Activision reports record Q2 on the strength of Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush

15 million Overwatch players can’t be wrong.

Activision Blizzard generated $1.57 billion in revenues durings its second quarter. That is up from $1.04 billion during the same period in 2015, and it also bested the $1.43 billion that Activision predicted earlier this year. As is the trend for the gaming industry, the bulk of those sales were digital. The publisher generated more than $1 billion through its digital channels, which is a record for the company in the growing $99.6 billion gaming industry. Earnings were down year-over-year from 29 cents per share in Q2 2015 to 17 cents per share, but that was also well ahead of the guidance.

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In April, Blizzard launched the shooter Overwatch, which has caught on with gamers around the world. The publisher credits this game, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush Saga with fueling its growth to a record-setting second quarter. The company now has 491 million monthly active players across all of its brands. Only King, the Activision subsidiary responsible for Candy Crush, is losing players. It is down to 409 million MAUs, but — like with Zynga — the company chalks that up to seasonal trends following the increase in device activation following the holidays.

“With Overwatch’s incredibly successful launch, Call of Duty’s record first half performance, and Candy Crush’s continued growth as key drivers of our overall performance, we delivered a record Q2,” Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “We exceeded our non-GAAP outlook by $234 million in revenues and 16 cents in earnings per share, and raised our full-year outlook.”

Speaking of the full-year, the company now anticipates $6.4 billion in revenues and earnings of 87 cents per share (GAAP). In Q3 alone, Activision is looking for $1.49 billion in revenues and 6 cents per share (GAAP).