Press Release Details

New Champion Brings Home 2017 Call of Duty World League Championship Trophy of the World's Biggest Console Esport; Claims Winner's Share of $1.5 Million Prize Purse

Thrilling Final Match Concludes Epic Call of Duty Esports Season from Activision Totaling $4 Million in Season Prizing

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A fierce season of competition came to a close last night as OpTic Gaming won the 2017 Call of Duty World League (CWL) Championship, Presented by PlayStaton®4. Hosted by Major League Gaming Corp. (MLG) in partnership with Activision Publishing, Inc., OpTic Gaming won this year's crown over Team EnVyUs in a thrilling final competition to determine this year's champion as the best Call of Duty team in the world.

"This does not feel real at all. I feel like a legend with my teammates," CWL Championship 2017 MVP Matthew 'FormaL' Piper said after receiving the honor. FormaL also earned MVP honors during the CWL Stage 2 Playoffs. When asked about his consistency following the second MVP award, FormaL cited his team. "It's not me. It's my teammates, I really mean that. They allow me to play like that and do the flashy stuff. I owe all of that to them."

Call of Duty esports saw a substantial rise in competition this year, with a year-over-year increase in participation of 400%. The playing field has also leveled in 2017, with nine teams capturing tournament wins around the world; including, Splyce, the first-ever European team to win a CWL event on North American soil.

Held in Orlando, Fl., the tournament featured the world's top 32 Call of Duty teams from North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) as they competed at the five-day event for a share of the $1.5 million championship prize pool, and the finale to this year's CWL season which offered $4 million in total prize purse, the largest in Call of Duty history.

"Congratulations to OpTic Gaming on a fantastic finish, our 2017 CWL Champions," said Rob Kostich, executive vice president and general manager, Call of Duty. "The 2017 season was the best yet with amazing competition and incredible fans at every stop. On behalf of everyone at Call of Duty, we congratulate all the teams on an outstanding year of competition and thank our fans for all of their amazing support."

Here are the final top four placements after the CWL Championships:

• 1^st - OpTic Gaming
• 2^nd - Team EnVyUs
• 3^rd - Luminosity
• 4^th - Red Reserve
• 5^th/6^th - FaZe Clan
• 5^th/6^th - eUnited
• 7^th/8^th - Ghost Gaming
• 7^th/8^th - Splyce

For a list of all final team placings, please visit www.callofduty.com/esports.

For more information on the exciting competition and the latest intel on the Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 check out: http://www.callofduty.com/cwl, tv.majorleaguegaming.com or follow @CODWorldLeague on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Activision and MLG (both part of Activision Blizzard) join forces with PlayStation®4 to bring Call of Duty World League to a global audience, with the goal of providing fans the best esports experience at live events and broadcast on mlg.tv/callofduty. Activision Publishing, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. [NASDAQ: ATVI].

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future including statements about the features and event timing of the 2017 CWL Championship are forward-looking statements, that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING and MLG are trademarks of Major League Gaming Corp.
All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170814005505/en/

Major League Gaming
Bruce Dugan
VP, Communications
bdugan@mlg.tv

Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.

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