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Activision Blizzard’s Global sales of the new Diablo video game topped $666 million in five days, the company said Wednesday.
Diablo IV, which launched on June 6, has become the fastest-selling game ever for Activision subsidiary Blizzard Entertainment, the company added. The record sales provided some relief as the company faced a pending battle with the Federal Trade Commission over a planned acquisition. Microsoft.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit in California federal court to block the deal, while Britain’s Competition Markets Authority has said it will block it. Even with approval from European regulators, the planned takeover still faces a protracted appeals process.
At the heart of the CMA’s denial are concerns that Microsoft is dominating the cloud gaming space with its Xbox Game Pass. The global cloud gaming market will generate $5.1 billion in revenue in 2022, but will grow significantly year-over-year.
Microsoft has a dominant position in the space and, through a possible acquisition of Activision, would be able to make popular franchises other than Diablo exclusive to Microsoft’s cloud platform, the CMA said. Microsoft plans to appeal the CMA’s decision and will sue the FTC’s injunction.
Diablo IV Not Available On Game Pass, Activision Execs explain March 2023. Other companies’ Marquee franchises, including Electronic Arts’ FIFA and Madden series, as well as Microsoft’s own titles, are available on Game Pass.
The sales record, while a Blizzard record, was not an industry record. In 2013, Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto V hit $1 billion in sales in its first three days, while its Red Dead Redemption topped $725 million in 2013 three days When it launched in 2018.