Activision Hopes Diablo Immortal Will Repeat Success of CoD: Mobile
According to Dennis Durkin, CFO of Activision Blizzard, the success of last year's Call of Duty: Mobile is proof that the company's strategy to publish games based on well-known franchises on phones and tablets works. He is optimistic about the future and Diablo Immortal.
- According to Dennis Durkin, CFO of Activision Blizzard, the financial success of Call of Duty: Mobile is proof that the company's strategy for mobile game publishing is correct.
- He emphasized that mobile games provide an excellent opportunity for larger brands to further increase recognition and offer their fans more ways to experience their favorite titles.
- That's why Durkin is optimistic about Diablo Immortal and other upcoming mobile games from Activision Blizzard's catalogue.
Mobile games do not enjoy much respect among the most ardent fans of digital entertainment. This can be seen in the criticism adressed at Blizzard after the announcement of Diablo Immortal, a mobile spin-off to the cult hack'n'slash serues. Unfortunately, it is very often the case that complaining and mockery from the community are one thing and financial results are another. Take the free Call of Duty: Mobile, for example, which, according to Activision Blizzard's latest quarterly financial report, has contributed to a significant increase in the company's earnings. According to its CFO, Dennis Durkin, the success of the TiMi's 2019 game proves that the adopted strategy for publishing mobile games based on well-known IPs is correct (via PC Gamer).
This topic was raised during a Q&A sessions with investors. One of them asked how Call of Duty: Mobile and its success can influence the upcoming Diablo Immortal. This is what he received in response from Durkin:
"CoD: Mobile is off to a really great start, but we're just scratching the surface of what that franchise can be on mobile, and then integrating the experiences across multiple platforms, we know is just an incredible opportunity for the franchise,"
But to the early successes [of Call of Duty: Mobile], they do represent incredible proof points as to your question of how the franchise strategy is really working. And it certainly applies to a lot of other franchises that we have. We see that our current players really want more ways to engage with their favorite IP, be it through mobile or other platforms, and that offering authentic and really deep experiences on new platforms can drive much much higher engagement. And this quarter's results really shows that.
(…)
"So these proof points are relevant across our portfolio. And to your question, it's not just Diablo, but it's also across all our franchises, and our teams see an opportunity to drive a greater reach, engagement, and player investment, greater than ever before, across our franchises."
Moreover, Durkin has defended free-to-play on mobile devices and other platforms. He emphasized that this distribution model is not "cannibalistic" compared to others, it is able to coexist with them and is a perfect complement for different franchises.
It will be interesting to see whether Diablo Immortal, despite the criticism and numerous controversies, will actually turn out to be a success and a chance to increase the popularity of the brand, as Durkin would like it to. Everything will become clear in some time. Unfortunately, so far we do not know when exactly the full version of the title will debut.
