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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark one)
x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2017
OR
o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 1-15839
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
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95-4803544 |
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(State or other jurisdiction of |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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3100 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA |
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90405 |
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(Address of principal executive offices) |
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(Zip Code) |
(310) 255-2000
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated Filer x |
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Accelerated Filer o |
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Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
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Smaller reporting company o |
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Emerging growth company o |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
The number of shares of the registrants Common Stock outstanding at April 27, 2017 was 753,662,407.
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ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 |
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Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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CERTIFICATIONS |
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This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains, or incorporates by reference, certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements consist of any statement other than a recitation of historical facts and include, but are not limited to: (1) projections of revenues, expenses, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, cash flow, or other financial items; (2) statements of our plans and objectives, including those related to releases of products or services; (3) statements of future financial or operating performance; and (4) statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Activision Blizzard, Inc. generally uses words such as outlook, forecast, will, could, should, would, to be, plan, plans, believes, may, might, expects, intends, intends as, anticipates, estimate, future, positioned, potential, project, remain, scheduled, set to, subject to, upcoming and other similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks, reflect managements current expectations, estimates and projections about our business, and are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict.
The company cautions that a number of important factors could cause Activision Blizzard, Inc.s actual future results and other future circumstances to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the diversion of management time and attention to issues relating to the operations of our acquired or newly started businesses; sales levels of Activision Blizzard, Inc.s titles, products, and services; concentration of revenue among a small number of titles; Activision Blizzard, Inc.s ability to predict consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres and preferences among platforms; the amount of our debt and the limitations imposed by the covenants in the agreements governing our debt; the adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software; counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors, and manufacturers; maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, financing providers, licensees, licensors, manufacturers, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain, and develop key personnel and developers that can create high-quality titles, products, and services; risks relating to the expansion into new businesses, including the potential impact on our existing businesses; changing business models within the video game industry, including digital delivery of content and the increased prevalence of free-to-play games; product delays or defects; competition, including from other forms of entertainment; rapid changes in technology and industry standards; possible declines in software pricing; product returns and price protection; the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion; the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive entertainment market; the outcome of current or future tax disputes; litigation risks and associated costs; protection of proprietary rights; shifts in consumer spending trends; capital market risks; the impact of applicable regulations; domestic and international economic, financial, and political conditions and policies; tax rates and foreign exchange rates; the impact of the current macroeconomic environment; and the other factors identified in Risk Factors included in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.
The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on information available to the company as of the date of this filing and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although these forward-looking statements are believed to be true when made, they may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of our 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 current expectations.
Activision Blizzard, Inc.s names, abbreviations thereof, logos, and product and service designators are all either the registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names of Activision Blizzard, Inc. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions, except share data)
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At March 31, 2017 |
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At December 31, | ||
Assets |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
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$ |
3,248 |
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$ |
3,245 |
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $137 and $261, at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively |
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344 |
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732 | ||
Inventories, net |
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48 |
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49 | ||
Software development |
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370 |
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412 | ||
Other current assets |
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346 |
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392 | ||
Total current assets |
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4,356 |
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4,830 | ||
Software development |
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74 |
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54 | ||
Property and equipment, net |
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245 |
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258 | ||
Deferred income taxes, net |
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371 |
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283 | ||
Other assets |
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439 |
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401 | ||
Intangible assets, net |
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1,673 |
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1,858 | ||
Goodwill |
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9,763 |
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9,768 | ||
Total assets |
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$ |
16,921 |
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$ |
17,452 |
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Liabilities and Shareholders Equity |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable |
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$ |
150 |
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$ |
222 |
Deferred revenues |
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1,153 |
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1,628 | ||
Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
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936 |
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806 | ||
Total current liabilities |
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2,239 |
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2,656 | ||
Long-term debt, net |
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4,393 |
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4,887 | ||
Deferred income taxes, net |
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41 |
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44 | ||
Other liabilities |
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812 |
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746 | ||
Total liabilities |
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7,485 |
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8,333 | ||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 13) |
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Shareholders equity: |
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Common stock, $0.000001 par value, 2,400,000,000 shares authorized, 1,182,228,464 and 1,174,163,069 shares issued at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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10,555 |
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10,442 | ||
Less: Treasury stock, at cost, 428,676,471 shares at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 |
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(5,563) |
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(5,563) | ||
Retained earnings |
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5,069 |
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4,869 | ||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
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(625) |
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(629) | ||
Total shareholders equity |
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9,436 |
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9,119 | ||
Total liabilities and shareholders equity |
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$ |
16,921 |
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$ |
17,452 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions, except per share data)
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For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
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2017 |
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2016 | ||
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Net revenues |
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Product sales |
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$ |
509 |
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$ |
645 |
Subscription, licensing, and other revenues |
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1,217 |
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810 | ||
Total net revenues |
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1,726 |
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1,455 | ||
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Costs and expenses |
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Cost of revenuesproduct sales: |
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Product costs |
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143 |
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169 | ||
Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses |
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88 |
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128 | ||
Cost of revenuessubscription, licensing, and other revenues: |
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Game operations and distribution costs |
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232 |
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142 | ||
Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses |
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122 |
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52 | ||
Product development |
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225 |
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175 | ||
Sales and marketing |
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246 |
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168 | ||
General and administrative |
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177 |
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160 | ||
Total costs and expenses |
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1,233 |
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994 | ||
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Operating income |
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493 |
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461 | ||
Interest and other expense (income), net |
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40 |
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52 | ||
Income before income tax expense |
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453 |
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409 | ||
Income tax expense |
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27 |
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46 | ||
Net income |
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$ |
426 |
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$ |
363 |
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Earnings per common share |
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Basic |
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$ |
0.57 |
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$ |
0.49 |
Diluted |
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$ |
0.56 |
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$ |
0.48 |
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Weighted-average number of shares outstanding |
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Basic |
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749 |
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735 | ||
Diluted |
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761 |
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749 | ||
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Dividends per common share |
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$ |
0.30 |
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$ |
0.26 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions)
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For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
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2017 |
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2016 | ||
Net income |
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$ |
426 |
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$ |
363 |
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Other comprehensive income (loss): |
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Foreign currency translation adjustment |
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19 |
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(5) | ||
Unrealized gains (losses) on forward contracts designated as hedges, net of tax |
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(15) |
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(5) | ||
Total other comprehensive income (loss) |
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$ |
4 |
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$ |
(10) |
Comprehensive income |
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$ |
430 |
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$ |
353 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in millions)
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For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
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2017 |
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2016 | ||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
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Net income |
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$ |
426 |
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$ |
363 |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: |
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Deferred income taxes |
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(80) |
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(63) | ||
Provision for inventories |
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1 |
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11 | ||
Depreciation and amortization |
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224 |
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107 | ||
Amortization of capitalized software development costs and intellectual property licenses(1) |
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89 |
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124 | ||
Amortization of debt discount, financing costs, and non-cash write-off due to extinguishment of debt |
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7 |
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4 | ||
Share-based compensation expense(2) |
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33 |
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34 | ||
Other |
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14 |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect from business acquisitions: |
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Accounts receivable, net |
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396 |
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459 | ||
Inventories |
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2 |
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14 | ||
Software development and intellectual property licenses |
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(67) |
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(104) | ||
Other assets |
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(3) |
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83 | ||
Deferred revenues |
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(494) |
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(508) | ||
Accounts payable |
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(76) |
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(184) | ||
Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
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(61) |
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(3) | ||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
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411 |
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337 | ||
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Cash flows from investing activities: |
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Acquisition of King, net of cash acquired (see Note 14) |
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(4,588) | ||
Release of cash in escrow |
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3,561 | ||
Capital expenditures |
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(21) |
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(27) | ||
Other investing activities |
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(2) |
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(14) | ||
Net cash used in investing activities |
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(23) |
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(1,068) | ||
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Cash flows from financing activities: |
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Proceeds from issuance of common stock to employees |
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109 |
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24 | ||
Tax payment related to net share settlements on restricted stock units |
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(13) |
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(11) | ||
Proceeds from debt issuances, net of discounts |
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2,551 |
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2,520 | ||
Repayment of long-term debt |
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(3,051) |
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(750) | ||
Debt financing costs related to debt issuances |
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(4) | ||
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities |
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(404) |
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1,779 | ||
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
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19 |
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1 | ||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
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3 |
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1,049 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
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3,245 |
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1,823 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
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$ |
3,248 |
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$ |
2,872 |
(1) Excludes deferral and amortization of share-based compensation expense.
(2) Includes the net effects of capitalization, deferral, and amortization of share-based compensation expense.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
(Unaudited)
(Amounts and shares in millions, except per share data)
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Common Stock |
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Treasury Stock |
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Additional |
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Retained |
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Accumulated |
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Total | ||||||||||
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
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Earnings |
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Income (Loss) |
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Equity | ||||||
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
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1,174 |
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$ |
|
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(429) |
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$ |
(5,563) |
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$ |
10,442 |
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$ |
4,869 |
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$ |
(629) |
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$ |
9,119 |
Components of comprehensive income: |
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Net income |
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426 |
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426 | ||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
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4 |
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4 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock pursuant to employee stock options |
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7 |
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111 |
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111 | ||||||
Issuance of common stock pursuant to restricted stock units |
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2 |
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Restricted stock surrendered for employees tax liability |
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(1) |
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(29) |
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(29) | ||||||
Share-based compensation expense related to employee stock options and restricted stock rights |
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31 |
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31 | ||||||
Dividends ($0.30 per common share) |
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(226) |
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(226) | ||||||
Balance at March 31, 2017 |
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1,182 |
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$ |
|
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(429) |
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$ |
(5,563) |
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$ |
10,555 |
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$ |
5,069 |
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$ |
(625) |
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$ |
9,436 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1. Description of Business and Basis of Consolidation and Presentation
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services. We develop and distribute content and services across all of the major gaming platforms, including video game consoles, personal computers (PC), and mobile devices. The terms Activision Blizzard, the Company, we, us, and our are used to refer collectively to Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
The Company was originally incorporated in California in 1979 and was reincorporated in Delaware in December 1992. We are the result of the 2008 business combination (the Business Combination) by and among the Company (then known as Activision, Inc.), Vivendi S.A. (Vivendi), and Vivendi Games, Inc. (Vivendi Games), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Vivendi. In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, Activision, Inc., was renamed Activision Blizzard, Inc.
The common stock of Activision Blizzard is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol ATVI.
The King Acquisition
On February 23, 2016 (the King Closing Date), we acquired King Digital Entertainment, a leading interactive mobile entertainment company (King), by purchasing all of its outstanding shares (the King Acquisition), as further described in Note 14. Our condensed consolidated financial statements include the operations of King commencing on the King Closing Date.
Our Segments
Based upon our organizational structure, we conduct our business through three reportable segments as follows:
(i) Activision Publishing, Inc.
Activision Publishing, Inc. (Activision) is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive software products and entertainment content, particularly in console gaming. Activision primarily delivers content through retail channels or digital downloads, including full-game sales and in-game purchases, as well as licenses of software to third-party or related-party companies that distribute Activision products. Activision develops, markets, and sells products which are principally based on our internally-developed intellectual properties, as well as some licensed properties. Additionally, we have established a long-term alliance with Bungie to publish its game universe, Destiny.
Activisions key product franchises include: Call of Duty®, a first-person shooter for the console and PC platforms; Destiny, an online universe of first-person action gameplay (which we call a shared-world shooter) for console platforms; and Skylanders®, a franchise geared towards children that brings physical toys to life digitally in the game, primarily for console platforms.
(ii) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (Blizzard) is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive software products and entertainment content, particularly in PC gaming. Blizzard primarily delivers content through retail channels or digital downloads, including subscriptions, full-game sales, and in-game purchases, as well as licenses of software to third-party or related party companies that distribute Blizzard products. Blizzard also maintains a proprietary online gaming service which facilitates digital distribution of Blizzard content, online social connectivity across all Blizzard games, and the creation of user-generated content for Blizzards games.
Blizzards key product franchises include: World of Warcraft®, a subscription-based massive multi-player online role-playing game for the PC; StarCraft®, a real-time strategy PC franchise; Diablo®, an action role-playing franchise for PC and console platforms; Hearthstone®, an online collectible card franchise for the PC and mobile platforms; Heroes of the Storm®, a free-to-play team brawler for the PC; and Overwatch®, a team-based first person shooter for the PC and console platforms.
(iii) King Digital Entertainment
King is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services, particularly on mobile platforms, such as Android and iOS. King also distributes its content and services on online social platforms, such as Facebook and the king.com websites. Kings games are free-to-play, however, players can acquire in-game virtual items, either with virtual currency the players purchase or directly using real currency.
Kings key product franchises, all of which are for the PC and mobile platforms, include: Candy Crush, which features match three games; Farm Heroes, which also features match three games; Pet Rescue, which is a clicker game; and Bubble Witch, which features bubble shooter games.
(iv) Other
We also engage in other businesses that do not represent reportable segments, including:
· the Major League Gaming (MLG) business, which is devoted to esports and builds on our competitive gaming efforts by creating ways to deliver best-in-class fan experiences across games, platforms, and geographies with a long-term strategy of monetization through advertising, sponsorships, tournaments and leagues, and premium content;
· the Activision Blizzard Studios (Studios) business, which is devoted to creating original film and television content based on our library of globally recognized intellectual properties, and which, in October 2016, released the first season of the animated TV series Skylanders Academy on Netflix; and
· the Activision Blizzard Distribution (Distribution) business, which consists of operations in Europe that provide warehousing, logistics, and sales distribution services to third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software, our own publishing operations, and manufacturers of interactive entertainment hardware.
Basis of Consolidation and Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) for interim reporting. Accordingly, certain notes or other information that are normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted if they substantially duplicate the disclosures contained in the annual audited consolidated financial statements. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.
The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for the fair statement of our financial position and results of operations in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been included in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of the Company. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to the current period presentation.
The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date, but before the financial statements are issued, to provide additional evidence relative to certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosures.
Cost of Revenues Presentation
In periods prior to the second quarter of 2016, we presented cost of revenues in our consolidated statements of operations in four financial statement captions: Cost of salesproduct costs, Cost of salesonline, Cost of salessoftware royalties and amortization, and Cost of salesintellectual property licenses. Commencing with the second quarter of 2016, we have revised the presentation in our condensed consolidated statements of operations to more clearly align our costs of revenues with the associated revenue captions as follows:
Cost of revenuesproduct sales:
(i) Product costsincludes the manufacturing costs of goods produced and sold. These generally include product costs, manufacturing royalties, net of volume discounts, personnel-related costs, warehousing, and distribution costs. We generally recognize volume discounts when they are earned (typically in connection with the achievement of unit-based milestones).
(ii) Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licensesincludes the amortization of capitalized software costs and royalties attributable to product sales revenues. These are costs capitalized on the balance sheet until the respective games are released, at which time the capitalized costs are amortized. Also included is the amortization of intangible assets recognized in purchase accounting attributable to product sales revenues.
Cost of revenuessubscription, licensing, and other revenues:
(i) Game operations and distribution costsincludes costs to operate our games, such as customer service, internet bandwidth and server costs, platform provider fees, and payment provider fees.
(ii) Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licensesincludes the amortization of capitalized software costs and royalties attributable to subscription, licensing, and other revenues. These are costs capitalized on the balance sheet until the respective games are released, at which time the capitalized costs are amortized. Also included is the amortization of intangible assets recognized in purchase accounting attributable to subscription, licensing, and other revenues.
Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to this current presentation.
Supplemental Cash Flow Information: Non-cash investing and financing activities
For the three months ended March 31, 2016, we had non-cash purchase price consideration of $89 million related to vested and unvested stock options and awards that were assumed and replaced with Activision Blizzard equity or deferred cash awards in the King Acquisition. Refer to Note 14 for further discussion.
As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, we also had the following amounts recorded within Accrued expenses and other liabilities associated with investing and financing activities:
· dividends payable of $226 million and $195 million, respectively; and
· accrued withholding tax payments related to net share settlements on restricted stock units of $17 million and $45 million, respectively.
2. Inventories, Net
Our inventories, net consist of the following (amounts in millions):
|
|
At March 31, 2017 |
|
At December 31, 2016 |
| ||
Finished goods |
|
$ |
44 |
|
$ |
40 |
|
Purchased parts and components |
|
4 |
|
9 |
| ||
Inventories, net |
|
$ |
48 |
|
$ |
49 |
|
At March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, inventory reserves were $33 million and $45 million, respectively.
3. Software Development and Intellectual Property Licenses
The following table summarizes the components of our capitalized software development costs (amounts in millions):
|
|
At March 31, 2017 |
|
At December 31, 2016 |
| ||
Internally-developed software costs |
|
$ |
246 |
|
$ |
277 |
|
Payments made to third-party software developers |
|
198 |
|
189 |
| ||
Total software development costs |
|
$ |
444 |
|
$ |
466 |
|
As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, intellectual property licenses were not material to our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Amortization of capitalized software development costs and intellectual property licenses was as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, |
| ||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
| ||
Amortization of capitalized software development costs and intellectual property licenses |
|
$ |
93 |
|
$ |
132 |
|
4. Intangible Assets, Net
Intangible assets, net consist of the following (amounts in millions):
|
|
At March 31, 2017 |
| |||||||||
|
|
Estimated useful |
|
Gross carrying |
|
Accumulated |
|
Net carrying |
| |||
Acquired definite-lived intangible assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Internally-developed franchises |
|
3 - 11 years |
|
$ |
1,154 |
|
$ |
(654) |
|
$ |
500 |
|
Developed software |
|
2 - 5 years |
|
601 |
|
(185) |
|
416 |
| |||
Customer base |
|
2 years |
|
617 |
|
(343) |
|
274 |
| |||
Trade names |
|
7 - 10 years |
|
54 |
|
(10) |
|
44 |
| |||
Other |
|
1 - 8 years |
|
18 |
|
(12) |
|
6 |
| |||
Total definite-lived intangible assets |
|
|
|
$ |
2,444 |
|
$ |
(1,204) |
|
$ |
1,240 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Acquired indefinite-lived intangible assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Activision trademark |
|
Indefinite |
|
|
|
|
|
386 |
| |||
Acquired trade names |
|
Indefinite |
|
|
|
|
|
47 |
| |||
Total indefinite-lived intangible assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
433 |
| ||
Total intangible assets, net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1,673 |
|
|
|
At December 31, 2016 |
| |||||||||
|
|
Estimated useful lives |
|
Gross carrying |
|
Accumulated |
|
Net carrying |
| |||
Acquired definite-lived intangible assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Internally-developed franchises |
|
3 - 11 years |
|
$ |
1,154 |
|
$ |
(583) |
|
$ |
571 |
|
Developed software |
|
3 - 5 years |
|
595 |
|
(145) |
|
450 |
| |||
Customer base |
|
2 years |
|
617 |
|
(266) |
|
351 |
| |||
Trade names |
|
7 - 10 years |
|
54 |
|
(8) |
|
46 |
| |||
Other |
|
1 - 8 years |
|
18 |
|
(11) |
|
7 |
| |||
Total definite-lived intangible assets |
|
|
|
$ |
2,438 |
|
$ |
(1,013) |
|
$ |
1,425 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Acquired indefinite-lived intangible assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Activision trademark |
|
Indefinite |
|
|
|
|
|
386 |
| |||
Acquired trade names |
|
Indefinite |
|
|
|
|
|
47 |
| |||
Total indefinite-lived intangible assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
433 |
| ||
Total intangible assets, net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1,858 |
|
Amortization expense of intangible assets was $190 million and $82 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.
At March 31, 2017, future amortization of definite-lived intangible assets is estimated as follows (amounts in millions):
2017 (remaining nine months) |
|
$ |
568 |
|
2018 |
|
364 |
| |
2019 |
|
216 |
| |
2020 |
|
72 |
| |
2021 |
|
11 |
| |
Thereafter |
|
9 |
| |
Total |
|
$ |
1,240 |
|
5. Goodwill
The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by reportable segment for the three months ended March 31, 2017, are as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
Activision |
|
Blizzard |
|
King |
|
Other |
|
Total |
| |||||
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
|
$ |
6,903 |
|
$ |
178 |
|
$ |
2,675 |
|
$ |
12 |
|
$ |
9,768 |
|
Other |
|
(5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(5) |
| |||||
Balance at March 31, 2017 |
|
$ |
6,898 |
|
$ |
178 |
|
$ |
2,675 |
|
$ |
12 |
|
$ |
9,763 |
|
6. Fair Value Measurements
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) literature regarding fair value measurements for certain assets and liabilities establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:
· Level 1Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
· Level 2Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; and
· Level 3Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.
Fair Value Measurements on a Recurring Basis
The table below segregates all of our financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis into the most appropriate level within the fair value hierarchy based on the inputs used to determine the fair value at the measurement date, generally including money market funds, treasury bills, available-for-sale and derivative financial instruments, and other investments (amounts in millions):
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2017 |
|
|
| ||||||||
|
|
As of March 31, |
|
Quoted |
|
Significant |
|
Significant |
|
Balance Sheet Classification |
| ||||
Financial Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Recurring fair value measurements: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Money market funds |
|
$ |
2,923 |
|
$ |
2,923 |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
Foreign government treasury bills |
|
43 |
|
43 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
| ||||
Foreign currency forward contracts designated as hedges |
|
12 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
Other current assets |
| ||||
Auction rate securities (ARS) |
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
Other assets |
| ||||
Total recurring fair value measurements |
|
$ |
2,987 |
|
$ |
2,966 |
|
$ |
12 |
|
$ |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Financial liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Foreign currency forward contracts designated as hedges |
|
$ |
(1) |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
(1) |
|
$ |
|
|
Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2016 |
|
|
| ||||||||
|
|
As of |
|
Quoted |
|
Significant |
|
Significant |
|
Balance Sheet Classification |
| ||||
Financial Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Recurring fair value measurements: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Money market funds |
|
$ |
2,921 |
|
$ |
2,921 |
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
Foreign government treasury bills |
|
38 |
|
38 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
| ||||
Foreign currency forward contracts designated as hedges |
|
22 |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
Other current assets |
| ||||
ARS |
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
Other assets |
| ||||
Total recurring fair value measurements |
|
$ |
2,990 |
|
$ |
2,959 |
|
$ |
22 |
|
$ |
9 |
|
|
|
ARS represented the only level 3 investment held by the Company. The fair value of these investments did not change during the three months ended March 31, 2017.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Not Designated as Hedges
At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we did not have any outstanding foreign currency forward contracts not designated as hedges.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Designated as Hedges (Cash Flow Hedges)
At March 31, 2017, the gross notional amount of outstanding Cash Flow Hedges was approximately $352 million. The fair value of these contracts, all of which have remaining maturities of 12 months or less, was $11 million of net unrealized gains. Additionally, at March 31, 2017, we had $3 million of net realized but unrecognized gains recorded within Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) associated with contracts that had settled but were deferred and will be amortized into earnings, along with the associated hedged revenues. Such amounts will be reclassified into earnings within the next 12 months.
At December 31, 2016, the gross notional amount of outstanding Cash Flow Hedges was approximately $346 million. The fair value of these contracts was $22 million of net unrealized gains as of December 31, 2016.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, there was no ineffectiveness relating to our Cash Flow Hedges and the amount of pre-tax net realized gains associated with these contracts that were reclassified out of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and into earnings was not material.
Fair Value Measurements on a Non-Recurring Basis
We measure the fair value of certain assets on a non-recurring basis, generally annually or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable.
For the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no impairment charges related to assets that are measured on a non-recurring basis.
7. Debt
Credit Facilities
At December 31, 2016, we had outstanding term loans A of approximately $2.7 billion (the 2016 TLA) and $250 million available under a revolving credit facility (the Revolver) pursuant to a credit agreement executed on October 11, 2013 (as amended thereafter and from time to time, the Credit Agreement).
On February 3, 2017, we entered into a sixth amendment (the Sixth Amendment) to the Credit Agreement. The Sixth Amendment (i) provided for a new tranche of term loans A in an aggregate principal amount of $2.55 billion (the 2017 TLA and, together with the Revolver, the Credit Facilities) and (ii) released each of our subsidiary guarantors from their respective guarantees provided under the Credit Agreement. All proceeds of the 2017 TLA, together with additional cash on hand of $139 million, were used to fully retire the 2016 TLA, including all accrued and unpaid interest thereon. The terms of the 2017 TLA, other than the absence of the subsidiary guarantees, are generally the same as the terms of the 2016 TLA. The fees incurred as a result of the Sixth Amendment were not material. At March 31, 2017, the 2017 TLA bore interest at 2.23%. The 2017 TLA will mature on August 23, 2021. We were in compliance with the terms of the Credit Facilities as of March 31, 2017.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we reduced our total outstanding term loan balances by $500 million, comprised of $139 million of cash used to retire the 2016 TLA, as discussed above, and a $361 million cash prepayment on the 2017 TLA. As a result of our payments, we satisfied the remaining required quarterly principal repayments for the entire term of the Credit Agreement. To date, we have not drawn on the Revolver.
Refer to Note 11 contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 for further details regarding our Credit Agreement, key terms, and amendments made to our Credit Agreement.
Unsecured Senior Notes
At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had the following unsecured senior notes outstanding:
· $750 million of 6.125% unsecured senior notes due September 2023 that we issued on September 19, 2013 (the 2023 Notes), in a private offering made in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act); and
· $650 million of 2.3% unsecured senior notes due September 2021 (the 2021 Notes) and $850 million of 3.4% unsecured senior notes due September 2026 (the 2026 Notes and, together with the 2021 Notes and the 2023 Notes, the Notes) that we issued on September 19, 2016, in a private offering made in accordance with Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Act.
In connection with the issuance of the 2021 Notes and the 2026 Notes, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the Registration Rights Agreement), among the Company, the Guarantors, and the representatives of the initial purchasers of the 2021 Notes and the 2026 Notes. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to within one year of the issue date of the 2021 Notes and the 2026 Notes, among other things, (1) file a registration statement with respect to an offer to exchange each series of the 2021 Notes and the 2026 Notes for new notes that are substantially identical in all material respects (except for the provisions relating to the transfer restrictions and payment of additional interest) (the Exchange Offer), and (2) cause the registration statement (the Exchange Offer Registration Statement) to be declared effective by the SEC under the Securities Act. The Exchange Offer Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on April 28, 2017 and the Company commenced the Exchange Offer on May 1, 2017.
The Notes are general senior obligations of the Company and rank pari passu in right of payment to all of the Companys existing and future senior indebtedness, including the Credit Facilities described above. As of December 31, 2016, the Notes were guaranteed on a senior basis by certain of our U.S. subsidiaries. Pursuant to the terms of the indentures underlying the Notes, the guarantees by certain subsidiaries were automatically released when the 2017 TLA guarantees were removed in connection with the Sixth Amendment to the Credit Agreement. The Notes are not secured and are effectively subordinated to any of the Companys existing and future indebtedness that is secured. The Company was in compliance with the terms of the Notes as of March 31, 2017.
Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and September 15 of each year, and is recorded within Accrued expenses and other liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had accrued interest payable of $4 million and $25 million, respectively, related to the Notes recorded within Accrued expenses and other liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Refer to Note 11 contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 for further details regarding our key terms under our indentures that govern the Notes.
Interest Expense And Financing Costs
Fees and discounts associated with the closing of our debt instruments are recorded as debt discount, which reduces their respective carrying values, and is amortized over their respective terms. Amortization expense is recorded within Interest and other expense (income), net in our condensed consolidated statement of operations.
For the three months ended March 31, 2017, interest expense was $35 million, amortization of the debt discount and deferred financing costs was $7 million, and commitment fees for the Revolver were not material. For the three months ended March 31, 2016, interest expense was $53 million, amortization of the debt discount and deferred financing costs was $4 million, and commitment fees for the Revolver were not material.
A summary of our debt is as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
At March 31, 2017 |
| |||||||
|
|
Gross Carrying |
|
Unamortized |
|
Net Carrying |
| |||
2017 TLA |
|
$ |
2,190 |
|
$ |
(22) |
|
$ |
2,168 |
|
2021 Notes |
|
650 |
|
(5) |
|
645 |
| |||
2023 Notes |
|
750 |
|
(10) |
|
740 |
| |||
2026 Notes |
|
850 |
|
(10) |
|
840 |
| |||
Total long-term debt |
|
$ |
4,440 |
|
$ |
(47) |
|
$ |
4,393 |
|
|
|
At December 31, 2016 |
| |||||||
|
|
Gross Carrying |
|
Unamortized |
|
Net Carrying |
| |||
2016 TLA |
|
$ |
2,690 |
|
$ |
(27) |
|
$ |
2,663 |
|
2021 Notes |
|
650 |
|
(5) |
|
645 |
| |||
2023 Notes |
|
750 |
|
(11) |
|
739 |
| |||
2026 Notes |
|
850 |
|
(10) |
|
840 |
| |||
Total long-term debt |
|
$ |
4,940 |
|
$ |
(53) |
|
$ |
4,887 |
|
As of March 31, 2017, the scheduled maturities and contractual principal repayments of our debt for each of the five succeeding years are as follows (amounts in millions):
For the year ending December 31, |
|
|
| |
2017 (remaining nine months) |
|
$ |
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
2019 |
|
|
| |
2020 |
|
|
| |
2021 |
|
2,840 |
| |
Thereafter |
|
1,600 |
| |
Total |
|
$ |
4,440 |
|
As of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, the carrying values of the 2017 TLA and the 2016 TLA approximate their fair value, based on Level 2 inputs (observable market prices in less than active markets), as the interest rate is variable over the selected interest period and is similar to current rates at which we can borrow funds. Based on Level 2 inputs, the fair values of the 2021 Notes, 2023 Notes, and 2026 Notes were $636 million, $812 million, and $830 million, respectively, as of March 31, 2017. Based on Level 2 inputs, the fair values of the 2021 Notes, 2023 Notes, and 2026 Notes were $635 million, $818 million, $808 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2016.
8. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) at March 31, 2017 and 2016, were as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 |
| ||||||||||
|
|
Foreign currency |
|
Unrealized gain |
|
Unrealized gain |
|
Total |
| ||||
Balance at December 31, 2016 |
|
$ |
(659) |
|
$ |
29 |
|
$ |
1 |
|
$ |
(629) |
|
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications |
|
3 |
|
(9) |
|
|
|
(6) |
| ||||
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings |
|
16 |
|
(6) |
|
|
|
10 |
| ||||
Balance at March 31, 2017 |
|
$ |
(640) |
|
$ |
14 |
|
$ |
1 |
|
$ |
(625) |
|
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 |
| ||||||||||
|
|
Foreign currency |
|
Unrealized gain |
|
Unrealized gain |
|
Total |
| ||||
Balance at December 31, 2015 |
|
$ |
(630) |
|
$ |
(4) |
|
$ |
1 |
|
$ |
(633) |
|
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications |
|
(5) |
|
(6) |
|
|
|
(11) |
| ||||
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
| ||||
Balance at March 31, 2016 |
|
$ |
(635) |
|
$ |
(9) |
|
$ |
1 |
|
$ |
(643) |
|
Income taxes were not provided for foreign currency translation items as these are considered indefinite investments in non-U.S. subsidiaries.
9. Operating Segments and Geographic Region
Currently, we have three reportable segments. Our operating segments are consistent with the manner in which our operations are reviewed and managed by our Chief Executive Officer, who is our chief operating decision maker (CODM). The CODM reviews segment performance exclusive of: the impact of the change in deferred revenues and related cost of revenues with respect to certain of our online-enabled games; share-based compensation expense; amortization of intangible assets as a result of purchase price accounting; and fees and other expenses (including legal fees, expenses, and accruals) related to acquisitions, associated integration activities, and financings; certain restructuring costs; and other non-cash charges. The CODM does not review any information regarding total assets on an operating segment basis, and accordingly, no disclosure is made with respect thereto.
Our operating segments are also consistent with our internal organization structure, the way we assess operating performance and allocate resources, and the availability of separate financial information. We do not aggregate operating segments.
Information on the reportable segments and reconciliations of total segment net revenues and total segment operating income to consolidated net revenues from external customers and consolidated income before income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are presented below (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|
2017 |
|
2016 | ||||
|
|
Net revenues |
|
Operating income and income | ||||||||
Activision |
|
$ |
215 |
|
$ |
360 |
|
$ |
24 |
|
$ |
99 |
Blizzard |
|
441 |
|
294 |
|
166 |
|
86 | ||||
King |
|
474 |
|
207 |
|
166 |
|
67 | ||||
Reportable segments total |
|
1,130 |
|
861 |
|
356 |
|
252 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Reconciliation to consolidated net revenues / consolidated income before income tax expense: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Other segments (1) |
|
66 |
|
47 |
|
(5) |
|
| ||||
Net effect from recognition (deferral) of deferred net revenues and related cost of revenues |
|
530 |
|
547 |
|
396 |
|
369 | ||||
Share-based compensation expense |
|
|
|
|
|
(33) |
|
(44) | ||||
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
|
|
|
|
(190) |
|
(82) | ||||
Fees and other expenses related to the King Acquisition (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
(4) |
|
(34) | ||||
Restructuring costs (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
| ||||
Other non-cash charges (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
(16) |
|
| ||||
Consolidated net revenues / operating income |
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
$ |
1,455 |
|
$ |
493 |
|
$ |
461 |
Interest and other expense (income), net |
|
|
|
|
|
40 |
|
52 | ||||
Consolidated income before income tax expense |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
453 |
|
$ |
409 |
(1) Other segments include other income and expenses from operating segments managed outside the reportable segments, including our MLG, Studios, and Distribution businesses. Other segments also include unallocated corporate income and expenses.
(2) Reflects fees and other expenses, such as legal, banking, and professional services fees, primarily related to the King Acquisition and associated integration activities, inclusive of related debt financings.
(3) Reflects restructuring charges incurred, primarily severance costs.
(4) Reflects a non-cash accounting charge to reclassify certain cumulative translation losses into earnings due to the substantial liquidation of certain of our foreign entities.
Geographic information presented below for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, is based on the location of the paying customer. Net revenues from external customers by geographic region were as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 | ||
Net revenues by geographic region: |
|
|
|
| ||
Americas |
|
$ |
929 |
|
$ |
753 |
EMEA (1) |
|
554 |
|
521 | ||
Asia Pacific |
|
243 |
|
181 | ||
Total consolidated net revenues |
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
$ |
1,455 |
(1) EMEA consists of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa geographic regions.
The Companys net revenues in the U.S. were 47% and 49% of consolidated net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Companys net revenues in the U.K. were 10% and 11% of consolidated net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. No other countrys net revenues exceeded 10% of consolidated net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017 or 2016.
Net revenues by platform were as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 | ||
Net revenues by platform: |
|
|
|
| ||
Console |
|
$ |
615 |
|
$ |
765 |
PC |
|
566 |
|
400 | ||
Mobile and ancillary (1) |
|
475 |
|
243 | ||
Other (2) |
|
70 |
|
47 | ||
Total consolidated net revenues |
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
$ |
1,455 |
(1) Net revenues from mobile and ancillary include revenues from mobile devices, as well as non-platform specific game-related revenues, such as standalone sales of toys and accessories from our Skylanders franchise and other physical merchandise and accessories.
(2) Net revenues from Other include revenues from our MLG, Studios, and Distribution businesses.
Long-lived assets by geographic region at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, were as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
At March 31, 2017 |
|
At December 31, 2016 | ||
Long-lived assets (1) by geographic region: |
|
|
|
| ||
Americas |
|
$ |
147 |
|
$ |
154 |
EMEA |
|
80 |
|
87 | ||
Asia Pacific |
|
18 |
|
17 | ||
Total long-lived assets by geographic region |
|
$ |
245 |
|
$ |
258 |
(1) The only long-lived assets that we classify by region are our long-term tangible fixed assets, which only include property, plant, and equipment assets; all other long-term assets are not allocated by location.
10. Income Taxes
The Company accounts for its provision for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, which requires an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full year to be applied to the interim period, taking into account year-to-date amounts and projected results for the full year. The provision for income taxes represents federal, foreign, state, and local income taxes. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory U.S. income tax rate due to the effect of state and local income taxes, tax rates in foreign jurisdictions, and certain nondeductible expenses. Our effective tax rate could fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter based on recurring and nonrecurring factors including, but not limited to: variations in the estimated and actual level of pre-tax income or loss by jurisdiction; changes in the mix of income by tax jurisdiction (as taxes are levied at relatively lower statutory rates in foreign regions and relatively higher statutory rates in the U.S.); research and development credits; changes in enacted tax laws and regulations, rulings, and interpretations thereof, including with respect to tax credits and state and local income taxes; developments in tax audits and other matters; recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies from share-based payments; and certain nondeductible expenses. Changes in judgment from the evaluation of new information resulting in the recognition, derecognition, or remeasurement of a tax position taken in a prior annual period are recognized separately in the quarter of the change.
The income tax expense of $27 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, reflects an effective tax rate of 6%, which is lower than the effective tax rate of 11% for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The decrease is due to increased excess tax benefits from share-based payments, partially offset by proportionately more earnings generated in jurisdictions that have higher statutory tax rates and an increase of reserves for uncertain tax positions.
The effective tax rate of 6% for the three months ended March 31, 2017 is lower than the US statutory rate of 35%, primarily due to foreign earnings taxed at lower statutory rates, the recognition of excess tax benefits from share-based payments, and the recognition of federal and California research and development credits, partially offset by an increase of reserves for uncertain tax positions.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is currently examining Activision Blizzards federal tax returns for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 tax years. During the second quarter of 2015, the Company transitioned the review of its transfer pricing methodology from the advanced pricing agreement review process to the IRS examination team. Their review could result in a different allocation of profits and losses under the Companys transfer pricing agreements. Such allocation could have a positive or negative impact on our provision for uncertain tax positions for the period in which such a determination is reached and the relevant periods thereafter. The Company also has several state level and non-U.S. audits pending.
As part of purchase price accounting for the King Acquisition, the Company assumed $74 million of uncertain tax positions, primarily related to the transfer pricing on King tax years occurring prior to the King Acquisition. The Company is currently in negotiations with the relevant jurisdictions and taxing authorities with respect to Kings transfer pricing, which could result in a different allocation of profits and losses between the relevant jurisdictions.
Vivendi Games results for the period from January 1, 2008 through July 9, 2008 are included in the consolidated federal and certain foreign state and local income tax returns filed by Vivendi or its affiliates, while Vivendi Games results for the period from July 10, 2008 through December 31, 2008 are included in the consolidated federal and certain foreign, state and local income tax returns filed by Activision Blizzard. IRS Appeals proceedings concerning Vivendi Games tax return for the 2008 tax year were concluded during July 2016, but that year remains open to examination by other major taxing authorities. The resolution of the 2008 IRS Appeals process did not have a material impact to the Companys condensed consolidated financial statements.
Certain of our subsidiaries are under examination or investigation or may be subject to examination or investigation by tax authorities in various jurisdictions, including France. These proceedings may lead to adjustments or proposed adjustments to our taxes or provisions for uncertain tax positions. Such proceedings may have a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated financial position, liquidity, or results of operations in the period or periods in which the matters are resolved or in which appropriate tax provisions are taken into account in our financial statements. If we were to receive a materially adverse assessment from a taxing jurisdiction, we would plan to vigorously contest it and consider all of our options, including the pursuit of judicial remedies.
The final resolution of the Companys global tax disputes is uncertain. There is significant judgment required in the analysis of disputes, including the probability determination and estimation of the potential exposure. Based on current information, in the opinion of the Companys management, the ultimate resolution of these matters is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated financial position, liquidity, or results of operations, except as noted above.
11. Computation of Basic/Diluted Earnings Per Common Share
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share (amounts in millions, except per share data):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 | ||
Numerator: |
|
|
|
| ||
Consolidated net income |
|
$ |
426 |
|
$ |
363 |
Less: Distributed earnings to unvested share-based awards that participate in earnings |
|
|
|
(2) | ||
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to unvested share-based awards that participate in earnings |
|
|
|
(1) | ||
Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per common shareincome available to common shareholders |
|
$ |
426 |
|
$ |
360 |
|
|
|
|
| ||
Denominator: |
|
|
|
| ||
Denominator for basic earnings per common shareweighted-average common shares outstanding |
|
749 |
|
735 | ||
Effect of potential dilutive common shares under the treasury stock method: |
|
|
|
| ||
Employee stock options and awards |
|
12 |
|
14 | ||
Denominator for diluted earnings per common shareweighted-average common shares outstanding plus dilutive common shares under the treasury stock method |
|
761 |
|
749 | ||
Basic earnings per common share |
|
$ |
0.57 |
|
$ |
0.49 |
Diluted earnings per common share |
|
$ |
0.56 |
|
$ |
0.48 |
Certain of our unvested restricted stock units meet the definition of participating securities as they participate in earnings based on their rights to dividends or dividend equivalents. Therefore, we are required to use the two-class method in our computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share. For the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, on a weighted-average basis, we had outstanding unvested restricted stock units of less than a million and 4 million shares of common stock, respectively, that are participating in earnings.
Certain of our employee-related restricted stock units and options are contingently issuable upon the satisfaction of pre-defined performance measures. These shares are included in the weighted-average dilutive common shares only if the performance measures are met as of the end of the reporting period. Approximately 9 million and 10 million shares are not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, as their respective performance measures had not yet been met.
Potential common shares are not included in the denominator of the diluted earnings per common share calculation when the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive. Therefore, options to acquire 5 million and 6 million shares of common stock were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, as the effect of their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.
12. Capital Transactions
Repurchase Program
On February 2, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $1 billion of our common stock during the two-year period from February 13, 2017 through February 12, 2019. As of March 31, 2017, we have not repurchased any shares under this program.
Dividends
On February 2, 2017, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.30 per common share. Such dividend is payable on May 10, 2017, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 30, 2017. We have recorded $226 million of dividends payable in Accrued expenses and other liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2017.
On February 2, 2016, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per common share. On May 11, 2016, we made an aggregate cash dividend payment of $192 million to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 30, 2016. On May 27, 2016, we made related dividend equivalent payments of $3 million to certain holders of restricted stock units.
13. Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Proceedings
We are party to routine claims, suits, investigations, audits, and other proceedings arising from the ordinary course of business, including with respect to intellectual property rights, contractual claims, labor and employment matters, regulatory matters, tax matters, unclaimed property matters, compliance matters, and collection matters. In the opinion of management, after consultation with legal counsel, such routine claims and lawsuits are not significant and we do not expect them to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.
14. Acquisitions
King Digital Entertainment
On February 23, 2016, we completed the King Acquisition, purchasing all of Kings outstanding shares. As a result, King became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. King is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services, particularly on mobile platforms, such as Android and iOS, and on online and social platforms, such as Facebook and the king.com websites. Kings results of operations since the King Closing Date are included in our condensed consolidated financial statements.
We made this acquisition because we believe that the addition of Kings highly-complementary mobile business positions us as a global leader in interactive entertainment across console, PC, and mobile platforms, as well as positioning us for future growth.
The aggregate purchase price of the King Acquisition was approximately $5.8 billion, which was paid on the King Closing Date and funded primarily with $3.6 billion of existing cash and $2.2 billion of cash from new debt issued by the Company. We identified and recorded assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values at the King Closing Date and allocated the remaining value of approximately $2.7 billion to goodwill. The final purchase price allocation was as follows (amounts in millions):
|
|
February 23, 2016 |
|
Estimated useful lives | |
Tangible assets and liabilities assumed: |
|
|
|
| |
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
1,151 |
|
|
Accounts receivable |
|
162 |
|
| |
Other current assets |
|
72 |
|
| |
Property and equipment |
|
57 |
|
2 - 7 years | |
Deferred income tax assets, net |
|
27 |
|
| |
Other assets |
|
47 |
|
| |
Accounts payable |
|
(9) |
|
| |
Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
|
(272) |
|
| |
Other liabilities |
|
(110) |
|
| |
Deferred income tax liabilities, net |
|
(52) |
|
| |
Intangible assets |
|
|
|
| |
Internally-developed franchises |
|
845 |
|
3 - 5 years | |
Customer base |
|
609 |
|
2 years | |
Developed software |
|
580 |
|
3 - 4 years | |
Trade name |
|
46 |
|
7 years | |
Goodwill |
|
2,675 |
|
| |
Total purchase price |
|
$ |
5,828 |
|
|
During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company incurred $34 million of expenses related to the King Acquisition, which are included within General and administrative in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. In connection with the debt financing that occurred on the King Closing Date, we incurred $38 million of issuance costs that were capitalized and recorded within Long-term debt, net on our condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Share-Based Compensation
In connection with the King Acquisition, a majority of the outstanding King options and awards that were unvested as of the King Closing Date were converted into equivalent options and awards with respect to shares of the Companys common stock, using an equity award exchange ratio calculated in accordance with the transaction agreement. As a result, replacement stock options and equity awards of 10 million and 3 million, respectively, were issued. The portion of the fair value related to pre-combination services of $76 million was included in the purchase price, while the remaining fair value will be recognized over the remaining service periods. As of December 31, 2016, the future expense for the converted King unvested stock options and equity awards was approximately $40 million, which will be recognized over a weighted average service period of approximately 1.6 years.
The remaining portion of outstanding unvested awards that were assumed were replaced with deferred cash awards. The cash proceeds were placed in an escrow-like account, with the cash releases occurring as future services are rendered in accordance with the awards original vesting schedules. The cash associated with these awards is recorded in Other current assets and Other assets in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. The portion of the fair value related to pre-combination services of $22 million was included in the purchase price while the remaining fair value of approximately $9 million will be recognized over the remaining service periods.
Identifiable Intangible Assets Acquired and Goodwill
The internally-developed franchises, customer base, developed software, and trade name intangible assets will be amortized to Cost of revenues-subscription, licensing, and other revenues-Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses, Sales and marketing, Cost of revenues-subscription, licensing, and other revenues-Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses, and General and administrative, respectively. The intangible assets will be amortized over their estimated useful lives in proportion to the economic benefits received.
The $2.7 billion of goodwill recognized is primarily attributable to the benefits the Company expects to derive from accelerated expansion as an interactive entertainment provider in the mobile sector, future franchises, and technology, as well as the management teams proven ability to create future games and franchises. Approximately $620 million of the goodwill is expected to be deductible for tax purposes in the U.S.
King Net Revenue and Earnings
The amount of net revenue and earnings attributable to King in the Companys condensed consolidated statement of operations during the three months ended March 31, 2016, the period of the King Acquisition, are included in the table below. The amounts presented represent the net revenues and earnings after adjustments for purchase price accounting, inclusive of amortization of intangible assets, share-based payments, and deferral of revenues and related cost of revenues.
(in millions) |
|
For the Three Months Ended | |
Net revenues |
|
$ |
183 |
Net loss |
|
$ |
(50) |
Pro Forma Financial Information
The unaudited financial information in the table below summarizes the combined results of operations of the Company and King for the three months ended March 31, 2016, on a pro forma basis, as though the acquisition had occurred on January 1, 2015. The 2016 pro forma financial information presented includes the effects of adjustments related to amortization charges from acquired intangible assets, employee compensation from replacement equity awards issued in the King Acquisition and the profit sharing bonus plan established as part of the King Acquisition, and interest expense from the new debt, among other adjustments. We also adjusted for Activision Blizzard and King non-recurring acquisition related costs of approximately $60 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016.
The unaudited pro forma financial information as presented below is for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the King Acquisition, and any borrowings undertaken to finance the King Acquisition, had taken place at the beginning of the earliest period presented, nor does it intend to be a projection of future results.
(in millions) |
|
For the Three Months Ended | |
Net revenues |
|
$ |
1,735 |
Net income |
|
$ |
329 |
Basic earnings per common share |
|
$ |
0.44 |
Diluted earnings per common share |
|
$ |
0.44 |
15. Recently issued accounting pronouncements
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements
Inventory
In July 2015, the FASB issued new guidance related to the measurement of inventory which requires inventory within the scope of the guidance to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is defined as the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. We adopted this new standard as of January 1, 2017, and applied it prospectively. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted
Revenue recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued new accounting guidance related to revenue recognition. The new standard will replace all current U.S. GAAP guidance on this topic and eliminate all industry-specific guidance, providing a unified model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance will be effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2017, and can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. As previously disclosed, we believe the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard may have a significant impact on the accounting for our sales of our games with significant online functionality for which we do not have vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) for unspecified future updates and ongoing online services provided. Under the current accounting standards, VSOE for undelivered elements is required. This requirement will be eliminated under the new standard. Accordingly, we may be required to recognize as revenue a portion of the sales price upon delivery of the software, as compared to the current requirement of recognizing the entire sales price ratably over an estimated offering period. This potential difference may have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption of this new guidance. We are continuing to evaluate the adoption method that we will utilize as well as the additional impacts of this new accounting guidance on our financial statements and related disclosures.
Leases
In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to the accounting for leases. The new standard will replace all current U.S. GAAP guidance on this topic. The new standard, among other things, requires a lessee to classify a lease as either an operating or financing lease and lessees will need to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset for their leases. The liability will be equal to the present value of lease payments. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment for initial direct costs, lease incentives received, and any prepaid lease payments. Operating leases will result in a straight-line expense pattern, while finance leases will result in a front-loaded expense pattern. Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition and will require application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We are evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on our financial statements.
Financial Instruments
In January 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to the recognition and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities. The new standard, amongst other things, generally requires companies to measure investments in other entities, except those accounted for under the equity method, at fair value and recognize any changes in fair value in net income. The new standard also simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and the guidance should be applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The amendments related to equity investments without readily determinable fair values (including disclosure requirements) should be applied prospectively to equity investments that exist as of the date of adoption. We are evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on our financial statements.
Statement of Cash Flows-Restricted Cash
In November 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to the classification of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The new standard requires that a statement of cash flows explain any change during the period in total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. Therefore, restricted cash will be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and should be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted.
We are evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting this new accounting guidance on our financial statements. We expect there would be a significant impact to the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2016, as this period includes, as an investing activity, the $3.6 billion movement in restricted cash as a result of transferring cash into escrow at December 31, 2015 to facilitate the King Acquisition and the subsequent release of that cash in 2016 in connection with the King Acquisition. Under this new standard, the restricted cash balance would be included in the beginning and ending total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash balances and, hence, would not be included as an investing activity in the statement of cash flows.
Goodwill
In January 2017, the FASB issued new guidance which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, if any entity forgoes a Step 0 test, an entity will be required to perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit, as determined in Step 1 from the goodwill impairment test, with its carrying amount and recognize an impairment charge, if any, for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting units fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and should be applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting this new accounting guidance on our consolidated financial statements.
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Business Overview
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services. We develop and distribute content and services across all of the major gaming platforms, including video game consoles, personal computers (PC), and mobile devices. The terms Activision Blizzard, the Company, we, us, and our are used to refer collectively to Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
The Company was originally incorporated in California in 1979 and was reincorporated in Delaware in December 1992. We are the result of the 2008 business combination (the Business Combination) by and among the Company (then known as Activision, Inc.), Vivendi S.A. (Vivendi), and Vivendi Games, Inc. (Vivendi Games), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Vivendi. In connection with the consummation of the Business Combination, Activision, Inc., was renamed Activision Blizzard, Inc.
The common stock of Activision Blizzard is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol ATVI.
The King Acquisition
On February 23, 2016 (the King Closing Date), we acquired King Digital Entertainment, a leading interactive mobile entertainment company (King), by purchasing all of its outstanding shares (the King Acquisition). We made this acquisition because we believe that the addition of Kings highly complementary mobile business positions us as a global leader in interactive entertainment across mobile, console, and PC platforms, as well as positioning us for future growth. The aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 billion was funded with $3.6 billion of existing cash and $2.2 billion of cash from new debt issued by the Company. Kings results of operations since the King Closing Date are included in our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Our Segments
Based on our organizational structure, we conduct our business through three reportable segments as follows:
(i) Activision Publishing, Inc.
Activision Publishing, Inc. (Activision), is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive software products and entertainment content, particularly in console gaming. Activision primarily delivers content through retail channels or digital downloads, including full-game sales and in-game purchases, as well as licenses of software to third-party or related-party companies that distribute Activision products. Activision develops, markets and sells products which are principally based on our internally developed intellectual properties, as well as some licensed properties. Additionally, we have established a long-term alliance with Bungie to publish its game universe, Destiny.
Activisions key product franchises include: Call of Duty®, a first-person shooter for the console and PC platforms; Destiny, an online universe of first-person action gameplay (which we call a shared-world shooter) for console platforms; and Skylanders®, a franchise geared towards children that brings physical toys to life digitally in the game, primarily for console platforms.
(ii) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (Blizzard) is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive software products and entertainment content, particularly in PC gaming. Blizzard primarily delivers content through retail channels or digital downloads, including subscriptions, full-game sales, and in-game purchases, as well as licenses of software to third-party or related-party companies that distribute Blizzard products. Blizzard also maintains a proprietary online gaming service which facilitates digital distribution of Blizzard content, online social connectivity across all Blizzard games, and the creation of user-generated content for Blizzards games.
Blizzards key product franchises include: World of Warcraft®, a subscription-based massive multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) for the PC; StarCraft®, a real-time strategy PC franchise; Diablo®, an action role-playing franchise for PC and console platforms; Hearthstone®, an online collectible card franchise for the PC and mobile platforms; Heroes of the Storm®, a free-to-play team brawler for the PC; and Overwatch®, a team-based first person shooter for the PC and console platforms.
(iii) King Digital Entertainment
King is a leading global developer and publisher of interactive entertainment content and services, particularly on mobile platforms, such as Android and iOS. King also distributes its content and services on online social platforms, such as Facebook and the king.com websites. Kings games are free-to-play, however, players can acquire in-game virtual items, either with virtual currency the players purchase, or directly using real currency.
Kings key product franchises, all of which are for the PC and mobile platforms, include: Candy Crush, which features match three games; Farm Heroes, which also features match three games; Pet Rescue, which is a clicker game; and Bubble Witch, which features bubble shooter games.
(iv) Other
We also engage in other businesses that do not represent reportable segments, including:
· the Major League Gaming (MLG) business, which is devoted to esports and builds on our competitive gaming efforts by creating ways to deliver best-in-class fan experiences across games, platforms, and geographies with a long-term strategy of monetization through advertising, sponsorships, tournaments and leagues, and premium content;
· the Activision Blizzard Studios (Studios) business, which is devoted to creating original film and television content based on our library of globally recognized intellectual properties, and which, in October 2016, released the first season of the animated TV series Skylanders Academy on Netflix; and
· the Activision Blizzard Distribution (Distribution) business, which consists of operations in Europe that provide warehousing, logistics, and sales distribution services to third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software, our own publishing operations, and manufacturers of interactive entertainment hardware.
Business Results and Highlights
Financial Results
The Companys financial highlights include:
· consolidated net revenues increased 19% to $1.73 billion and consolidated operating income increased 7% to $493 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to consolidated net revenues of $1.46 billion and consolidated operating income of $461 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016;
· revenues from digital online channels increased 50% to $1.39 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to $926 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016;
· operating margin was 28.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared with 31.7% for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The lower margin was driven by the current period including a full quarter of amortization of the intangible assets acquired in the King Acquisition, as well as higher sales and marketing spend for upcoming title releases;
· we generated cash flows from operating activities of $411 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, an increase of 22%, as compared to $337 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016;
· consolidated net income increased 17% to $426 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to $363 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016;
· consolidated net income includes $69 million and $27 million of excess tax benefits from share based payments for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively; and
· our diluted earnings per common share increased $0.08 to $0.56 for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to $0.48 for the three months ended March 31, 2016.
Since certain of our games are hosted or include online functionality that represents an essential component of gameplay and, as a result, a more-than-inconsequential separate deliverable, we initially defer the software-related revenues from the sale of these games and recognize the attributable revenues over the relevant estimated service periods, which are generally less than a year. Net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017 include a net effect of $530 million from the recognition of deferred net revenues. Operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2017 includes a net effect of $396 million from the recognition of deferred net revenues and related cost of revenues.
Release Highlights
Games and digital downloadable content released during the three months ended March 31, 2017 included:
· Activision released two downloadable content packs Sabotage, the first downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and the Modern Warfare® Remastered Variety Map Pack, a downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered; and
· King released Bubble Witch 3 Saga.
Monthly Active Users (MAUs): Measuring the Size of Our User Base
We monitor MAUs as a key measure of the overall size of our user base. MAUs are the number of individuals who played a particular game in a given month. We calculate average MAUs in a period by adding the total number of MAUs in each of the months in a given period and dividing that total by the number of months in the period. An individual who plays two of our games would be counted as two users. In addition, due to technical limitations, for Activision and King, an individual who plays the same game on two platforms or devices in the relevant period would be counted as two users. For Blizzard, an individual who plays the same game on two platforms or devices in the relevant period would generally be counted as a single user.
The number of MAUs for a given period can be significantly impacted by the timing of new content releases, since new releases may cause a temporary surge in MAUs. Accordingly, although we believe that overall trending in the number of MAUs can be a meaningful performance metric, period-to-period fluctuations may not be indicative of longer-term trends. The following table details our average MAUs on a sequential quarterly basis for each of our reportable segments (amounts in millions):
|
|
March 31, |
|
December 31, |
|
September 30, |
|
June 30, 2016 |
|
March 31, |
|
December 31, |
|
Activision |
|
48 |
|
51 |
|
46 |
|
49 |
|
55 |
|
55 |
|
Blizzard |
|
41 |
|
41 |
|
42 |
|
33 |
|
26 |
|
26 |
|
King |
|
342 |
|
355 |
|
394 |
|
409 |
|
463 |
|
449 |
|
Total |
|
431 |
|
447 |
|
482 |
|
491 |
|
544 |
|
530 |
|
Average MAUs decreased by 16 million, or 4%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2016. The decrease in Kings average MAUs is due to decreases across Kings franchises that are largely attributable to less engaged users leaving the network. The decrease in Activisions average MAUs is due to lower MAUs for the Call of Duty franchise.
Average MAUs decreased by 113 million, or 21%, for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2016. The decrease in Kings average MAUs is due to decreases across Kings franchises that are largely attributable to less engaged users leaving the network. The decrease in Activisions average MAUs is due to lower MAUs for the Call of Duty franchise, primarily driven by decreased MAUs for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare as compared to Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the comparable prior-year title release. This decrease is partially offset by the increase in Blizzards average MAUs, driven by the release of Overwatch in May 2016.
Managements Overview of Business Trends
Interactive Entertainment and Mobile Gaming Growth
Our business participates in the global interactive entertainment industry. Games have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment, and we estimate the total industry has grown, on average, 19% annually over the last four years. The industry continues to benefit from additional players entering the market as interactive entertainment becomes more commonplace across age groups and as more developing regions increasingly gain access to this form of entertainment.
Further, the wide adoption of smart phones globally and the free-to-play business model on those platforms has increased the total addressable market for gaming significantly. Smart phones and associated free-to-play games have introduced gaming to new age groups and new regions and allowed gaming to occur more widely outside the home. Mobile gaming is now estimated to be larger than console and PC gaming and continues to grow at a significant rate. King is a leading developer of mobile and free-to-play games. In addition, our other segments have mobile efforts underway that present the opportunity for us to drive additional player investment from our franchises.
Opportunities To Expand Franchises Outside of Games
Our fans spend significant time investing in our franchises through purchases of our game content, whether through purchases of full games or downloadable content or via microtransactions. Given the passion our players have for our franchises, we believe there are emerging opportunities to drive player investment outside of game purchases. These opportunities include esports, film and television, and consumer products. Our efforts to build these additional opportunities are still relatively nascent, but we view them as potentially significant sources of future revenues.
Concentration of Sales Among the Most Popular Franchises
The concentration of retail revenues among key titles has continued as a trend in the overall interactive software industry. According to The NPD Group, the top 10 titles accounted for 32% of the retail sales in the U.S. interactive entertainment industry in 2016. Similarly, a significant portion of our revenues have historically been derived from video games based on a few popular franchises and these video games were responsible for a disproportionately high percentage of our profits. For example, the Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch franchises, collectively, accounted for 69% of our consolidated net revenues, and a significantly higher percentage of our operating income, for 2016.
The top titles in the industry are also becoming more consistent as players and revenues concentrate more heavily in established franchises. Each of the top 10 console franchises in 2016 was a previously established franchise. Similarly, according to U.S rankings for the Apple App Store and Google Play store per App Annie Intelligence as of March 2017, the top 10 mobile games have an average tenure of 24 months.
In addition to investing in and developing sequels and content for our top titles, we are continually exploring additional ways to expand those franchises. Further, we invest in new properties in an effort to develop the future top franchises. In 2014, we released Hearthstone and Destiny, in 2015, we released Heroes of the Storm, and in 2016, we released Overwatch. There is no guarantee these investments will result in established franchises. Additionally, to diversify our portfolio of key franchises and increase our presence in the mobile market, on February 23, 2016, we acquired King.
Overall, we do expect that a limited number of popular franchises will continue to produce a disproportionately high percentage of our, and the industrys, revenues and profits in the near future. Accordingly, our ability to maintain our top franchises and our ability to successfully compete against our competitors top franchises can significantly impact our performance.
Recurring Revenue Business Models
Increased consumer online connectivity has allowed us to offer players new investment opportunities and to shift our business to a more recurring and year-round model. Offering downloadable content and microtransactions, in addition to full games, allows our players to access and invest in new content throughout the year. This incremental content not only provides additional high-margin revenue, it can also increase engagement. Also, mobile games, and free-to-play games more broadly, are generally less seasonal.
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data
The following table sets forth condensed consolidated statements of operations data for the periods indicated in dollars and as a percentage of total net revenues, except for cost of revenues, which are presented as a percentage of associated revenues (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, |
| ||||||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
| ||||||
Net revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Product sales |
|
$ |
509 |
|
29% |
|
$ |
645 |
|
44% |
|
Subscription, licensing, and other revenues |
|
1,217 |
|
71 |
|
810 |
|
56 |
| ||
Total net revenues |
|
1,726 |
|
100 |
|
1,455 |
|
100 |
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Costs and expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Cost of revenuesproduct sales (1): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Product costs |
|
143 |
|
28 |
|
169 |
|
26 |
| ||
Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses |
|
88 |
|
17 |
|
128 |
|
20 |
| ||
Cost of revenuessubscription, licensing, and other revenues (1): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Game operations and distribution costs |
|
232 |
|
19 |
|
142 |
|
18 |
| ||
Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licenses |
|
122 |
|
10 |
|
52 |
|
6 |
| ||
Product development |
|
225 |
|
13 |
|
175 |
|
12 |
| ||
Sales and marketing |
|
246 |
|
14 |
|
168 |
|
12 |
| ||
General and administrative |
|
177 |
|
10 |
|
160 |
|
11 |
| ||
Total costs and expenses |
|
1,233 |
|
71 |
|
994 |
|
68 |
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Operating income |
|
493 |
|
29 |
|
461 |
|
32 |
| ||
Interest and other expense (income), net |
|
40 |
|
3 |
|
52 |
|
4 |
| ||
Income before income tax expense |
|
453 |
|
26 |
|
409 |
|
28 |
| ||
Income tax expense |
|
27 |
|
1 |
|
46 |
|
3 |
| ||
Net income |
|
$ |
426 |
|
25% |
|
$ |
363 |
|
25% |
|
(1) In periods prior to the second quarter of 2016, we presented cost of revenues in our consolidated statements of operations using the following four financial statement captions: Cost of salesproduct costs, Cost of salesonline, Cost of salessoftware royalties and amortization, and Cost of salesintellectual property licenses. Since the second quarter of 2016, we have revised the presentation in our condensed consolidated statements of operations to more clearly align our costs of revenues with the associated revenue captions as follows:
Cost of revenuesproduct sales:
(i) Product costsincludes the manufacturing cost of goods produced and sold. This generally includes product costs, manufacturing royalties, net of volume discounts, personnel-related costs, warehousing, and distribution costs. We generally recognize volume discounts when they are earned (typically in connection with the achievement of unit-based milestones).
(ii) Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licensesincludes the amortization of capitalized software costs and royalties attributable to product sales revenues. These are costs capitalized on the balance sheet until the respective games are released, at which time the capitalized costs are amortized. Also included is the amortization of intangible assets recognized in purchase accounting attributable to product sales revenues.
Cost of revenuessubscription, licensing, and other revenues:
(i) Game operations and distribution costsincludes costs to operate our games, such as customer service, internet bandwidth and server costs, platform provider fees, and payment provider fees.
(ii) Software royalties, amortization, and intellectual property licensesincludes the amortization of capitalized software costs and royalties attributable to subscription, licensing, and other revenues. These are costs capitalized on the balance sheet until the respective games are released, at which time the capitalized costs are amortized. Also included is the amortization of intangible assets recognized in purchase accounting attributable to subscription, licensing, and other revenues.
Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to this current presentation.
Consolidated Net Revenues
The following table summarizes our consolidated net revenues and the increase/(decrease) in deferred revenues recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, |
| |||||||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|
Increase / |
|
% Change |
| |||
Consolidated net revenues |
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
$ |
1,455 |
|
$ |
271 |
|
19% |
|
Net effect from recognition (deferral) of deferred net revenues |
|
530 |
|
547 |
|
(17) |
|
|
| |||
Consolidated net revenues
The increase in consolidated net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to:
· higher revenues from King titles, driven by the Candy Crush franchise, as the current period includes King revenues for the full quarter while the comparable prior period only included King revenues for the partial quarter following the King Closing Date;
· revenues recognized from Overwatch, a team-based first-person shooter that was released in May 2016; and
· higher revenues recognized from World of Warcraft, driven by the release of World of Warcraft: Legion in August 2016 with no comparable release in 2015.
The increase was partially offset by:
· lower revenues recognized from the Call of Duty franchise, primarily due to the performance of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (which, when referred to herein, is inclusive of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered), which was released in November 2016, as compared to the performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the comparable 2015 title (although, the lower revenues recognized were partially offset by higher revenues recognized from digital content for the Call of Duty franchise, driven by the continued strong digital content performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops III);
· lower revenues recognized from the Destiny franchise, primarily due to lower revenues recognized from the Rise of Iron expansion, which was released in September 2016, as compared to The Taken King expansion, a larger expansion that released in September 2015; and
· lower revenues recognized from Hearthstone.
Change in Deferred Revenues Recognized
The decrease in net deferred revenues recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to lower deferred revenues recognized from the Destiny franchise. The decrease was partially offset by:
· deferred revenues recognized from Overwatch; and
· higher deferred revenues recognized from World of Warcraft, driven by deferred revenues recognized on World of Warcraft: Legion which was released in August 2016 with no comparable release in 2015.
Foreign Exchange Impact
Changes in foreign exchange rates had a negative impact of $34 million on Activision Blizzards consolidated net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the impact on net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The changes are primarily due to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the Euro and British pound.
Operating Segment Results
Currently, we have three reportable segments. Our operating segments are consistent with the manner in which our operations are reviewed and managed by our Chief Executive Officer, who is our chief operating decision maker (CODM). The CODM reviews segment performance exclusive of: the impact of the change in deferred revenues and related cost of revenues with respect to certain of our online-enabled games; share-based compensation expense; amortization of intangible assets as a result of purchase price accounting; and fees and other expenses (including legal fees, expenses and accruals) related to acquisitions, associated integration activities, and financings; certain restructuring costs; and other non-cash charges. The CODM does not review any information regarding total assets on an operating segment basis, and accordingly, no disclosure is made with respect thereto.
Our operating segments are also consistent with our internal organization structure, the way we assess operating performance and allocate resources, and the availability of separate financial information. We do not aggregate operating segments.
Information on the reportable segments and reconciliations of total segment net revenues and total segment operating income to consolidated net revenues from external customers and consolidated income before income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are presented in the table below (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, |
| |||||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|
Increase / |
| |||
Segment net revenues: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Activision |
|
$ |
215 |
|
$ |
360 |
|
$ |
(145) |
|
Blizzard |
|
441 |
|
294 |
|
147 |
| |||
King |
|
474 |
|
207 |
|
267 |
| |||
Reportable segments net revenues total |
|
1,130 |
|
861 |
|
269 |
| |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Reconciliation to consolidated net revenues: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Other segments (1) |
|
66 |
|
47 |
|
|
| |||
Net effect from recognition (deferral) of deferred net revenues (2) |
|
530 |
|
547 |
|
|
| |||
Consolidated net revenues |
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
$ |
1,455 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Segment income (loss) from operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Activision |
|
$ |
24 |
|
$ |
99 |
|
$ |
(75) |
|
Blizzard |
|
166 |
|
86 |
|
80 |
| |||
King |
|
166 |
|
67 |
|
99 |
| |||
Reportable segment income from operations total |
|
356 |
|
252 |
|
104 |
| |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Reconciliation to consolidated operating income and consolidated income before income tax expense: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Other segments (1) |
|
(5) |
|
|
|
|
| |||
Net effect from recognition (deferral) of deferred net revenues and related cost of revenues |
|
396 |
|
369 |
|
|
| |||
Share-based compensation expense |
|
(33) |
|
(44) |
|
|
| |||
Amortization of intangible assets |
|
(190) |
|
(82) |
|
|
| |||
Fees and other expenses related to the King Acquisition (2) |
|
(4) |
|
(34) |
|
|
| |||
Restructuring costs (3) |
|
(11) |
|
|
|
|
| |||
Other non-cash charges (4) |
|
(16) |
|
|
|
|
| |||
Consolidated operating income |
|
493 |
|
461 |
|
|
| |||
Interest and other expense (income), net |
|
40 |
|
52 |
|
|
| |||
Consolidated income before income tax expense |
|
$ |
453 |
|
$ |
409 |
|
|
|
(1) Other segments include other income and expenses from operating segments managed outside the reportable segments, including our MLG, Studios and Distribution businesses. Other segments also include unallocated corporate income and expenses.
(2) Reflects fees and other expenses, such as legal, banking and professional services fees, primarily related to the King Acquisition and associated integration activities, inclusive of related debt financings.
(3) Reflects restructuring charges incurred, primarily severance costs.
(4) Reflects a non-cash accounting charge to reclassify certain cumulative translation losses into earnings due to the substantial liquidation of certain of our foreign entities.
Segment Net Revenues
Activision
The decrease in Activisions net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to lower revenues from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which was released in the fourth quarter of 2016, inclusive of its digital content, as compared to Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the comparable 2015 title, which was the third game in our successful Black Ops series.
The decrease was partially offset by:
· higher revenues from Call of Duty: Black Ops III, as compared to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the comparable 2014 title; and
· higher revenues from the Skylanders franchise.
Blizzard
The increase in Blizzards net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to revenues from Overwatch, which was released in May 2016, and from the World of Warcraft franchise due to the release of World of Warcraft: Legion in August 2016.
King
The increase in Kings net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to the current period including King revenues for the full quarter while the comparable prior period only included King revenues for the partial quarter following the King Closing Date.
Segment Income from Operations
Activision
The decrease in Activisions operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to lower revenues. The decrease was partially offset by lower product development costs, driven by lower accrued bonuses and less spending to support current game releases.
Blizzard
The increase in Blizzards operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to higher revenues. The increase was partially offset by higher product development costs to support current and future releases and lower capitalization of software development costs due to timing of game development cycles.
King
The increase in Kings operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, was primarily due to the current period including King results of operations for the full quarter while the comparable prior period only included King results of operations for the partial quarter following the King Closing Date.
Foreign Exchange Impact
Changes in foreign exchange rates had a negative impact of $16 million on reportable segment net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to the impact on reportable segment net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The changes are primarily due to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the Euro and British pound.
Consolidated Results
Net Revenues by Distribution Channel
The following table details our consolidated net revenues by distribution channel for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 (amounts in millions):
|
|
For the Three Months Ended March 31, |
| |||||||
|
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|