Activision Blizzard predicts console sales in 2009, promises one big Blizzard title a year

by JC Fletcher { Feb 12th 2009 at 1:17PM }

In last night's financial earnings conference call, Activision's president Mike Griffith offered the company's outlook on hardware sales for 2009. "For calendar year 2009, we expect the installed base of hardware in North America and Europe will be up eight million units for the PS3 and up eight million units for the Xbox 360," Griffith said. The company believes that "more than 16 million" Wiis will be sold in 2009.

He was somewhat less specific about portable hardware, saying only that the combined installed base of portable systems "will grow in excess of 21 million units." We can guess as to which hardware the company believes to have the most growth potential: the PSP, hampered by its seeming inability to support Guitar Hero, was the least profitable platform for Activision, comprising only 1% of its 2008 profits. The Wii topped that list at 15%.

The Blizzard arm of Activision Blizzard also offered portents for the future: Blizzard COO Paul Sams said that "Blizzard intends on delivering one frontline release per year. I think you can see in our numbers that that is contemplated." The company currently has StarCraft II and Diablo III in the works, as well as the guaranteed hit Whatever the Next World of WarCraft Expansion Is.

Tags: activision, activision-blizzard, diablo-iii, starcraft-ii

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

XenMaster4 @ Feb 12th 2009 1:24PM

One big title a year? Guess that's the end of "when it's done" then?

Mike @ Feb 12th 2009 1:34PM

Nah. I bet it will be Starcraft II this year and Diablo III next year...which gives them plenty of time to finish and polish considering the stages they are at respectively. Or maybe a Warcraft expansion and Diablo III in mid 2011.

SHADOW RENEGADE @ Feb 12th 2009 1:37PM

Not really. they have 4 different teams of people *at least of what we know* one for WoW one for starcraft/warcraft one for diablo and one for the new next gen MMo.

So if it takes 3-4 years to make a decent game, and bearing in mind it is easier to make an expansion and i would say some thing along the calibre of Wrath is a front-line release. this is easily a goal for a company like blizzard

But any way. this is good news for gamers, and even better news for the pc gaming world that we will get a good blizzard game a year. now all we need is a bit more on valves part *episode 3?* and we will be laughing

Dirty @ Feb 12th 2009 1:29PM

They are quite the perfectionists, but at least having a goal will hopefully move things along.

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 12th 2009 1:43PM

They take their time but that's because you can't hurry art.

ittybittygirl @ Feb 12th 2009 2:01PM

Andy Warhol says hello.

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 12th 2009 9:19PM

Ah Um eh,look over there.

(Ah touché)

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 12th 2009 1:41PM

1 Blizzard title per year? You don't say.They are probably talking about WOW expansions.

Blazur @ Feb 12th 2009 3:06PM

Could also be SC2 expansions, since that game is now split into a trilogy.

Duoae @ Feb 12th 2009 3:10PM

You guys all realise that with just StarCraft 2 and Diablo alone they're set for 'delivering one frontline release per year' for the next four years, right?

Diablo 3
SC2:Terrans
SC2:Protoss
SC2:Tyra-er i mean Zerg

That gives them at least 2-4 years to deliver the next WoW expansion.... which isn't that odd.

JD @ Feb 12th 2009 2:08PM

Welcome to end of Blizzard. I read "one release per year" as "rushed out the door to make sure we make the holiday numbers regardless of game quality".

WiNG [XBL&Steam: WiNGSPANTT] from lifeinagame.com @ Feb 12th 2009 2:33PM

Though possible, don't forget Blizzard's deep-seeded love of endless patches. Hell, Diablo 2 was still getting patches 10 years after release.

AwesomeTown @ Feb 12th 2009 2:16PM

For some strange reason, I don't see Starcraft II coming out this year.

kentuckyfried @ Feb 12th 2009 2:17PM

I wish Activision would do patches like that once again...that was alot of fun back in the day

Gimbal @ Feb 12th 2009 4:08PM

I wish *any* company would do that now. I miss my beloved Spider Fighter patch.

They could do it with the Call of Duty series. Get all 1000 achievment points and they send you a patch. Then they would sell your name and address to solicitors to recover the cost of the patch.

Damn solicitors! They ruin everything.

Anam @ Feb 12th 2009 2:33PM

I sincerely hope the promise of one title a year was meant to be laughed at and ignored like most Blizzard release dates, because if they have changed from "when it's done" to "one a year no matter what" then they just lost a fan.

Levi @ Feb 12th 2009 3:04PM

Don't forget Starcraft 2 is coming in like 3 parts. Couple that with Diablo 3 and another WoW expansion, and you have 5 years worth of "one big release per year"

AkaMagi @ Feb 12th 2009 3:34PM

Well, this settles it once and for all. Activision really is run by a bunch of retards.

They think the PS3 will sell 8 million PS3s in North America this year? What kind of drugs are they taking? Perhaps someone should point out that in the past 2 years and 2 months Sony hasn't even sold 7 million PS3's in North America, and that for the past 4 months PS3 sales have dropped compared to the previous year.

Perhaps they meant that they expect Sony to finally sell a total of 8 million PS3's in North America since launch sometime around the middle of this year. That would be somewhat believable.

Discotheque @ Feb 12th 2009 3:49PM

Don't care about Activision. Just give me mah Blizzard games! You don't realize how much you've missed something until it finally comes back.

J.Goodwin @ Feb 12th 2009 5:24PM

One big Blizzard title a year. The big Blizzard title for each of the next five years is a World of Warcraft expansion.

keegan @ Feb 12th 2009 6:46PM

"Frontline release"? I don't think I've ever heard that term before. But if we're counting WoW expansions or Starcraft as three titles, it's easily doable. 3 Starcraft IIs + Diablo II + a WoW XP or two = 5-6 years of this schedule. Blizz has enough manpower now to keep it up.