Activision Blizzard (ATVI)

The development of MMOG products requires substantial up-front expenditures. We may not be able to recover development costs for our future MMOG products.

Consumer preferences for games are usually cyclical and difficult to predict, and even the most successful titles remain popular for only limited periods of time, unless refreshed with new content. In order to remain competitive in the MMOG market, we must continuously develop new products and enhancements to existing products. Because of the significant complexity of MMOG games, these products require a longer development time and are more expensive to create than traditional console game products. In addition, the long lead time involved in developing a MMOG product and the significant allocation of financial resources that each product requires means it is critical that we accurately predict consumer demand for new MMOG products. While World of Warcraft’s popularity allowed Vivendi Games to recoup its production costs, if future MMOG products do not achieve expected market acceptance or generate sufficient sales and subscription revenues upon introduction, we may not be able to recover the development and marketing costs associated with new products, and our financial results could suffer.

A substantial portion of Activision Blizzard’s revenues is expected to be  derived from subscriptions paid by World of Warcraft subscribers. If these customers cancel their subscriptions, our financial condition may suffer.

A substantial portion of our revenues is generated by subscription fees paid by consumers who play World of Warcraft. Typically, World of Warcraft subscribers purchase one (1) to three (3) month memberships that are cancelable, without penalty, at the end of the membership period. If World of Warcraft subscribers become dissatisfied, they may chose not to renew their memberships in order to engage in other forms of entertainment (including competing MMOG offerings) and we may not be able to replace lost subscribers. Additionally, if general economic conditions decline, consumers may decrease their discretionary spending on entertainment items such as MMOG games and users may choose not to renew their World of Warcraft subscriptions. A decrease in the overall subscription base of World of Warcraft could substantially harm our operating results.