Fans to Receive a Free, Fully-Playable Kaos Toy with Purchase of Skylanders
Imaginators Starter Packs
Skylanders Creator App Extends the Magic of Creating Skylanders Beyond
the Living Room!
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ready, Set, Create! Skylanders®
Imaginators is now available at major retailers worldwide
from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI).
For the first time, Portal Masters can create their own Skylanders,
designing the wildest characters imaginable including customizing
appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and
much more. Fans will also enjoy Crash Bandicoot and Dr. Neo Cortex as
guest star Skylanders, as well as a new mobile app Skylanders™
Creator and the upcoming Netflix original series, Skylanders™
Academy.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017005488/en/
Skylanders Imaginators is now on store shelves at major retailers worldwide! The award-winning videogame lets players create their own Skylanders for the first time! (Photo: Business Wire)
"From the day we created Skylanders, we have received thousands
of letters from kids all over the world sharing ideas for their ideal
Skylander. The creativity and imagination that this game inspires in
kids is overwhelming," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. "And Skylanders
Imaginators was designed to harness all of that creativity. It's
the game we've always wanted to make, and the game kids have always
wanted to play."
Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators empowers
players to unleash their imaginations and bring their creations to life
in an all-new adventure with puzzles, battles, a compelling storyline
and new lineup of heroes and villains. As part of the Creation
Celebration, fans who purchase a Skylanders Imaginators
Starter Pack at participating retailers nationwide will receive a
fully-playable Kaos toy for free. Offer valid until October 22 or while
supplies last.
"This year, we're letting fans create the magic of Skylanders by giving
them the power to express their imaginations in ways never before
possible," said Josh Taub, senior vice president, Skylanders at
Activision Publishing. "Skylanders encompasses an award-winning
videogame franchise, top toy property and now a new television series, Skylanders
Academy from Netflix and Activision Blizzard Studios. We're proud
that we've created a beloved franchise that has touched fans' lives
worldwide in so many ways."
The launch of Skylanders Imaginators also ushers in the
release of a fun, new mobile app for the game, Skylanders
Creator, that lets fans take their creations on the go!
Featuring similar creation tools available in the Skylanders
Imaginators console game, players can create Imaginators from
scratch or magically transfer their created characters from the console
game to the app using special audio technology. The app helps fans to
express their creativity and love for Skylanders. Players can simply
download Skylanders Creator for free via their favorite app stores and
start creating their Skylanders on select iPad, iPhone and Android
mobile devices.
For the first time in toys-to-life history, fans can immortalize their
Skylanders Imaginator creations in physical forms using Skylanders
Creator. Some fans can choose to have their creations transformed
into 3D printed Imaginator figures (limited quantities, while supplies
last). Additionally, they can create Imaginator Cards emblazoned with
full color images of their created Skylanders that are fully-playable in
the Skylanders Imaginators console game. Fans also can create
customized Skylanders Imaginator T-shirts featuring images of their very
own creations. Availability of these items varies by territory, and not
all features are available at game launch.
Portal Masters are encouraged to get into the creation spirit by
participating in the Skylanders Imaginators
#CreatorContest. Starting October 24, fans who share their Skylanders
Imaginators creations on social media using the dedicated
hashtag have a chance to win a 3D printed Skylander Imaginator.
Skylanders Imaginators is sure to be at the top of kids'
wish lists this season. Earlier this year, Skylanders Imaginators
won the prestigious "Best Family Game" from the two top videogame
tradeshows in the world: Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and
Gamescom. The game also has been named to the Toys"R"Us 2016 Hot Holiday
Toy List and the Toy Insider's Hot 20 Holiday Toys List; as well as
highlighted as one of Parents magazine's "2016 Best Toys."
"The new innovation in Skylanders Imaginators provides
kids with so many opportunities to let their creativity shine," said
Richard Barry, executive vice president, global chief merchandising
officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "This is certainly an exciting time to be a
Skylanders fan, and we're happy to be a premier retail destination for
Portal Masters this holiday season."
The new toys-to-life game offers fans more creative
choices than ever before, including a variety of music tracks that
players can use to customize their Imaginators. Song selection includes
"A State of Trance" music from famous DJ Armin van Buuren.
Imaginator music styles provide players with a fun way to express their
characters' personalities - each style morphing to match the players'
gameplay experience.
"From the moment I got my hands on Skylanders Imaginators,
there was an instant connection with the game. Not only because it's a
lot of fun, but because I truly enjoyed watching my creativity come to
life through my character," said Armin van Buuren. "I'm pleased that my
music can be chosen as a theme for players' favorite Skylanders - and I
can't wait to play the game at home."
The story of Skylanders Imaginators takes place long
ago when the Ancients used a mysterious power known as "Mind Magic" to
create everything in Skylands. With it, they conjured into existence
anything that they could imagine! However, they soon learned that in the
wrong hands, it could be very dangerous, and so they sealed it away so
that it could never be misused. After discovering this ancient secret,
Kaos has unleashed the power of "Mind Magic" into Skylands once again -
and he is using it to create an unstoppable army of Doomlanders, the
likes of which have never been seen! Now it's up to Portal Masters to
create Skylanders Imaginators from their own imagination
and stop Kaos and his evil Doomlanders before it is too late. And to
help train them, Eon is sending the greatest mystic warriors of all time
- the Senseis!
Skylanders Imaginators also introduces two new guest star
characters -- Crash Bandicoot and his arch-nemesis Dr. Neo
Cortex. They join the lineup of Skylanders Sensei characters as
fully-playable toys. The game also gives Crash fans a dedicated
level, Thumpin' Wumpa Islands, that pays homage to be beloved ‘90s video
game icon.
Adding to the fun, Skylanders
Academy, the new animated comedy-adventure show inspired by
the award-winning Skylanders franchise, will debut on Netflix on
October 28. Jam-packed with humor and heart, Skylanders Academy
promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with epic action for
kids of all ages. This Netflix original series Season 1 will debut 13
episodes in 190 countries, with a second season planned for late 2017.
The Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack will be available
for the suggested retail price of $74.99 on Xbox 360™ and
Xbox One™ video game and entertainment systems
from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation®
4 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo's Wii U™ system.
Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders from
previous games. For more information, visit Skylanders.com.
About the Skylanders®
Franchise
The award-winning, $3 billionSkylanders® franchise has sold
through more than 250 million toys1 since pioneering the
toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro's
Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly
bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders®
Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore®
characters to the collection of interaction figures. Skylanders® SWAP
Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new
play pattern - swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap
Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players
to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and
became the number 1 kids' console game globally1. Skylanders®
SuperChargers launched in 2015 and expanded upon the franchise's
signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life for the first time.
About Activision Publishing
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 (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 with respect to Skylanders Academy, the Skylanders
#CreatorContest or about the expected features and
functionality of Skylanders Creator 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.
©2016 Activision Publishing, Inc., SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS,
SKYLANDERS CREATOR, CRASH, CRASH BANDICOOT, SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS,
SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM, SKYLANDERS SPYRO'S ADVENTURE, SKYLANDERS GIANTS,
SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, SWAP FORCE, LIGHTCORE, PORTAL OF POWER and
ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
¹The NPD Group, GfK Chart-track, Activision Blizzard internal
estimates, including toys and accessories
© 2016 Activision Blizzard Studios, LLC. SKYLANDERS and SKYLANDERS
ACADEMY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161017005488/en/
Activision Publishing
Kerstine Johnson
kerstine.johnson@activision.com
or
Dior
Brown
dior.brown@activision.com
Source: Activision Publishing
News Provided by Acquire Media