Activision Blizzard beats its Q1 earnings expectations

Activision Blizzard revealed its earnings for the first quarter of 2019, a period that ended on March 31. The gaming company reported GAAP earnings of $1.825 billion. That is higher than its outlook of $1.715 billion, although the number is down from the $1.965 billion it earned during 2018’s first quarter.

Activision Blizzard gives credit for the quarter’s performance to its core franchises (including Call of Duty and Blizzard games), its esports businesses with Overwatch League and a Call of Duty city-based league (including selling its first five teams to cities), and the success of the action game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which sold 2 million copies in less than 10 days.