Call of Duty: Mobile
Upon its initial release in October, 2019, Call of Duty: Mobile has surpassed 35 million downloads and achieved the #1 spot on the App Store in over 100 countries and regions right away. Fast forward to today and you’ll see that the game continues to prove it wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder. I was surprised by this, mainly because there were already games like PUBG and Fortnite on the market to compete with, but nevertheless, it surpassed them both upon its release. Mobile games are cost-efficient to make, so that’s a big win for the company to have a record like that.
Call of Duty: Warzone
With over 220,000 views on Twitch and currently holding the #1 spot in live views (at the time of writing this article), it’s clear how big and successful this new update has been. I will admit that there is a history of games claiming top charts momentarily, just to fade away. So yes, there is a reasonable amount of doubt for how “sticky” these games are, but I believe if the game made a profit during those initial releases, espeically from just a game update, then that’s a win for the company. With the coronavirus now being declared a pandemic, we can continue to see even more people staying home, which is why I believe the new release of Warzone came just in time. More people at home = more potential consumers.
Esports: Overwatch and Call of Duty League
If you grew up with MLG (Major League Gaming), you’d be happy to see how the Call of Duty League is evolving and essentially reviving the competitive scene from back then. For those unfamiliar with MLG, it was the most exciting way to play competitive games with major highlights and cash prizes, especially in relation to Call of Duty. With the growing active monthly users being reported by Activision, we can expect the Call of Duty esports scene to grow again, this time with more social media presence, bigger cash prizes, and a growing fan base for esports. It’s also a big bonus to see the Call of Duty League launch with “deeply experienced team owners, high profile sponsors, and streaming distribution through YouTube,” as stated in their 2019 Q4 report.
The same idea applies to the Overwatch League, which has been growing its worldwide viewers to over 200 million with the help of YouTube broadcasting the events. Below you can see some interesting statistics from socialblade.com, showing the growth for their YouTube channels.
Overwatch League’s YouTube Channel:
Call of Duty League’s YouTube Channel:
Summary
The coronavirus continues to get worse and is forcing much of the world to stay at home. I wrote this article to explain why I see Activision Blizzard as a good stock for that very reason. Activision shows a promising future with esports and their recent success with Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Mobile. I don’t think it’s unlikely to see an accelerated growth in viewership for esports, as well as the monthly active users for Call of Duty and Overwatch, espeically with Overwatch 2 not too far away.
