Activision Blizzard’s Diablo IV Shatters Records with $666 Million in Sales Amid Acquisition Battle
Diablo IV, the latest release from Activision Blizzard, has taken the gaming world by storm, raking in a whopping $666 million in global sales within just five days of its launch on June 6. This monumental achievement marks the fastest-selling game in the history of Blizzard Entertainment, a subsidiary of Activision.
While the record-breaking sales bring some comfort, Activision Blizzard is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over Microsoft’s planned acquisition of the company. The FTC has sued to block the deal in a California federal court, and the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has already expressed its intention to do the same. Despite gaining approval from European regulators, the acquisition still faces a lengthy appeals process.
Central to the CMA’s opposition is the concern that Microsoft’s potential acquisition could further strengthen its dominance in the cloud gaming market via its Xbox Game Pass. In 2022, this rapidly growing market generated $5.1 billion in revenue. The CMA argues that Microsoft, with Activision under its wing, could make popular franchises like Diablo exclusive to its cloud platform. Microsoft, however, has plans to appeal the CMA’s decision and will fight the FTC injunction.
Interestingly, Diablo IV is not available on Game Pass, as confirmed by an Activision executive in March 2023. Other high-profile franchises, such as Electronic Arts’ FIFA and Madden, as well as Microsoft’s own offerings, can be found on the platform.
Though Blizzard’s sales record is impressive, it doesn’t hold the industry title. Back in 2013, Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto V raked in a whopping $1 billion within its first three days, and their Red Dead Redemption 2 launch in 2018 generated $725 million in revenue within the same time span.