The Most Pre-Ordered New IP in Video Game History Has Launched and is
Available Worldwide at 12:01 midnight September 9th
Local Time in Countries around the World
Award-Winning First Person Action Game Delivers Groundbreaking
Experience in a Living, Social World
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Bungie, the creators of the Halo® franchise, and
Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision
Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) and the creators and publishers of such
blockbuster franchises as Call of Duty® and Skylanders, have
joined forces to bring you Destiny, releasing worldwide
today at 12:01 midnight September 9th local time in each
territory where available at global retailers.
Destiny is the most pre-ordered new video game IP in
history, and has won over 180 awards and nominations, setting the stage
for Destiny to become one of the biggest entertainment
launches of the year, and the next big blockbuster franchise in gaming.
In July, over 4.6 million people tested Destiny in what
became the biggest beta of this console generation. Millions are
expected to start playing the full game today.
"Destiny has been a labor of love and a remarkable creative journey for
everyone at Activision and Bungie," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of
Activision Publishing Inc. "We feel that we have the opportunity to
launch something huge - not just into the gaming landscape, but the pop
cultural landscape. Arriving at our launch day with this much support
and enthusiasm from fans and retailers is downright exciting. Moments
like this just don't come around very often."
"Destiny is the game we've always wanted to make," said
Harold Ryan, Bungie president. "We've dreamt of this universe for years,
so we couldn't be more thrilled to swing open the doors and let fans
shape this experience as they tell their unique stories in the game. For
us, the next generation of games is all about allowing players to
collide and interact with each other as they take on epic, action-packed
adventures all their own."
In addition to the launch of the game, the Destiny Expansion Pass
is available for purchase. The Expansion Pass will extend the Destiny
adventure after the launch of the game, with two expansions, both of
which will include brand new story missions, cooperative activities and
competitive multiplayer arenas, and a wealth of all new weapons, armor
and gear to earn. The Expansion Pass is available at a suggested retail
price of $34.99, with Expansion I and Expansion II to be
priced individually at $19.99 when they launch. Expansion I will
launch in December, with Expansion II following.
In Destiny, you are cast as a Guardian of the last city on
Earth, able to explore the ancient ruins of our solar system in a
social, living universe filled with other players. You will journey
through environments spanning the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles
of Venus while creating your own legend as you and your friends venture
out into the stars to reclaim the treasures and secrets lost after the
collapse of humanity. Over the course of your adventures you will become
more powerful as you wield rare and exotic weapons, gear, and super
abilities. In addition to the story campaign, you can take your unique
character into any co-operative or competitive activity, including the
ability to compete with or against your friends in The Crucible, Destiny's
competitive multiplayer mode featuring numerous playlists and maps
spanning diverse environments across the galaxy.
Destiny is rated T for Teen by the ESRB (Animated Blood
and Violence), and is available now for the PlayStation®4 computer
entertainment system (PlayStation Plus required for some features),
PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one
games and entertainment system and Xbox 360 games and entertainment
system from Microsoft (Xbox Live Gold required for some features).
For more information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com.
For exclusive updates, follow the official Destiny social
channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame
and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter, and interact directly with the
developers at www.Bungie.net.
Activision Press Center
Members
of the media can visit Activision Publishing's Press Center to download
broadcast quality video, web-ready video and high-resolution images.
Press Center: www.activision.com/presscenter.
About Bungie
Bungie was founded
in 1991 with two goals: develop kick-ass games that combine
state-of-the-art technology with uncompromising art, captivating
storytelling, and deep gameplay, and then to sell enough copies to fund
their ongoing quest for World Domination. Over the past twenty years,
Bungie created a bunch of fun games, including the Halo Franchise, the
Marathon Trilogy, and the first two Myth games. Now independent,
employee-owned, and located in Bellevue, Washington, Bungie has
unleashed their newest creation, Destiny, upon the world.
More information about Bungie can be found at www.bungie.net.
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, including such popular franchises as
Call of Duty® and Skylanders.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong 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 Corp. in the U.S. and/or
other countries. Microsoft is not the publisher of Destiny. Activision
has no affiliation with Halo.
© 2014 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. CALL OF DUTY is a trademark of
Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the
properties of their respective owners.

Activision, Inc.
Genevieve Waldman, 310-255-2535
gwaldman@activision.com
Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
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