Call of Duty: Ghosts #1 Top-Selling Next Gen Title; Call of Duty #1
Franchise for the Last Five Years
Skylanders #1 Kids Video Game Franchise for Second Consecutive Year;
Takes #3 Spot for Overall Video Game Franchise in 2013
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision
Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI),
announced today that Call of Duty® and Skylanders®
continue to top U.S. NPD charts for 2013. Call of Duty: Ghosts
was the #1 best-selling title overall in December, and the #1
best-selling next gen title of 2013 on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4; Call
of Duty was the #1 franchise for the fifth year in a row in both
software units and dollars in the U.S., according to the NPD Group¹.
Additionally, Skylanders SWAP Force was the #2
best-selling title overall in December; Skylanders was the
#1 best-selling kids video game franchise of 2013 in the U.S. for the
second consecutive year, and the #3 video game franchise overall for the
year in the U.S., according to the NPD Group and including toys and
accessories2.
"Call of Duty: Ghosts is the #1 best-selling next gen
launch title on both Xbox One and PS4, and for the second year in a row Skylanders
was the #1 top-selling kids video game franchise," said Eric
Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "This consumer response to
both Call of Duty: Ghosts and Skylanders speaks
to the deep connection both franchises have made with fans, which fuels
our commitment to delivering great games time and again."
The latest two Skylanders games -- Skylanders GiantsTM
and Skylanders SWAP ForceTM - both ranked in
the top 5 of kids video games in 20132. In addition, both Call
of Duty and Skylanders have two of the top 10
best-selling titles for the year in the U.S.
Released in November on both current generation and next generation
platforms, Call of Duty: Ghosts ushered in the next
generation of the blockbuster franchise. The game also is the #1 first
person action game of the year in the U.S. and the #1 most played
multiplayer title currently for Xbox 360 on Xbox Live online
entertainment network from Microsoft. Developed by Infinity Ward, the
title is rated "M" for Mature (Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence,
Strong Language) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com/ghosts,
www.facebook.com/CODGhosts,
or follow on Twitter @InfinityWard.
The award-winning, billion dollar2Skylanders
franchise continued to innovate the toys-to-life category in October
2013 by introducing a new mix-and-match play pattern with the launch of Skylanders
SWAP Force for current generation and handheld platforms and was
available day-and-date with next generation platforms. Skylanders
SWAP Force was one of the highest rated kids' games of 2013 and
was hailed as "4 stars (out of 4)" by USA Today3 and
"The Best Skylanders Game Yet" by Forbes.com4. The latest
group of Skylanders SWAP Force toys arrived on store
shelves at the beginning of the year, introducing Portal Masters to new
favorite heroes such as Stink Bomb, Spy Rise, Smolderdash and more. For
more information, visit www.skylanders.com.
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, South Korea, 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.
ACTIVISION, SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, SKYLANDERS GIANTS, CALL
OF DUTY, and CALL OF DUTY GHOSTS are trademarks of Activision
Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties
of their respective owners.
1 Based on revenue and software units sold, according to The
NPD, through December 2013
2 Based on revenue, according to The NPD Group including toys
and accessory packs, through December 2013 in the U.S.
3 From USA Today, October 20, 2013 © 2013 Gannett-USAToday.
All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright
Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or
retransmission of this Content without express written permission is
prohibited. Pursuant to standard reprint fees.
4 From Forbes.com, October 14, 2013 © 2013 Forbes. All rights
reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the
United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission
of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.
Pursuant to standard reprint fees.
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Mike Mantarro
Call of Duty
310.255.2731
mike.mantarro@activision.com
or
Kerstine
Johnson
Skylanders
310.255.2508
kerstine.johnson@activision.com
Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.
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