Xboxist

Activision Reports Record Net Revenues for Fiscal 2007

Activision has announced record net revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

Net revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 were $1.51 billion, as compared to $1.47 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. Net income for the fiscal year was $85.8 million, as compared to net income of $40.3 million.

Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO of Activision, Inc., commented, "Activision's fiscal year 2007 net revenues, which were the highest in the company's history, totaled $1.5 billion, marking 15 consecutive years of revenue growth. We delivered solid results for the fourth quarter driven by the success of Guitar Hero II and Call of Duty 3, as well as better than expected performance of the company's distribution business. Our balance sheet remains one of the strongest in the industry with nearly $1 billion in cash and short-term investments and $1.4 billion in shareholders' equity.

"We expect fiscal 2008 to be our largest and most profitable year ever. The combination of our first quarter slate and superb release schedule for the balance of the year, Guitar Hero's rapid rise as a popular cultural phenomenon and our solid leadership position on all of the major gaming platforms, should provide us with a competitive advantage as we enter the growth phase of the new hardware cycle. We remain focused on expanding operating margins by growing our balanced franchise portfolio, increasing our international publishing capabilities and continuing to improve operational efficiencies worldwide," Kotick added.

Business Highlights

Activision's fiscal year results were driven by strong worldwide consumer response to Call of Duty 3, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Guitar Hero II, as well as the strength of its distribution business. During the fiscal year, the company grew its U.S. console market share, was the #2 U.S. third-party software publisher overall, and had two top-10 best-selling titles overall in the U.S., Call of Duty 3 and Guitar Hero II, according to The NPD Group.

During the fiscal year, Activision successfully integrated RedOctane into its business and expanded the Guitar Hero franchise globally. According to The NPD Group, in the U.S. Guitar Hero II was the #2 best-selling franchise overall and the #1 best-selling franchise on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

During the fourth quarter, Activision released three titles for the PLAYSTATION 3 in Europe - Tony Hawk's Project 8, Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance as well as Call of Duty: Roads to Victory for the PSP worldwide.

Other business highlights are as follows:

-- During the fiscal year, Activision was the only U.S. publisher to rank as a top three publisher for both the recently released Wii and PLAYSTATION 3, according to The NPD Group.

-- According to The NPD Group, Call of Duty 3 ended the fiscal year as the #3 best-selling game in the U.S. on the Xbox 360.

-- On May 11, 2007, Activision completed its acquisition of DemonWare, the leading provider of network middleware technologies for console and PC games headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

-- On June 6, 2006, Activision acquired video game publisher RedOctane, Inc. the publisher of the popular Guitar Hero franchise.

-- On May 3, 2006, Activision announced that MGM Interactive and EON Productions Ltd. awarded the company the rights to develop and publish interactive entertainment games based on the James Bond license through 2014.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2008, Activision has already released Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360, as well as games based on Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man 3," and DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third." At the end of June, the company will release TRANSFORMERS: The Game in the U.S., which is based on DreamWorks Pictures' and Paramount Pictures' upcoming feature film that opens theatrically in North America on July 4, 2007. The company will release TRANSFORMERS: The Game internationally in the second quarter concurrent with the theatrical release.

Company Outlook

For fiscal 2008, Activision increased its net revenues outlook to $1.8 billion. Additionally, the company expects operating income to grow in excess of 100% over fiscal 2007.

For the first quarter of the fiscal year 2008, the company expects net revenues of $425 million. The company also announced that it would move the release of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars into the second quarter.