Activision Publishing, Inc. (Activision)

Activision Publishing, Inc., commonly known as Activision, is a major American video game publisher founded in 1979 and headquartered in Santa Monica, California. It was one of the first third-party game publishers and built a large portfolio of well-known franchises over decades, including Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, and Guitar Hero. Activision has typically operated as the publishing arm that partners with internal and external development studios (such as Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software) to produce, market, and distribute titles across console, PC, and mobile platforms.

In recent years Activision has focused heavily on live-service games, franchise-managed annual releases (notably Call of Duty), and esports and community engagement around its properties. The company was a principal part of Activision Blizzard and was acquired by Microsoft in 2023; today it operates under the broader Microsoft/Xbox gaming organization while continuing to publish and manag...