Continuing Expansion Internationally across European, Asian and Latin
American Markets, Encouraging New Lifestyle and Retail Partners for
Upcoming Consumer Product Lineup
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2018--
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group (ABCPG) returns to Brand
Licensing Europe 2018 (BLE) with a fan-favorite roster of franchises and
first-in-class partners to drive the continued international expansion
of some of today’s hottest properties. Marking the group’s return to BLE
since debuting internationally last year, ABCPG is making a greater
splash through its continued expansion into the global market through a
host of new lifestyle, toy and gaming partnerships to give fans new ways
to play, display, wear and live the brands they love. Returning to
represent a roster of iconic, blockbuster titles, including Call
of Duty®: Black Ops 4, Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy,
Crash Bandicoot™ N.Sane Trilogy and Bungie’s Destinyfrom Activision, and Overwatch®, Hearthstone®
and World of Warcraft®fromBlizzard Entertainment,
the company presence will also feature products from Nerf, New Era,
McFarlane and more. Offering exciting opportunities for multi-category
licensing, the company’s franchises of the future feature thrilling
gameplay, linear storytelling, esports and consumer products for its
global audience of more than 352 million gamers and fans.
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Supra footwear in celebration of the release of Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 (Photo: Business Wire)
“Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group is delighted to return to
BLE to showcase our growing slate of partnerships that will help fans
engage with their favorite franchises in new and innovative ways,” said
Philippe Bost, Vice President of International Consumer Products for
Activision Blizzard. “As our merchandise programs continue to expand to
the international market, we’re energized by the prospect of continuing
to redefine how popular brands like Call of Duty and Overwatch
are experienced by fans across the globe.”
Continued Commitment to International Growth
With iconic franchises such as Activision’s Call of Duty
and Crash Bandicoot and Blizzard’s Overwatch
at the forefront, ABCPG is steadfast in its dedication to bringing
Activision and Blizzard’s powerhouse properties to life in new ways,
particularly in Europe, and across Asian and Latin American markets
through partnerships with retailers like UNIQLO and Primark.
Launching World-Class Partnerships
Overwatch: In collaboration with a number of global
partners, including Hasbro, Nerf and LEGO Group, ABCPG is passionate
about working with premier affiliates to create high quality and deeply
relevant merchandise based on Blizzard’s beloved properties for the
global gaming audience. Our highly anticipated Overwatch
partnerships include a wide range of ways for fans to interact with
their favorite franchises, including apparel, collectibles and toys,
among other categories and partnerships yet to be announced.
With the Funko partnership, ABCPG expanded offerings to now include
products within Funko’s flagship Loungefly brand, as well as plush,
apparel and home decor products. Additionally, ABCPG is working with
Good Smile to expand their core product offering and launch the
company’s first ever Blizzard exclusive this Fall.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4: With the introduction
of new partnerships such as BAIT, Supra, Hype and New Era, and adding to
the likes of preexisting partners including Mattel, Astro and Kontrol
Freek, the Call of Duty community will now have increased
opportunities to interact with the franchise 365 days a year. Fans can
look forward to more premiere, fashion-forward brand collaborations in
celebration of and following the release of Call of Duty: Black
Ops 4.
Bungie’s Destiny: With the release of highly
anticipated and transformative Destiny 2: Forsaken, Bungie
introduces new partnerships with Gaya Entertainment and Level Up Wear to
expand product offerings internationally, in addition to book publishing
with Blizzard Entertainment. Bungie’s latest book published in
partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, Destiny Grimoire Anthology,
Vol. I, is available for preorder now with foreign language editions
and more titles to be announced soon. The merchandise program is seeing
international growth with the recent appointment of Bits and Pixels as
the licensing agency for the EMEA territories. For licensing inquires
related to Destiny, please contact: licensing@bungie.com.
Esports
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional
esports league with city-based teams. In addition to aiding in the
overall growth of mainstream professional gaming, the successful
inaugural season of the Overwatch Leaguehas led to new product
opportunities for licensed partners globally.
Coming off an exciting Grand Finals event this summer in front of a
sold-out live audience at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the
league has recently expanded from 12 teams to 20—providing a strong
basis for deep connections with passionate fan bases in even more major
markets around the world for the 2019 season.
About Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group is a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company and the world's most
successful standalone interactive entertainment company. Building on the
existing consumer products businesses, the newly formed Activision
Blizzard Consumer Products Group encompasses Activision, Blizzard and
King’s franchises of the future. The division is passionate about
working with best-in-class partners around the world to create high
quality and deeply relevant merchandise that gives fans new ways to
play, display, wear and live the brands they love. Activision Blizzard
is home to iconic and beloved entertainment franchises, including
Activision’s Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro™
and Skylanders®; Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft®,
Hearthstone® and Overwatch®; King Digital Entertainment’s Candy
Crush™; and Bungie’s Destiny.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Activision Blizzard's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future, including statements about the company's Consumer
Products division, including with respect to Brand Licensing Europe 2018
and its partners, programs and expected international growth, are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Blizzard'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 Blizzard as of the date of this release, and the
company does not assume 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 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.
© 2018 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision, Call of Duty, Call of
Duty Black Ops, Skylanders, Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot
are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
© 2018 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. All other trademarks or trade
names are the properties of their respective owners.
© 2018 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. HEARTHSTONE, OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH
LEAGUE, BLIZZARD, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, WORLD OF WARCRAFT: LEGION and
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181009005516/en/
Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Media Contacts:
Activision /
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group
Kerstine Johnson
+1.310.255.2508
kjohnson@activision.com
or
Blizzard
Entertainment
Rob Hilburger
+1.949.242.8404
rhilburger@blizzard.com