14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts is the biggest third party publisher in the US. That's incorrect: EA has been overthrown for the first time in history (and a long history it is) in the second place by Activision, according to NPD Group and reported revenues.
I don't think there's a kid on this planet that doesn't have at least a couple of EA published games and now, apparently they all have a couple or more Activision ones. In the first part of the year, from January till June, Activision has reported $387.8 in sales compared to "only" $365.7 from Electronic Arts. It may not seem much but I'm sure VP heads are rolling down the EA corridors. The main contributor to Activision success has been the Guitar Hero franchise which has generated almost 1 billion dollars in sales. Close behind them are games based on movie franchises like Spider Man 3, Shrek and Transformers. Call of Duty has also scored some big bucks in the past and with the announced sequels they will only strengthen Activision position on the market.
If you read the statement of Activison's CEO, you can almost see the surprised look on their faces as this is quite a surprise for them also: "We've never been better positioned as a company to take advantage of the growth in the video game industry," said Bobby Kotick. "For 17 years, I've focused on becoming the No. 1 video game company, and we're getting a lot closer to achieving that objective."
The main difference between these two giants is the commercial face EA has put on for some time now. They aren't regarded as a hit company with great games but more like a games supermarket with mediocre games coning out on a conveyor belt. Sure they have some very good titles but they aren't enough to tip the balance and Activison is not exactly staying put for EA to catch on.