Activision Reports Record Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2007 Preliminary Results.-- #2 U.S. Console and Handheld Publisher for Fiscal Third Quarter -- -- Four Top 11 Best-Selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best Titles in December Quarter -- -- Raises FY 2007 Net Revenue Outlook to $1.40 Billion and Diluted di·lute tr.v. di·lut·ed, di·lut·ing, di·lutes 1. To make thinner or less concentrated by adding a liquid such as water. 2. To lessen the force, strength, purity, or brilliance of, especially by admixture. E.P.S. Outlook -- SANTA MONICA Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , Calif. -- Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI ATVI Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute ) today announced preliminary financial results for the fiscal 2007 third quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2006, additional preliminary financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended September 30, 2006 and outlook for future periods. The fiscal 2007 results and outlook do not take into account any adjustments for additional expenses that may be required in connection with the ongoing review of Activision's historical stock option grant practices, discussed more fully in our recent press releases and filings with the SEC. The fiscal 2007 results also exclude any adjustments that may be required by the occurrence of an event subsequent to this release that affects the estimates inherent in the process of preparing those results and should be considered preliminary until Activision files its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. for the second and third quarters of fiscal 2007. Further, the historical results do not take into account any restatements that may be required in connection with that review, or the determination of the company's audit committee on January 23, 2007 that the company's financial statements (as well as earnings releases and similar communications) relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc the fiscal periods referred to in this release (and other periods dating back to fiscal 1992) should no longer be relied upon, and, therefore, are presented for comparative purposes only. For the third quarter of fiscal 2007, ended December 31, 2006, the company expects net revenues of $822.8 million, an increase of $6.6 million as compared to net revenues of $816.2 million previously reported for the third quarter of fiscal 2006. Net income for the fiscal third quarter is expected to rise to $124.8 million, an 84% increase compared with net income of $67.9 million previously reported for the previous-year fiscal third quarter. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter are expected to be $0.41, as compared with earnings per diluted share previously reported for the prior-year fiscal third quarter of $0.23. Excluding the impact of equity-based compensation, the company expects to report earnings per diluted share of $0.42 for the fiscal third quarter. For the fiscal second quarter ended September 30, 2006, Activision still expects to report net revenues of $188.2 million, as compared to net revenues of $222.5 million previously reported for the second quarter of the prior fiscal year. The company expects to report a loss per share of $0.06, as compared to the previously reported loss per share of $0.05 for the previous fiscal year's second quarter. Excluding the impact of equity-based compensation, the company expects to report a loss per share of $0.05 for the fiscal second quarter. For the nine-month period ended December 31, 2006, the company expects net revenues of $1.20 billion, as compared to net revenues of $1.28 billion previously reported for the comparable nine-month period of last fiscal year. The company also expects earnings per diluted share for the nine-month period of $0.30, an increase of 76% as compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.17 previously reported for the comparable period of last fiscal year. Excluding the impact of equity-based compensation, the company expects earnings per diluted share of $0.33 for the nine months ended December 31, 2006. Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Activision, Inc., commented, "Net revenues for Activision's third quarter of fiscal 2007 are expected to be the highest in the company's history. For the month of November, Activision was the #1 U.S. console and handheld publisher and the #2 publisher for the fiscal third quarter. We achieved these results with a smaller, focused slate that was anchored by four key titles - Call of Duty[R] 3, Marvel The original code name for Microsoft Network. [TM]: Ultimate Alliance[TM], Tony Hawk's Project 8[TM] and Guitar Hero II[TM] and strong execution by our global sales and marketing teams." Kotick continued, "During the quarter, we grew both the Call of Duty and Tony Hawk
A ratio used to measure a company's pricing strategy and operating efficiency. Calculated by: in the future." Business Highlights Activision's fiscal third quarter results were driven by solid performance of its titles across all platforms worldwide. During the fiscal third quarter, Activision was the only publisher that had four of the top 11 best-selling games in the U.S., according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. The NPD Group The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading global market research company[1] founded in 1967 and provides consumer and retail information to manufacturers and retailers. Using actual sales data from retailers and distributors as well as consumer-reported purchasing behavior, NPD - Guitar Hero II, Call of Duty 3, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Tony Hawk's Project 8. Between October and December, Activision released three launch titles for the PLAYSTATION 3 -- Call of Duty 3, Marvel[TM]: Ultimate Alliance and Tony Hawk's Project 8, and five launch titles for the Wii -- Call of Duty 3, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Rapala Tournament Fishing Rapala Tournament Fishing is a video game of the fishing sports genre developed by FUNlabs and Magic Wand Productions. It was released by Activision on the Xbox 360 in November 2006 and the Wii in March 2007. Critical reaction Gamespot awarded the game only 4. , Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam is a video game based on the Tony Hawk series. The game was a launch title for Nintendo's Wii, and is also available for the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation 2. and World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker is the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. It is held annually in Las Vegas, lasting just over a month. A bracelet is awarded to the winner of each of the fifty-plus events which include all the major varieties of poker. : Tournament of Champions. Additionally, the company released Guitar Hero II for the PlayStation[R] 2 computer entertainment system and several handheld games including GUN[TM] Showdown, Activision[R] Hits Remixed, Over the Hedge[TM]: Hammy ham·my adj. ham·mi·er, ham·mi·est Marked or characterized by overacting; affectedly humorous or dramatic. ham Goes Nuts! and Spider-Man[TM]: Battle for New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Other business highlights for the fiscal third quarter include: * According to The NPD Group, during the quarter, Activision ranked as a top-three U.S. publisher on the Xbox 360, Wii and PLAYSTATION 3 and was the only publisher to achieve this status across all of the next-generation consoles. * During the quarter, Activision ranked as the #1 U.S. publisher on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, according to The NPD Group. * Guitar Hero II was the #1 console and handheld game in dollars for the U.S. for the month of December and the #2 game overall for the quarter, according to The NPD Group. Additionally, during the quarter, the company announced that Guitar Hero II is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and will be released this spring. * According to The NPD Group, for the third quarter, Call of Duty 3 was the #4 best-selling console and handheld game in dollars in the U.S. * Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was the #10 best-selling console and handheld game in dollars for the third quarter, according to The NPD Group. * For the eighth consecutive year, the Tony Hawk franchise was a top 10 brand in the U.S. for the fiscal third quarter, according to The NPD Group. For the fourth quarter, Activision will release Call of Duty[R]: Roads to Victory for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) See PlayStation. worldwide, as well as Tony Hawk's Project 8, Call of Duty 3 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for PLAYSTATION 3 in Europe. Company Outlook For fiscal year 2007, Activision is increasing its net revenue outlook to $1.40 billion, from $1.37 billion which was given on January 25, 2007. The company also is raising its diluted earnings per share diluted earnings per share An earnings measure calculated by dividing net income less preferred stock dividends for a period by the average number of shares of common stock that would be outstanding if all convertible securities were converted into shares of outlook for the year to $0.21. Excluding the impact of equity-based compensation, the company expects diluted earnings per share of $0.26. For its fiscal fourth quarter, the company is increasing its net revenue outlook to $200 million, from its previous outlook of $170 million, based on better visibility regarding the allocation of PLAYSTATION 3 hardware to its European distribution business. The company now expects a loss per share of $0.09 for the fiscal fourth quarter. Excluding the impact of equity-based compensation, the company expects a loss per share of $0.08, as compared to its previous loss per share outlook of $0.09. As previously announced, the company believes that its fiscal fourth quarter results will be significantly impacted by higher legal expenses and professional fees relating primarily to its internal review of historical stock option practices, including the special sub-committee review, Nasdaq proceedings, informal SEC inquiry and derivative litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. , and the company's decision to move the release of Enemy Territory[TM]: QUAKE Quake - A string-oriented language designed to support the construction of Modula-3 programs from modules, interfaces and libraries. Written by Stephen Harrison of DEC SRC, 1993. Wars into fiscal year 2008. The company also reaffirmed its fiscal year 2008 net revenue outlook which is expected to exceed $1.6 billion. Conference Call Today at 4:30 p.m. EST P.M. also p.m. or p.m. abbr. post meridiem Usage Note: By definition, 12 a.m. , Activision's management will host a conference call and Webcast to discuss preliminary financial results from the company's third fiscal quarter and outlook for future periods. The company welcomes all members of the financial and media communities to visit the "Investor Relations Investor relations The process by which the corporation communicates with its investors. " area of www.activision.com to listen to the conference call via live Webcast or to listen to the call live by dialing into (719) 457-2653 in the U.S. A "replay" of the call will be available for two business days beginning approximately two hours after the call's conclusion. If you would like to take advantage of this special service, you can access it by calling (719) 457-0820 and entering the pass-code: 5492474. In addition, the replay on the Internet will be archived at http://www.activision.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures Activision provides net earnings (loss) per share data which excludes the impact of expenses related to stock options, employee stock purchase plan, and restricted stock under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), "Share Based Payment" (FAS 123R) and the associated tax benefit. This financial measure is not determined in accordance Accordance is Bible Study Software for Macintosh developed by OakTree Software, Inc.[] As well as a standalone program, it is the base software packaged by Zondervan in their Bible Study suites for Macintosh. with generally accepted accounting principles The standard accounting rules, regulations, and procedures used by companies in maintaining their financial records. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) provide companies and accountants with a consistent set of guidelines that cover both broad accounting (GAAP GAAP See: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP See generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). ), and the exclusion of those amounts has the effect of increasing non-GAAP earnings per share by that same amount per share as compared to GAAP earnings per share for the period. Management compensates for this exclusion by presenting the most comparable GAAP measure, net income, directly ahead of non-GAAP net income (loss) in this earnings release and by providing a reconciliation that shows and describes the adjustments made in the accompanying tables. Management does not believe this exclusion is material, particularly when such measure is disclosed with its most comparable GAAP financial measure, net income (loss). Management believes that the presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure provides investors with additional useful information to measure the company's financial performance because it allows for a better comparison of results in the periods reported herein to those in prior periods that did not include FAS 123R equity-based compensation expense. This non-GAAP financial measure should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP net earnings (loss) do not include certain expenses required to be recorded in order to present earnings in accordance with GAAP and the term non-GAAP net earnings (loss) does not have a standardized standardized pertaining to data that have been submitted to standardization procedures. standardized morbidity rate see morbidity rate. standardized mortality rate see mortality rate. meaning. Therefore, other companies may use the same or similarly named measure but exclude different items, which may not provide investors a comparable view of the company's performance in relation to other companies in the same industry. About Activision Headquartered in Santa Monica, California For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is surrounded by the City of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades and Brentwood on the north, , Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.47 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com. Cautionary Notes Regarding Financial Results and Outlook and Other Forward-Looking Statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. : The financial results and outlook reported in this press release do not take into account any adjustments or restatements that may be required in connection with the ongoing review of the company's historical stock option grant practices by the sub-committee of independent directors of the company. Further information on that review is discussed in the company's filings with the SEC. As previously disclosed, the company's financial statements, earnings releases and similar communications relating to fiscal periods commencing with the company's 1992 fiscal year should no longer be relied upon and historical financial results are presented for comparative purposes only. The company expects to restate re·state tr.v. re·stat·ed, re·stat·ing, re·states To state again or in a new form. See Synonyms at repeat. re·state previously issued financial statements relating to such periods and any restatement Restatement A revision in a company's earlier financial statements. Notes: The need for restating financial figures can result from fraud, misrepresentation, or a simple clerical error. of the company's historical financial statements could result in changes to the company's fiscal year 2007 financial statements. Further, until the company files its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended September 30, 2006 and December 31, 2006, the company will be required to adjust the financial results for those quarters to account for any subsequent events that affect the estimates inherent in the process of preparing results for those quarters and those results should be considered preliminary until the company files those reports. The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, the adjustments and restatements referred to above, the findings of the special sub-committee, the effect of the special sub-committee's review and conclusions and developments on the informal inquiry opened by the SEC in July 2006 and the derivative litigation filed in July 2006 against certain current and former directors and officers of the company, the possibility that additional claims and proceedings will be commenced, including additional stockholder litigation, employee litigation, and additional action by the SEC and/or other regulatory agencies regulatory agency Independent government commission charged by the legislature with setting and enforcing standards for specific industries in the private sector. The concept was invented by the U.S. , expenses resulting from or relating to the special sub-committee review and related regulatory proceedings and litigation, the company's ability to timely file required reports with the SEC, and the possibility that the company will be subject to delisting Delisting When the stock of a company is removed from a stock exchange. Notes: Reasons for delisting include violating regulations and/or failure to meet financial specifications set out by the stock exchange. from the Nasdaq Global Select Market due to its inability to timely file periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Other factors that could cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, without limitation, other litigation (unrelated to stock option granting practices), sales of the company's titles, shifts consumer spending Consumer demand or consumption is also known as personal consumption expenditure. It is the largest part of aggregate demand or effective demand at the macroeconomic level. trends, the seasonal and cyclical cyclical Of or relating to a variable, such as housing starts, car sales, or the price of a certain stock, that is subject to regular or irregular up-and-down movements. nature of the interactive game market, the company's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms Each hardware platform, or CPU family, has a unique machine language. All software presented to the computer for execution must be in the binary coded machine language of that CPU. Following is a list of the major hardware platforms in existence today. See platform. (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of the company's products, adoption rate of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. , quarterly report on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K Form 8-K The form required by the SEC when a publicly held company incurs any event that might affect its financial situation or the share value of its stock. Form 8-K See 8-K. dated October 25, 2006; November 6, 2006; November 15, 2006; and January 25, 2007. Readers of this press release are referred to such filings. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the company as of the date of the release, and the company assumes no obligations to update any such forward-looking statement. The company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in the enumerated This term is often used in law as equivalent to mentioned specifically, designated, or expressly named or granted; as in speaking of enumerated governmental powers, items of property, or articles in a tariff schedule. factors or in the company's assumptions, or otherwise, and forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and may cause our actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] |
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