Optimistic Activision sees its shares climb

Activision Blizzard rallied as much as 12 percent to a record after giving an upbeat outlook for this year and next, boosted by marquee video game franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.

Revenue this quarter will be $1.75 billion, excluding some items, the company said Thursday, compared with the $1.68 billion predicted by analysts. Its annual forecast also topped estimates, and Activision said 2022 will benefit from a flurry of new game releases. That helped send the shares as high as $104.23 in New York trading Friday.

The whole video game industry has gotten a lift from pandemic-fueled lockdowns over the past year. New consoles — Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox Series X — have also bolstered game sales since their release last year.