Company's Robust Licensing Program Includes More than 150
Licensing Partners
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Further bolstering its licensing footprint, Activision Publishing, Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI),
today announced at Licensing Show Expo 2013 that it has more than
doubled its portfolio of licensees in less than one year to more than
150 licensing partners.
Activision's licensing initiatives support two of the biggest franchises
in entertainment, Skylanders® and the mega-hit,
blockbuster Call of Duty®, as well as the highly
anticipated new video game universe, Destiny®, from the
renowned developer, Bungie. During the past 18 months, Activision has
become one of the fastest growing licensors and was recently named the
100th biggest global licensor in the world according to License!
Global's Top 150 Global Licensors List of 2012. The company's Skylanders
program is anchored by key global partners: Penguin, Topps, Rubies,
MEGA Brands, and PowerA, and is supported by best-in-class
licensing agents outside of the U.S.
Newly signed licensees who will support the Skylanders
franchise include American Greetings, who is creating a
comprehensive social expressions program through party goods and
greeting cards; consumer electronic products by KIDdesigns;
athletic shoes and slippers by Cortina Leomil Group; a Skylanders-themed
Monopoly game by USAopoly; and Skylanders-branded
personal care items and novelty stationery by MZBerger.
"Our licensing strategy is focused on partnering with industry leaders
and category experts who will align well with our games' demographics
and deliver meaningful brand extensions," says Ashley Maidy, Vice
President of Global Licensing & Partnerships for Activision. "Deeper
integration at retail is a key element of our expansion plans. Licensing
has allowed us to secure space outside of the video game aisle,
providing our fans with multiple touch points for consumer interactions.
Additionally, the programs have garnered space in non-traditional gaming
retailers like W.H. Smith and Smyths in Europe. Overall, this holiday we
are increasing our retail space by more than one third over last year."
To support the award-winning Skylanders franchise,
Activision has secured licensees in key categories including Publishing,
Apparel, Back-to-School, Game Accessories, Costumes, Construction Sets,
Bedding and Party Goods, among others. Additionally, promotional
partnerships have helped build and expand awareness of the brand
including a three-phased Frito-Lay national promotion followed by
McDonald's USA LLC, which launched a Skylanders GiantsTM
Happy Meal program in April 2013 in North America that will be
rolling out to other countries throughout the year.
In 2013, Activision began expanding its licensing reach for the
record-setting Call of Duty franchise in Europe and
Australia. The company's licensing activities for the brand
focuses on lifestyle categories such as Apparel, Gaming
Headsets, Mobile and Electronic Accessories, and includes such premier
partners as Turtle Beach, BioWorld, PowerA and Brady Games.
Additionally, in 2014, Activision, in collaboration with Bungie, will
launch a focused merchandising program to support the game launch of Destiny.
The program will expand as the franchise establishes itself in
the marketplace.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc.
is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of
interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, mainland China and the region of
Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found
on the company's website, www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future 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.
Halo is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and/or other countries. Microsoft is not the publisher of
Destiny. Activision has no affiliation with Halo.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" is a
registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii U, Wii,
Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2013 Bungie,
Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, the Destiny Logo, Bungie and the
Bungie Logo are among the trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and
distributed by Activision. ACTIVISION, SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS GIANTS,
and CALL OF DUTY, are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their
respective owners.
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Bianca Blair, 310-496-5290
bianca.blair@activision.com
or
PMK-BNC
Tania
Kingsrud, 310-854-4774
tania.kingsrud@pmkbnc.com
Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.
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