Activision Ranks #1 U.S. Console and Handheld Publisher for October, According to NPD
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov 19, 2007: Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) was the #1 U.S. console and handheld publisher for the month of October, increasing its U.S. market share to a record 28.7%, according to The NPD Group. The company's performance was driven by the success of Guitar Hero ® III: Legends of Rock TM , which was the #1 U.S. best-selling title across all platforms, despite only one week of sales during the month.
For the month of October, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the #1 U.S. best-selling title for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft; the PLAYSTATION ® 3 and PlayStation ® 2 computer entertainment systems and the Wii TM home video game system from Nintendo. Additionally, it was the first third-party game ever to rank #1 on the Wii platform.
"The Guitar Hero franchise has only scratched the surface of its potential since it was previously only available for the PlayStation ® 2 computer entertainment systems and the Xbox 360 TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft," said Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO of Activision. "Despite having significantly increased our production capabilities for the holiday, there is still a high likelihood that we will not be able to meet demand for this game on every platform."
Guitar Hero has expanded well beyond video games and is one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the marketplace, having sold more than eight million units worldwide through October, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock marks the franchise's debut on PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii home video game system from Nintendo, making it the only music based game available on all console platforms this holiday season.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In this release they are identified by references to dates after the date of this release and words such as "will," "will be," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes", "may", "expects," "intends," and similar expressions. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, sales of Activision's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions, integration of recently acquired subsidiaries and identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, limitations on our ability to issue stock and options and foreign exchange rate changes. Other factors that could cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, without limitation, the further implementation, acceptance and effectiveness of the remedial measures recommended or adopted by the special sub-committee of independent directors established in July 2006 to review Activision's historical stock option granting practices, the board and Activision; the outcome of the SEC's formal investigation and the derivative litigation filed in July 2006 against certain current and former directors and officers of Activision relating to Activision's stock option granting practices, the possibility that additional claims and proceedings will be commenced, including additional stockholder litigation, employee litigation, and additional action by the SEC and/or other regulatory agencies, other litigation (unrelated to stock option granting practices), and the risks identified in Activision's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and recent reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision as of the date of this release, and Activision assumes no obligations to update any such forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations.