Activision reports $164 million in revenue from handing Destiny back to Bungie

Activision has put out a new SEC filing, which contains some notable details about the financial terms of its deal to relinquish the publishing rights to Destiny. Up front, we do not know whether these numbers indicate cash paid directly from Bungie to Activision, deferred revenue that’s now recognised as a result of the contract’s termination, or (most likely) some combination of the two. As a result of the split between Activision and Bungie, the publisher recognises net bookings of $20 million, revenue of $164 million, and operating income of $91 million for the year ending December 31, 2018. You can see that for yourself in the SEC filing, as noted by analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter. Bungie’s about to debut the Season of the Drifter, which the company introduced as the first glimpse of a “Bungie-controlled Destiny.” We may only learn the true effects Activision had on the game’s development - good or bad - in some post-mortem breakdown a decade from now, but for the moment Destiny developers and fans alike are excited about the possibilities.