Activision Claims Leading Publisher Slot for 2007

In an announcement today, publisher Activision stated it holds the number one home console and handheld video game publisher in the United States from January to November 2007. The company bases its claims on figures from tracking firm NPD, which recently released its latest report.

Activision claims overall market share of 16.8% for that period, a massive year-over-year increase of 7.9%. Meanwhile, chief rival Electronic Arts' market share has waned somewhat in recent years, and its stock prices have grown at a slower rate than Activision's--though EA CEO John Riccitiello recently stated in a conference call that his company will hold 20% market share in North America and Europe during the third and fourth quarters.

Much of Activision's success is due to the astronomical success of the Harmonix-created, now Neversoft-developed, Guitar Hero franchise. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock proved to be the highest-earning title across all platforms; to some extent, the per-unit revenue on Guitar Hero games is increased due to the available packed-in hardware. Another Activision-published title, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, apparently came in at the number two earnings slot. Meanwhile, the Guitar Hero franchise as a whole is said to be the highest-selling franchise of the year.

Today's announcement is likely to be particularly worrying to EA, since the performance it reports precedes the epic Activision/Vivendi merger that will result in megalithic Activision Blizzard. That newly-formed company is expected to top the industry in total revenues.