This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Big Videogames Make Some Costly Misfires
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Markets > Big Videogames Make Some Costly Misfires
Markets

Big Videogames Make Some Costly Misfires

Editorial Board Published December 23, 2021
Share
Big Videogames Make Some Costly Misfires
SHARE

Even big, experienced videogame makers get it wrong sometimes. Having all do so at the same time is rare.

In an unusual twist to the holiday selling season, the biggest games from the three biggest game publishers have made notable misfires. Activision Blizzard’s ATVI 1.65% “Call of Duty: Vanguard” has garnered the lowest critic scores of the franchise and has reportedly recorded weak initial sales. “Battlefield 2042” from Electronic Arts EA 0.81% also has fared poorly with critics and suffered from some technical issues during its launch. Bugs also hurt the launch of “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy” from Take-Two Interactive Software, TTWO 0.19% with that game also getting savaged by reviewers—a rarity for the popular franchise. It was named the sixth-worst game of the year by the critic score amalgamation site Metacritic.

All three games went on sale in November. They face strong competition from online free-to-play titles such as Epic Games’ “Fortnite.” “Halo Infinite” launched by Microsoft on Dec. 8 also has turned out to be surprisingly strong, following a major delay last year.

EA, Take-Two and Activision have yet to report any financial results from their recent launches. Activision has typically issued some sort of update following its annual “Call of Duty” installment, but the company is now beset with an internal crisis stemming from its alleged treatment of female workers.

EA and Take-Two aren’t facing the same predicament. But both have been affected by the pandemic’s impact on game production, with so many developers still working remotely. At an investment conference on the day of the “Grand Theft Auto” release, Take-Two Chief Executive Strauss Zelnick said “I don’t think work-from-home is as productive,” though he also noted that new technology used in the most cutting-edge games also has an impact on development times. EA had already delayed the release of “Battlefield 2042” by a month to its Nov. 19 launch date, citing the work-from-home challenge.

Investors already were tepid on the videogame sector, given concerns about the industry’s difficult comparisons to last year’s pandemic-fueled surge in game play. Analysts expect combined net bookings for Activision, EA and Take-Two to rise 10% this calendar year following a 23% jump last year, according to FactSet.

EA’s and Take-Two’s stocks were down 4% and 12% for the year preceding their respective game launches, compared with the S&P 500’s 25% gain by mid-November. Both stocks have given more ground since, though nowhere near the selloff that has taken nearly one-third of Activision’s market value since the state of California sued the company over its workplace environment in July.

Activision will likely remain under that cloud as its internal crisis creates additional uncertainty for its future game pipeline. But EA and Take-Two can both manage through their respective misfires. EA’s online, free-to-play “Apex Legends” is competing well in the shooter category; Corey Barrett of MScience noted that the game’s bookings growth “materially reaccelerated in November” in a recent report.

Take-Two, meanwhile, will soon start showing the results of a major buildup of its game pipeline. Analysts expect double-digit growth in bookings for the company’s next two fiscal years compared with a projected 2% drop for the current one ending in March. Given their currently depressed valuations, EA and Take-Two are in a good position to level up.

Shoppers are seeing more out-of-stock messages than ever, but inventory tracking websites like HotStock and Zoolert are giving people a better chance of finding the hot-ticket products they’re looking for. Here’s how those websites work. Illustration: Sebastian Vega

Write to Dan Gallagher at [email protected]

Copyright ©2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the December 24, 2021, print edition as ‘Big Videogames Make Costly Misfires.’

TAGGED:MarketsPAIDWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Small Businesses Face Hard Omicron Choices Small Businesses Face Hard Omicron Choices
Next Article Tiffany’s New French Owner Brings a Makeover—and a Culture Clash Tiffany’s New French Owner Brings a Makeover—and a Culture Clash

Editor's Pick

Nicki Minaj Calls Cardi B’s Daughter ‘Ugly’; Cardi Shoots Again That Nicki’s Son Is Nonverbal Because of Drug Use Throughout Being pregnant

Nicki Minaj Calls Cardi B’s Daughter ‘Ugly’; Cardi Shoots Again That Nicki’s Son Is Nonverbal Because of Drug Use Throughout Being pregnant

Studying Time: 3 minutes The Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B beef has been occurring for years. Like, mainly for so…

By Editorial Board 4 Min Read
China opens world’s reported largest span bridge over Beipan River valley to visitors
China opens world’s reported largest span bridge over Beipan River valley to visitors

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge opened to visitors for the primary time…

3 Min Read
Nicole Kidman-Keith City Divorce Particulars Revealed: Nicole Desires the Youngsters 10 Months Out of the 12 months!
Nicole Kidman-Keith City Divorce Particulars Revealed: Nicole Desires the Youngsters 10 Months Out of the 12 months!

Studying Time: 3 minutes Few celeb breakups have been as surprising because…

4 Min Read

Oponion

Meet the Investor Who Spots Opportunities for Jeffrey Katzenberg

Meet the Investor Who Spots Opportunities for Jeffrey Katzenberg

When he was growing up in Los Angeles, Anthony Saleh…

January 16, 2022

Bicyclist killed in collision with rubbish truck in Atherton

ATHERTON — A bicyclist was killed…

May 10, 2025

Walmart Plans Search for New Finance Chief

Walmart Inc. is searching for a…

November 29, 2021

Airbnb Sees Number of Bookings in First-Quarter Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Levels for First Time

Airbnb Inc. posted record revenue last…

February 16, 2022

Cole Hauser ‘Quick & Livid’ Return to Comply with ‘Yellowstone’ Fame?

Cole Hauser might make a Quick…

November 10, 2024

You Might Also Like

Traders have fun Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ election win
Markets

Traders have fun Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ election win

Federated Hermes CIO Stephen Auth weighs in on Japan's first elected feminine prime minister and provides an concept on what…

3 Min Read
Tesla teases Tuesday announcement with social media movies
Markets

Tesla teases Tuesday announcement with social media movies

Niles Funding Administration founder and portfolio Dan Niles discusses Tesla’s potential $1 trillion compensation plan for Elon Musk on ‘The…

5 Min Read
Gold FOMO may push steel to ,000
Markets

Gold FOMO may push steel to $4,000

Pacer ETFs President Sean O’Hara discusses the advantages of ETFs and lays out his favourite investments on ‘The Claman Countdown.’…

3 Min Read
OpenAI turns into world’s most respected non-public firm with 0B valuation: report
Markets

OpenAI turns into world’s most respected non-public firm with $500B valuation: report

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar joins Mornings with Maria to debate main investments from NVIDIA, SoftBank, and others, the U.S.–China AI…

5 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?