Summary of significant accounting policies (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Investment Securities
Short-term investment classification, lower end of the maturity range, greater than (in days)	90
Short-term investment classification, upper end of the maturity range, less than (in years)	1
Auction Rate Securities, interest rate setting interval - period one (in days)	7
Auction Rate Securities, interest rate setting interval - period two (in days)	28
Auction Rate Securities, interest rate setting interval - period three (in days)	35
Financial Instruments
Maximum contractual terms of foreign exchange forward contracts (in years)	1
Concentration of Credit Risk
Number of significant customers for concentration of credit risk	0	1
Software Development Costs
Maximum amortization period for software development costs (in months)	6
Maximum amortization period for Intellectual Property license, extend beyond (in years)	1
Wal-Mart \| Consolidated gross receivables
Concentration of Credit Risk
Percentage of concentration risk (percent in hundredths)	21.00%	18.00%
GameStop \| Consolidated net revenues
Concentration of Credit Risk
Percentage of concentration risk (percent in hundredths)		12.00%
GameStop \| Consolidated gross receivables
Concentration of Credit Risk
Percentage of concentration risk (percent in hundredths)		12.00%

This element represents the period one interval for setting of the short-term interest rate on auction rate securities.

No definition available.

Name:	atvi_AuctionRateSecuritiesSeriesRateSettingIntervalPeriodOne
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the period three interval for setting of the short-term interest rate on auction rate securities.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_AuctionRateSecuritiesSeriesRateSettingIntervalPeriodThree
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the period two interval for setting of the short-term interest rate on auction rate securities.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_AuctionRateSecuritiesSeriesRateSettingIntervalPeriodTwo
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the number of major customers that account for 10 percent or more of entity's revenues individually.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ConcentrationRiskNumberOfMajorCustomers
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	atvi_DetailsOfFinancialInstrumentAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the maximum contractual term for foreign exchange forward contracts.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ForeignExchangeForwardContractMaximumContractualTerm
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the maximum amortization period in years, which can extend beyond, of Intellectual Property License costs that are to be amortized to cost of sales-intellectual property licenses.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ResearchanddevelopmentexpenseIPcostmaximumamortizationperiod
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	us-types:durationStringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the maximum amortization period of capitalized software development costs that are to be amortized to cost of sales - software royalties and amortization.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseSoftwareCostMaximumAmortizationPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the lower end of the maturity period over which investments of highly liquid nature are classified as short-term investments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ShortTermInvestmentMaturityPeriodLowerEndOfRange
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the upper end of the maturity period over which investments of highly liquid nature are classified as short term investments.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	atvi_ShortTermInvestmentMaturityPeriodUpperEndOfRange
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	atvi_SoftwareDevelopmentCostsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	atvi_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	us-types:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_InvestmentsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration