Vivendi profits lifted by World of Warcraft

Vivendi has announced its financial results for the first half of the year, posting the biggest increase in revenues generated by its games division and the continued success of hit MMO World of Warcraft.

For the second quarter ended June 30th, the company posted revenues of 4.844 million Euro, up 4.8 per cent on the same period in 2005. Revenue for the first half of the year reached 9.610 million, showing an overall increase of 5.2 per cent compared to last year's 9.131 million Euro.

Whilst the multimedia group experienced growth in almost every division, the success of World of Warcraft has resulted in the company's games division showing the largest growth and contributing significantly to the overall revenue increase for the period.

Vivendi Games posted second quarter revenues of 162 million Euro, a 29.6 per cent increase on the comparable period last year. First half revenues peaked at 296 million Euro, an overall increase of 24.4 per cent on the previous year.

Whilst the company attributes the majority of its games division success to WOW, positive sales of animated movie tie-in Ice Age 2, 50 Cent: Bulletproof and the latest iteration in the long-running Crash Bandicoot franchise were also noted as key revenue drivers.

The subscription-based model for World of Warcraft continues to provide a solid revenue stream for the company, and its global success shows no signs of waning in the near future. The first expansion pack for the game is scheduled for release this autumn, and looks set to continue to lift the group's overall revenue in the second half of 2006.