019

 

 

 

 

Net Revenues

 

$6,190

$6,190

$110

EPS

 

$1.41

$2.02

$0.13

Fully Diluted Shares

 

774

774

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q3 2019

 

 

 

 

Net Revenues

 

$1,105

$1,105

($5)

EPS

 

$0.05

$0.20

Fully Diluted Shares

 

772

772

 

Net bookingsB are expected to be $6.30 billion for 2019 and $1.10 billion for the third quarter of 2019.

Currency Assumptions for 2019 Outlook:

  • $1.15 USD/Euro for current outlook (vs. average of $1.12 for 2018, $1.12 for 2017, and $1.11 for 2016); and
  • $1.24 USD/British Pound Sterling for current outlook (vs. average of $1.30 for 2018, $1.30 for 2017 and $1.36 for 2016).
  • Note: Our financial guidance includes the forecasted impact of our FX hedging program.

Capital Allocation

The company paid a cash dividend of $0.37 per common share, up 9% year-over-year, in May 2019 to shareholders as of record at the close of business on March 28, 2019. Cash payments totaled $283 million.

Conference Call

Today at 4:30 p.m. EDT, Activision Blizzard’s management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the company’s results for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 and management’s outlook for the remainder of the calendar year. The company welcomes all members of the financial and media communities and other interested parties to visit https://investor.activision.com to listen to the conference call via live Webcast or to listen to the call live by dialing into 800-239-9838 in the U.S. with passcode 3325605. A replay of the call will also be available after the call’s conclusion and archived for one year at https://investor.activision.com/events.cfm.

About Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, is a leading standalone interactive entertainment company. We delight hundreds of millions of monthly active users around the world through franchises including Activision’s Call of Duty®, Spyro®, and Crash™, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Hearthstone®, Diablo®, StarCraft®, and Heroes of the Storm®, and King’s Candy Crush™, Bubble Witch™, and Farm Heroes™. The company is one of the Fortune “100 Best Companies To Work For®.” Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has operations throughout the world. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activisionblizzard.com.

1

U.S. ranking for Apple App Store and Google Play Store combined, per App Annie Intelligence for second quarter of 2019.

A

Net effect of accounting treatment from revenue deferrals on certain of our online-enabled products. Since certain of our games are hosted online or include significant online functionality that represents a separate performance obligation, we defer the transaction price allocable to the online functionality from the sale of these games and then recognize the attributable revenues over the relevant estimated service periods, which are generally less than a year. The related cost of revenues is deferred and recognized as an expense as the related revenues are recognized. Impact from changes in deferrals refers to the net effect from revenue deferrals accounting treatment for the purposes of revenues, along with, for the purposes of EPS, the related cost of revenues deferrals treatment and the related tax impacts. Internally, management excludes the impact of this change in deferred revenues and related cost of revenues when evaluating the company’s operating performance, when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods, and when assessing the performance of its management team. Management believes this is appropriate because doing so enables an analysis of performance based on the timing of actual transactions with our customers. In addition, management believes excluding the change in deferred revenues and the related cost of revenues provides a much more timely indication of trends in our operating results.

B

Net bookings is an operating metric that is defined as the net amount of products and services sold digitally or sold-in physically in the period, and includes license fees, merchandise, and publisher incentives, among others, and is equal to net revenues excluding the impact from deferrals.

C

Monthly Active User (“MAU”) Definition: We monitor MAUs as a key measure of the overall size of our user base. MAUs are the number of individuals who accessed a particular game in a given month. We calculate average MAUs in a period by adding the total number of MAUs in each of the months in a given period and dividing that total by the number of months in the period. An individual who accesses two of our games would be counted as two users. In addition, due to technical limitations, for Activision and King, an individual who accesses the same game on two platforms or devices in the relevant period would be counted as two users. For Blizzard, an individual who accesses the same game on two platforms or devices in the relevant period would generally be counted as a single user.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures: As a supplement to our financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), Activision Blizzard presents certain non-GAAP measures of financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or as more important than, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. In addition, these non-GAAP measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all of the items associated with the company’s results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP.

Activision Blizzard provides net income (loss), earnings (loss) per share, and operating margin data and guidance both including (in accordance with GAAP) and excluding (non-GAAP) certain items. When relevant, the company also provides constant FX information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. In addition, Activision Blizzard provides EBITDA (defined as GAAP net income (loss) before interest (income) expense, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and adjusted EBITDA (defined as non-GAAP operating margin (see non-GAAP financial measure below) before depreciation). The non-GAAP financial measures exclude the following items, as applicable in any given reporting period and our outlook:

  • expenses related to share-based compensation;
  • the amortization of intangibles from purchase price accounting;
  • fees and other expenses related to the King acquisition, including related debt financings, and refinancing of long-term debt, including penalties and the write off of unamortized discount and deferred financing costs;
  • restructuring and related charges;
  • other non-cash charges from reclassification of certain cumulative translation adjustments into earnings as required by GAAP;
  • the income tax adjustments associated with any of the above items (tax impact on non-GAAP pre-tax income is calculated under the same accounting principles applied to the GAAP pre-tax income under ASC 740, which employs an annual effective tax rate method to the results); and
  • significant discrete tax-related items, including amounts related to changes in tax laws (including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017), amounts related to the potential or final resolution of tax positions, and other unusual or unique tax-related items and activities.

In the future, Activision Blizzard may also consider whether other items should also be excluded in calculating the non-GAAP financial measures used by the company. Management believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with additional useful information to measure Activision Blizzard’s financial and operating performance. In particular, the measures facilitate comparison of operating performance between periods and help investors to better understand the operating results of Activision Blizzard by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the company’s core business, operating results, or future outlook. Additionally, we consider quantitative and qualitative factors in assessing whether to adjust for the impact of items that may be significant or that could affect an understanding of our ongoing financial and business performance or trends. Internally, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures, along with others, in assessing the company’s operating results, and measuring compliance with the requirements of the company’s debt financing agreements, as well as in planning and forecasting.

Activision Blizzard’s non-GAAP financial measures are not based on a comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, and the terms non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP earnings per share, non-GAAP operating margin, and non-GAAP or adjusted EBITDA do not have a standardized meaning. Therefore, other companies may use the same or similarly named measures, but exclude different items, which may not provide investors a comparable view of Activision Blizzard’s performance in relation to other companies.

Management compensates for the limitations resulting from the exclusion of these items by considering the impact of the items separately and by considering Activision Blizzard’s GAAP, as well as non-GAAP, results and outlook, and by presenting the most comparable GAAP measures directly ahead of non-GAAP measures, and by providing a reconciliation that indicates and describes the adjustments made.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: The statements contained herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about: (1) projections of revenues, expenses, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, cash flow or other financial items; (2) statements of our plans and objectives, including those related to releases of products and services and restructuring activities; (3) statements of future financial or operating performance, including the impact of tax items thereon; and (4) statements of assumptions underlying such statements. The company generally uses words such as “outlook,” “forecast,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “to be,” “plan,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “might,” “expects,” “intends,” “intends as,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” “future,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming,” and other similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks, reflect management’s current expectations, estimates, and projections about our business, and are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict.

We caution that a number of important factors could cause our actual future results and other future circumstances to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: our ability to consistently deliver popular, high-quality titles in a timely manner; our ability to satisfy the expectations of consumers with respect to our brands, games, services, and/or business practices; concentration of revenue among a small number of titles; the continued growth in the scope and complexity of our business, including the diversion of management time and attention to issues relating to the operations of our newly acquired or started businesses and the potential impact of our expansion into new businesses on our existing businesses; our ability to realize the expected financial and operational benefits of, and effectively manage, our recently announced restructuring plans; increasing importance of revenues derived from digital distribution channels; risks associated with the retail sales business model; substantial influence of third-party platform providers over our products and costs; success and availability of video game consoles manufactured by third parties; risks associated with the free-to-play business model, including dependence on a relatively small number of consumers for a significant portion of revenues and profits from any given game; risks and costs associated with legal proceedings; changes in tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities, as well as the outcome of current or future tax disputes; rapid changes in technology and industry standards; competition, including from other forms of entertainment; our ability to sell products at assumed pricing levels; our ability to attract, retain, and motivate skilled personnel; reliance on external developers for development of some of our software products; the amount of our debt and the limitations imposed by the covenants in the agreements governing our debt; counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors, and manufacturers; intellectual property claims; piracy and unauthorized copying of our products; risks and uncertainties of conducting business outside the U.S.; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increasing regulation of our business, products, and distribution in key territories; compliance with continually evolving laws and regulations concerning data privacy; potential data breaches and other cybersecurity risks; and the other factors identified in “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the company at this time and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although these forward-looking statements are believed to be true when made, they may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of our future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

(Tables to Follow)

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Amounts in millions, except per share data)

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

2019

 

2018

 

2019

 

2018

Net revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product sales

$

359

 

 

$

464

 

 

$

1,015

 

 

$

1,184

 

Subscription, licensing, and other revenues 1

1,037

 

 

1,177

 

 

2,205

 

 

2,423

 

Total net revenues

1,396

 

 

1,641

 

 

3,220

 

 

3,607

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costs and expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenues—product sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product costs

99

 

 

126

 

 

251

 

 

289

 

Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses

51

 

 

49

 

 

162

 

 

194

 

Cost of revenues—subscription, licensing, and other:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game operations and distribution costs

230

 

 

250

 

 

469

 

 

521

 

Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses

53

 

 

85

 

 

114

 

 

169

 

Product development

244

 

 

255

 

 

492

 

 

513

 

Sales and marketing

191

 

 

226

 

 

397

 

 

477

 

General and administrative

170

 

 

216

 

 

350

 

 

415

 

Restructuring and related costs

22

 

 

 

 

79

 

 

 

Total costs and expenses

1,060

 

 

1,207

 

 

2,314

 

 

2,578

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating income

336

 

 

434

 

 

906

 

 

1,029

 

Interest and other expense (income), net

(34

)

 

26

 

 

(31

)

 

54

 

Income before income tax expense

370

 

 

408

 

 

937

 

 

975

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income tax expense

42

 

 

6

 

 

163

 

 

73

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

$

328

 

 

$

402

 

 

$

774

 

 

$

902

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings per common share

$

0.43

 

 

$

0.53

 

 

$

1.01

 

 

$

1.19

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding

766

 

 

761

 

 

765

 

 

760

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted earnings per common share

$

0.43

 

 

$

0.52

 

 

$

1.01

 

 

$

1.17

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding assuming dilution

770

 

 

770

 

 

770

 

 

770

 

1

Subscription, licensing, and other revenues represent revenues from World of Warcraft subscriptions, licensing royalties from our products and franchises, downloadable content, microtransactions, and other miscellaneous revenues.

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(Amounts in millions)

 

 

June 30, 2019 1

 

December 31, 2018 2

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

4,592

 

 

$

4,225

 

Accounts receivable, net

455

 

 

1,035

 

Inventories, net

46

 

 

43

 

Software development

184

 

 

264

 

Other current assets

386

 

 

539

 

Total current assets

5,663

 

 

6,106

 

Software development

90

 

 

65

 

Property and equipment, net

259

 

 

282

 

Deferred income taxes, net

366

 

 

458

 

Other assets

721

 

 

482

 

Intangible assets, net

633

 

 

735

 

Goodwill

9,763

 

 

9,762

 

Total assets

$

17,495

 

 

$

17,890

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

180

 

 

$

253

 

Deferred revenues

728

 

 

1,493

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

731

 

 

896

 

Total current liabilities

1,639

 

 

2,642

 

Long-term debt, net

2,673

 

 

2,671

 

Deferred income taxes, net

20

 

 

18

 

Other liabilities

1,186

 

 

1,167

 

Total liabilities

5,518

 

 

6,498

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

Common stock

 

 

 

Additional paid-in capital

11,063

 

 

10,963

 

Treasury stock

(5,563

)

 

(5,563

)

Retained earnings

7,085

 

 

6,593

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(608

)

 

(601

)

Total shareholders’ equity

11,977

 

 

11,392

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

17,495

 

 

$

17,890

 

1

We adopted a new lease accounting standard in the first quarter of 2019. The new lease accounting standard increased our “Other assets,” “Accrued expenses and other liabilities,” and “Other liabilities” as of June 30, 2019. Refer to our Form 10-Q for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 for additional information.

2

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we identified an amount which should have been recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018 to reduce income tax expense by $35 million. We will revise our 2018 financial statements to correct this matter in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2019. Our balance sheet as of December 31, 2018, as presented above has been revised to reflect the correction. Refer to our Form 10-Q for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, for additional information.

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME TO NON-GAAP MEASURES

(Amounts in millions, except per share data)

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2019

Net Revenues

Cost of Revenues – Product Sales: Product Costs

Cost of Revenues – Product Sales: Software Royalties and Amortization

Cost of Revenues – Subs/Lic/Other: Game Operations and Distribution Costs

Cost of Revenues – Subs/Lic/Other: Software Royalties and Amortization

Product Development

Sales and Marketing

General and Administrative

Restructuring and related costs

Total Costs and Expenses

GAAP Measurement

$

1,396

 

$

99

 

$

51

 

$

230

 

$

53

 

$

244

 

$

191

 

$

170

 

$

22

 

$

1,060

 

Share-based compensation1

 

 

(4

)

 

 

(16

)

(3

)

(15

)

 

(38

)

Amortization of intangible assets2

 

 

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(1

)

 

(47

)

Restructuring and related costs3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(22

)

(22

)

Non-GAAP Measurement

$

1,396

 

$

99

 

$

47

 

$

230

 

$

7

 

$

228

 

$

188

 

$

154

 

$

 

$

953

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net effect of deferred revenues and related cost of revenues4

$

(189

)

$

(20

)

$

(34

)

$

1

 

$

(1

)

$

 

$

 

$

 

$

 

$

(54

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Income

Net Income

Basic Earnings per Share

Diluted Earnings per Share

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP Measurement

$

336

 

$

328

 

$

0.43

 

$

0.43

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share-based compensation1

38

 

38

 

0.05

 

0.05

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization of intangible assets2

47

 

47

 

0.06

 

0.06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restructuring and related costs3

22

 

22

 

0.03

 

0.03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income tax impacts from items above5

 

(18

)

(0.02

)

(0.02

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discrete tax-related items6

 

(8

)

(0.01

)

(0.01

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Measurement

$

443

 

$

409

 

$

0.53

 

$

0.53

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net effect of deferred revenues and related cost of revenues4

$

(135

)

$

(115

)

$

(0.15

)

$

(0.15

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contacts

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

Investors and Analysts:
ir@activisionblizzard.com
or
Press:
pr@activisionblizzard.com

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