While a Warcraft mobile game has been rumoured since as early as 2017, we haven’t gotten any official word yet — until now.
During its Q4 2021 earnings report, Activision Blizzard confirmed that a mobile iteration is indeed coming in 2022.
No other details were provided, such as how the game will play or even what it will be called. Nonetheless, this is significant news, given the popularity of World of Warcraft.
It was also inevitable; in 2020, Activision Blizzard confirmed that all of its franchises would get new mobile entries. Over the past few years, we’ve seen that happen with the likes of Call of Duty Mobile, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! and the upcoming Diablo Immortal. Call of Duty Mobile alone made $1 billion USD (about $1.27 billion CAD) in 2021, per the Q4 earnings report.
It’s worth noting, though, that this news comes via a press release. That’s because the company skipped holding an earnings call. While a specific reason for that wasn’t provided, it’s likely due to a couple of factors.
Firstly, the company has been embroiled in significant controversy since last summer due to a California lawsuit. Following a years-long investigation, Activision Blizzard was accused of fostering a toxic work culture that led to the regular abuse of female employees. CEO Bobby Kotick has also come under fire for reportedly working to cover up these misconduct scandals. And most recently, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion (about $87 billion CAD).
Given these factors, it’s likely that the company didn’t want to respond to any inquiries during an earnings call. Ultimately, the next several months will be significant for Activision Blizzard, especially as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigates the acquisition. It remains to be seen whether the deal will even be approved, but assuming it does, Microsoft has said it doesn’t expect it to close until “fiscal year 2023,” which could be up to 18 months from now.
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment
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