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Fans to Submit their Skylander Designs for Chance to have Creations
Featured in Game at Launch!
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Since the launch of Skylanders®, kids around the world have sent
Toys For Bob, the pioneers of the toys-to-life category, hand-drawn
Skylanders with one special request - please bring my Skylander to
life. This October, Activision Publishing, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI),
will make that wish a reality. For the first time, Skylanders®
Imaginators will empower Portal Masters to unleash their
imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylander.
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Meet King Pen - King Pen is a new Skylander Sensei making his debut in Skylanders Imaginators. As one of the 31 new characters in the game, King Pen has risen to be the leader of the Skylander Senseis and is widely known for his Flipper-Fu attack. In Skylanders Imaginators, Senseis help train created Imaginators by offering a range of in-game benefits. (Graphic: Business Wire)
"Since we launched the very first Skylanders game, we have
received countless letters and drawings from kids all over the world
sharing their vision for their own Skylanders. No matter how in touch
with our 'inner kids' we might think we are as adults, nothing comes
close to the endless creativity that springs from the mind of an
inspired kid," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc.
"We've turned this year's game into the ultimate blank canvas for kids'
imaginations so they can create and play their own Skylanders."
Skylanders Imaginators gives players immense
possibilities -- including appearance, powers, abilities, names,
catchphrases, musical themes and much more -- to create the wildest
Skylanders imaginable. The amazing depth of the creation system could
allow for more than a googol distinctive characters.
With the evil Kaos on a new quest to take over Skylands, it's up to
Portal Masters everywhere to create their own Skylanders - known as
Imaginators - using the new elementally-aligned toy type called the
Creation Crystal. Creation Crystals allow players to transport their
Imaginators to consoles at anytime, anywhere!
Skylanders Imaginators introduces Skylanders Senseis,
all-new heroes who represent 10 powerful Battle Classes such as Knight,
Sorcerer, Bowslinger, Brawler and more. Skylanders Senseis help train
created Imaginators by offering a range of benefits including unlocking
super-cool Imaginator weapons, providing access to special areas in the
game, as well as bestowing Secret Techniques across the Battle Classes.
Senseis also have their own unique benefits including the extraordinary
ability to unleash Sky-Chi - the ultimate Battle Class super move. There
are a total of 31 Senseis, which include some fan-favorite villains who
have been reformed and now fight for good!
"Skylanders consistently delivers on innovative gameplay
experiences. With customization a dominant trend in the consumer market,
the fact that Skylanders Imaginators will allow kids to
bring their own creations to life is a game changer and one our
customers will enjoy," said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising
Officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "We are proud to continue to serve as a marquee Skylanders
destination, and look forward to fans' excitement when the new Skylanders
Imaginators game arrives this holiday season."
To celebrate imaginations coming to life, Activision is kicking off the "Skylanders
Art-to-Life Contest." Starting today, Portal Masters are invited to
submit drawings of their own created Skylanders for a chance to have
their characters represented in the Skylanders Imaginators
game at launch! To participate, fans simply draw their imagined
Skylander and submit it via Instagram or Twitter with the dedicated
hashtag #SkylandersArtContest, or to us directly at SkylandersCommunity@Activision.com.
The judging panel will include Toys For Bob who will determine a grand
prize winner. For more information, including rules, visit: Skylanders.com/SkylandersArtContest.
Starting today, fans can pre-order Skylanders Imaginators Starter
Packs which include two new Skylanders characters, a Creation Crystal, Portal
of Power® and the full AAA game. Skylanders
Imaginators will be available 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.
Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators supports
all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous games. The game will be
available on October 16 in North America for the suggested retail price
of $74.99. For more information, fans can check out the debut of the
Skylanders Snapchat channel or watch the story unfold here
and here.
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 on September 20, 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.
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 about the expected release dates of Skylanders Imaginators,
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 IMAGINATORS, SKYLANDERS,
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
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160601005693/en/
For Media Inquiries:
PMK•BNC
Katie
Harris-Maines, 310.854.4856
katie.harris-maines@pmkbnc.com
or
Activision
Publishing, Inc.
Dior Brown, 424.744.5864
dior.brown@activision.com
Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media