Business

Activision net triples in Q4

Activision Blizzard, the largest US video-game maker, said fourth-quarter net income more than tripled, with gains from the latest “Skylanders” and “Call of Duty” titles.

Net income soared to $354 million, or 31 cents a share, from $99 million, or 8 cents, a year earlier, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company said today in. Excluding items, profit of 78 cents exceeded the 72-cent average analysts estimated.

Sales, excluding changes in deferred revenue, rose 7.6 percent, to $2.6 billion, beating the $2.44 billion average estimate of analysts.

Activision has weathered an industry decline by updating top sellers and developing new ones. It recently announced a third installment of its “Skylanders” franchise. Consumers purchased more than $500 million of the games and toys in the past two iterations.

In November, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” became the first game ever to generate $1 billion in sales in 15 days, the company said.

Activision rose 3.2 percent, to $12.45, in extended trading. The stock added 1 percent, to $12.06, at the close yesterday.