World of Warcraft Subscriptions Increase

During Blizzard’s Q4 2013 earnings meeting, it was announced World of Warcraft subscriptions have increased by 200k.  The 2013 subscription year looked to be bleak for World of Warcraft subscriptions; Q1 2013 saw the peak at 8.3 million, and by Q2 2013 the subscriptions dipped to 7.7 million.  World of Warcraft subscriptions continued to steadily decline into Q3 at 7.6 million subscriptions.  However, there was an interesting 200k increase between September 2013 and December 2013.  This 200k growth may be the result of lingering excitement from Blizzcon 2013 that occurred within Q4.  Excitement over changes and prospects of the new expansion may have ignited some interest in past players, though considering the new expansion won’t see shelves for at least 4-5 months, it’s questionable if the World of Warcraft subscriptions will remain positive or again decline.

World of Warcraft Subscriptions Not Correlated with Activision Blizzard Stock Fluctuations

Some may think the ultimate decline in World of Warcraft subscriptions during 2013 may spell disaster for Activision Blizzard as a company.  Think again.  The 2013 stock chart for Activision Blizzard Inc saw an overall increase in share prices.  The price per share mid Q1 2013 was approximately $13.50.  By the end of Q4 2013, it had increased to an astonishing $17.80 per share.  With the recent collaboration with Bungie to produce the largely anticipated console game “Destiny”, along with the numerous projected releases of Diablo, World of Warcraft and potential StarCraft II expansions, 2014 is projected to be a busy – and likely lucrative – year for Activision Blizzard.  During the Q4 2013 earnings meeting, Blizzard announced they anticipate producing “record” sales during 2014. World of Warcraft subscriptions may be scrutinized by many, but it’s far from being the sole cash cow of the company.  For those interested in breaking into a bit of investing, Activision Blizzard may be a viable option. Activision Blizzard also announced an increase to dividends to $0.20 per share, with a scheduled payment in May 2014.  The shares are affordable and significant growth is expected.