‘Overwatch is a billion-dollar franchise, I say g’damn
Overwatch. Probably not for me, but I respect that it’s dope-as-fuck. Many, many people respect this as well, since the is a billion-dollar franchise.
In less than a year, Blizzard’s multiplayer shooter Overwatch has already earned $1 billion. Activision Blizzard revealed the news during the company’s recent earnings report, calling the game “the 8th billion-dollar franchise in Activision Blizzard’s portfolio,” joining the likes of Skylanders and Call of Duty.
Overwatch debuted last May and since then has gone on to become Activision Blizzard’s fastest-growing new franchise; last month the game hit 30 million registered players. While much of that $1 billion comes from sales of the game itself, in-game purchases likely make up a big chunk as well. According to Activision Blizzard, the company’s in-game content business grew by 25 percent year over year, buoyed primarily by Overwatch and World of Warcraft. Since launch, Overwatch has regularly rolled out seasonal events that include new cosmetic items players can earn by purchasing loot boxes.
Overwatch isn’t the only Activision Blizzard franchise to hit a major milestone, either. The publisher also revealed that free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone has surpassed 70 million registered players.