Blizzard has suffered a 29% playerbase decline in the past 3 years
New data shows that Blizzard is suffering a large decline in its playerbase, according to the company's Q1 2021 fiscal report. This follows a negative trend that Activision Blizzard has been facing for the past few years, laying off hundreds of workers, criticisms of CEO Bobby Kotick being "massively" overpaid, the controversy surrounding Diablo Immortal, the departure of longtime veteran Jeff Kaplan, and many other recent stories that have seen their public perception fall, all despite the company doing better than ever, financially. As of the report, dated March 2021, Blizzard saw revenue growth up 7% compared to last year, which, while positive, is an odd statistic, as active users have fallen 29% in the past three years. In just the past quarter alone--just three months--Blizzard lost 2 million "MAU" or monthly average users total. Previously, Blizzard boasted 38 million MAU in Q1 2018, and now that number has dropped to 27 million in Q1 2021. The company remains positive, however, asserting that upcoming titles like Diablo II Remaster, Overwatch 2, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo IV will be major releases to help draw players back in, furthering brand growth.
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