Activision not keen on social, iPhone games

CEO Robert Kotick sees little financial value in fledgling markets, remains dedicated to existing titles.

Despite the incessant popularity of the iPhone/iPod Touch gaming market and the global phenomenon that is social gaming, Activision CEO Robert Kotick says he's not interested in tapping into those gaming sectors.

Kotick and Activision aren't ready to play FarmVille.

Speaking with Reuters recently, Kotick said Apple's App Store isn't an area best suited for "dedicated gamers."
"We don't view the App Store as a really big opportunity for dedicated games," he said. He went on to say, according to Reuters, that investing in games for tablet devices, including Apple's iPad, is not in Activision's immediate future. However, Kotick did say it might be a course of action for the publisher someday.
Addressing the social gaming movement spearheaded in part by free-to-play games on Facebook, Kotick recognized the popularity of this demographic, but he said making money off users in this sector is difficult.
"It's a different question assessing it as a business opportunity. Right now, we don't see an opportunity for us to participate in that market," he said.
Activision's current-quarter balance sheet is expected to be rosy, as the publisher released Call of Duty: Black Ops in November. The Cold War-era shooter has made over $650 million to date and is the fastest selling entertainment property of all time. On top of that, next week Activision will release World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the latest expansion to World of Warcraft, which recently surpassed a gargantuan tally of 12 million registered users.