History of Activision in Timeline
Activision Publishing, Inc., located in Santa Monica, California, is a major American video game publisher. As the publishing arm of Activision Blizzard, it oversees numerous subsidiary studios. Activision ranks among the world's largest third-party video game publishers and held the position of top U.S. publisher in 2016.
1976: Warner Communications Buys Atari
In 1976, Warner Communications acquired Atari, Inc. from Nolan Bushnell.
1977: Atari Hires Programmers
In 1977, Atari began hiring programmers to create games for the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS or later the Atari 2600).
1978: Ray Kassar Named CEO
Following Warner's acquisition, Ray Kassar was named CEO of Atari in 1978.
May 1979: Gang of Four Demand Royalties
In May 1979, the "Gang of Four" (Crane, Kaplan, Miller, and Whitehead) met with Atari's CEO Ray Kassar to demand royalties and recognition for their work.
October 1, 1979: Activision Founded
On October 1, 1979, Activision, Inc. was founded in Sunnyvale, California, by former Atari game developers.
1979: Decision to Start Own Business
In 1979, Crane, Kaplan, Miller, and Whitehead decided to leave Atari and establish their own independent game development company, later securing funding with Jim Levy's help.
1979: Atari's Best-Selling Cartridges Listed
In early 1979, Atari's marketing department circulated a memo listing the best-selling cartridges from the previous year to guide game ideas, highlighting the disparity between programmer compensation and game revenue.
1979: Activision Begins Development
In the latter half of 1979, Activision began developing games in Crane's garage, planning releases for mid-1980.
1980: CES Showcase and Atari's Reaction
In 1980, Activision showcased its titles at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), drawing favorable press and worrying Atari, which tried to undermine Activision's reputation.
1981: Success of Activision
After Activision's success, Imagic was one of the third-party development studios formed.
1981: Kaboom! Released
In 1981, Activision released Kaboom!, which became the company's first game to sell over a million units.
1982: Pitfall! and Kaplan's Departure
In 1982, Activision released Pitfall!, which sold over four million copies, and Larry Kaplan left the company to work on the Amiga personal computer.
1982: Lawsuit Settlement
In 1982, Activision settled a lawsuit with Atari, agreeing to pay royalties but legitimizing the third-party development model.
June 1983: Initial Public Offering
In June 1983, Activision completed its initial public offering on NASDAQ under the stock ticker AVSN.
1983: Effects of the Crash
Following the video game crash of 1983, retailers purchased unsold games at a mass discount.
1983: Rise of Third-Party Developers and Video Game Crash
In 1983, the success of Activision led to many more third-party developers, contributing to the video game crash due to inexperienced companies mass-publishing games.
1983: Patch Program
Through 1983, Activision's instruction manuals included instructions for sending the company a photograph of a player's high scores to receive a patch in return.
1984: Revenue Drop and Layoffs
In 1984, Activision's quarterly revenue dropped significantly, leading to layoffs and a decision to diversify into home computer games.
1985: Miller and Whitehead Leave
In 1985, Miller and Whitehead left Activision due to the devaluation of their stock and formed Accolade.
June 1986: Acquisition of Infocom
In June 1986, Activision acquired Infocom, a text adventure game pioneer, through a corporate merger.
1988: Name Change to Mediagenic
In 1988, Activision changed its corporate name to Mediagenic to reflect its expansion into software beyond video games.
1989: Activision publishes MechWarrior
In 1989, Activision published the first-person perspective game MechWarrior, based on FASA's BattleTech.
1989: Closure of Infocom Studios
In 1989, after several years of losses, Activision closed down the Infocom studios.
May 1990: Patent Infringement Penalty
In May 1990, Mediagenic faced a $6 million penalty after losing patent infringement lawsuits filed by Magnavox.
1990: Joe Montana Football Project
Around early 1990, Mediagenic worked on an early version of a football game that was the basis for Joe Montana Football, but internal issues led to Electronic Arts completing the game.
1991: Acquisition by Kotick
Around 1991, Bobby Kotick and a small group of investors bought Mediagenic (formerly Activision) for around US$500,000.
1991: Kotick and investors buy Mediagenic
In 1991, Bobby Kotick and other investors completed a hostile takeover of Mediagenic for approximately $500,000. This group included Steve Wynn and Philips Electronics. Kotick was drawn to Mediagenic for the Activision name, hoping to restore it to its former glory.
1991: Financial Losses and Severed Contract
In 1991, Mediagenic reported significant financial losses and had a contract severed by Cyan, who then turned to Broderbund for publishing, including Myst.
1992: Mediagenic renamed to Activision
By the end of 1992, Kotick renamed Mediagenic to the original Activision name, following a bankruptcy restructuring plan that included reissuing past titles and developing a sequel to Zork.
October 1993: Activision goes public
In October 1993, the new Activision went public, raising about $40 million. It was then listed on NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol ATVI.
1995: MechWarrior 2 Released
After two years of delays and internal struggles, MechWarrior 2 was released in 1995, leading FASA not to renew their licensing deal with Activision.
1995: Kotick fulfills promise to investors
By 1995, Kotick had met his promise to investors of four years of 50% revenue growth while remaining break-even.
1997: Activision licenses Heavy Gear
In 1997, Activision procured the license to the war game Heavy Gear, which was well-received by critics.
1997: Kotick sets Activision on path to profitability
In 1997, after meeting initial revenue goals, Kotick set Activision on a new path to develop high-demand games and make the company profitable.
1997: Activision begins acquisitions of studios
Starting in 1997, Kotick led Activision to begin acquiring video game development studios, based on market surveys to focus on specific content areas.
1998: Battlezone Released
In 1998, Activision released Battlezone, which utilized the Mechwarrior 2 engine.
June 16, 2000: Activision Reorganized as Holding Company
On June 16, 2000, Activision reorganized as a holding company, Activision Holdings, to manage Activision and its subsidiaries more effectively.
2001: Activision continues studio acquisitions
Prior to 2001, during the Dot-com bubble, Activision continued to acquire studios at lower valuations.
2003: Activision receives "First Penguin" award
In 2003, the company was awarded the Game Developers Choice "First Penguin" award, recognizing its place as the first third-party developer.
2006: Kotick contacts Vivendi about merger
Around 2006, Kotick contacted Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of Vivendi, to explore a potential merger due to Vivendi's ownership of Blizzard Entertainment and World of Warcraft.
2006: Kotick considers merger with Vivendi
Around 2006, Lévy offered Kotick a merger between Activision and Vivendi Games, contingent on Lévy holding majority shares.
December 2007: Activision's board signs merger
In December 2007, Activision's board signed on to the merger with Vivendi.
2007: Activision buys RedOctane
During 2006-2007, Activision acquired RedOctane, the publisher of the Guitar Hero franchise.
July 2008: Activision Blizzard Merger Completed
In July 2008, the merger between Activision and Vivendi was completed, creating Activision Blizzard, headed by Kotick.
2008: Activision's Acquisitions
Between 1997 and 2008, Activision made an estimated 25 acquisitions of video game development studios.
2008: Merger with Vivendi Games
In 2008, Activision merged with Vivendi Games (parent company of Blizzard Entertainment) to form Activision Blizzard, with Bobby Kotick as CEO.
November 2009: Activision Publishing establishes Sledgehammer Games
In November 2009, Activision Publishing established Sledgehammer Games.
February 2010: Activision Blizzard reports losses, shuts down studios
In February 2010, Activision Blizzard reported significant revenue losses and subsequently shut down Red Octane, Luxoflux, and Underground Development, laying off staff at Neversoft.
November 2010: Activision shutters Budcat Creations
In November 2010, Activision shuttered Budcat Creations.
2010: Hirshberg announced as Activision Publishing CEO
In 2010, Eric Hirshberg was announced as the CEO of Activision Publishing, following the Activision Blizzard merger.
2010: Sledgehammer assists with Modern Warfare 3
In early 2010, Sledgehammer Games was assigned to assist Infinity Ward with Modern Warfare 3 due to legal issues.
February 2011: Activision shutters Bizarre Creations
In February 2011, Activision shuttered Bizarre Creations.
2016: Top United States Publisher
In 2016, Activision was recognized as the top United States publisher.
March 2018: Hirshberg leaves CEO position
In March 2018, Eric Hirshberg left the CEO position at Activision Publishing.
2020: Call of Duty: Warzone released
In 2020, Activision released the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone.
April 2021: Activision focuses on Call of Duty
By April 2021, Activision had assigned all its internal studios to work on the Call of Duty franchise.
August 2021: Activision Mobile established
In August 2021, Activision established Activision Mobile, a new studio devoted to the Call of Duty Mobile title.
September 2021: Activision vacates headquarters in Santa Monica
In September 2021, Activision and Activision Blizzard vacated their headquarters in Santa Monica and subleased a smaller office space in the Pen Factory.
October 2023: Acquisition by Microsoft
In October 2023, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, maintaining Activision as a separate business within Microsoft Gaming.
October 2023: Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard
In October 2023, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, making it a separate division under Microsoft Gaming.
March 8, 2024: Activision QA workers unionize
On March 8, 2024, 600 Activision QA workers in Texas, Minnesota and California unionized under the Communication Workers of America (CWA), making it the largest union in the United States video game industry.
May 16, 2024: Activision announces Elsewhere Entertainment
On May 16, 2024, Activision announced the establishment of Warsaw-based studio Elsewhere Entertainment, assembled for development of a new narrative-based AAA IP not associated with other Activision series.
July 2024: SAG-AFTRA initiates strike against Activision
In July 2024, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) initiated a labor strike against Activision and other video game publishers, raising concerns about lack of A.I. protections and the potential use of A.I. to replicate an actor’s voice or likeness.
