To say that gamers everywhere are eagerly awaiting “Destiny,” the new sci-fi shooter from Bellevue-based Bungie, is an understatement. And now, it’s clear that Activision, which is publishing the game, has incredibly high hopes for what’s to come.
“We have a strong product pipeline for the balance of the year, beginning with the September 9th planned launch of Destiny, which we believe could become our next billion dollar franchise and the largest new video game IP launch in history,” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a press release announcing his company’s quarterly financial results.
Activision is putting its money where its mouth is. Kotick told an audience at the Milken conference last week that his company plans to spend $500 million on Destiny, according to a report by Reuters. That means Bungie needs to come up with a big winner in order for Activision to make its investment back.
Bungie has plenty of experience when it comes to launching best-selling games.
The company was also responsible for Halo, which has gone on to become a massive boon for Microsoft, which still retains control of the franchise. Activision is clearly hoping that Bungie’s upcoming effort will bring similar results. They seem to be on the right track, with the company reporting that it has seen large numbers of pre-orders from consumers.
Activision reported strong fiscal results this quarter, beating analyst expectations with revenue of $772 million and earnings of 9 cents a share. As of this writing, the company’s stock is up more than 2.5 percent in after hours trading.
