Activision Blizzard announced its fourth-quarter earnings report earlier this week, bringing the company's fiscal year 2021 to a close. According to the numbers, the corporation had record growth in the fourth quarter, with net income of $2.16 billion, up 7% from the third quarter but down 10% year over year.

Despite a 10% year-over-year reduction, the corporation reported overall positive performance. Activision Blizzard finished the fiscal year with a $8.8 billion profit, an increase of $800 million over the previous year.

“I am incredibly proud of our teams for their commitment and passion as we continue to engage the world through epic entertainment in 2021,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement.

Bear in mind that all of this comes in the context of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard at the start of last month, an event that stunned us all. That is why Kotick included the following:

“As we look to the future, with Microsoft's scale and resources, we will be better equipped to grow existing franchises, launch potential new franchises, and unlock the rich library of games we've amassed over 40 years. Our 370 million players worldwide and excellence at work remain our goal. For investors, our recently announced transaction is the culmination of three decades of providing superior returns to shareholders.”

As noted in the study, microtransactions were the company's bread and butter during the most recent fiscal year, accounting for approximately 5.1 billion dollars in net revenues within games. This revenue is comprised of DLC, World of Warcraft subscriptions, and any cosmetic goods or " loot boxes " included in any of their games.

This statistic accounts for an amazing 61 percent of Activision's total net sales and reflects a year-over-year rise of $250 million. Microtransactions, at least in the case of Activision, are clearly the daily bread and are here to stay. In other Activision Blizzard earnings news, according to information revealed about the earnings of the conglomerate's three capital companies (Activision, Blizzard, and King), developer King, which is responsible for the popular Candy Crush, would have outperformed Blizzard for the third consecutive year, another factor contributing significantly to the company's stellar year.

Microtransactions and DLCs Generated 61% of Activision Blizzard revenue for 2021