"Skylanders Academy" Netflix Television Series Committed for Season 3
in 2018
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Activision Blizzard unleashes its franchises of the future at Licensing
Expo 2017 - showcasing a slate of 360-degree entertainment properties
that will drive its global licensing and retail business in 2017 and
beyond. The newly formed Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group
makes its debut at the Expo to leverage the iconic, blockbuster
franchises from across the company, including: Call of Duty®,
Skylanders® and Bungie's Destiny from Activision; Overwatch®,
Hearthstone® and World of Warcraft® from Blizzard
Entertainment; and Candy Crush™ from King. With a massive
audience reach, the company's tentpole properties offer opportunities
across gameplay, linear storytelling, esports and consumer products.
"Activision Blizzard has evolved from launching videogames to building
long-lasting, trans-media entertainment franchises that drive
engagement. The recently formed Activision Blizzard Consumer Products
Group is poised to leverage our powerhouses such as Blizzard's Overwatch
and Activision's Call of Duty in new ways, especially as our
esports business continues to grow," said Tim Kilpin, CEO and president,
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group. "We're looking to give our
fans new ways to play, display, wear and live the brands they love."
Building on the success of existing consumer products businesses, the
new Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group will provide more
strength at retail and generate more engagement opportunities for the
company's community of 430 million players in 196 countries who spent 40
billion hours playing its games last year. The division is passionate
about working with best-in-class partners to create high quality and
deeply relevant merchandise for their global gaming audience based on
its beloved franchises.
Details of Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group's line-up of
marquee entertainment properties follows:
Activision
A leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment,
Activision is home to a powerful portfolio of properties, including Call
of Duty, Bungie's Destiny, Skylanders and the retro
‘90s Crash Bandicoot™.
With more than $15 billion in franchise revenue since inception1,
the pop culture phenomenon Call of Duty is one of the
biggest videogame franchises of all time. Activision recently revealed Call
of Duty®: WWII, scheduled for release on November 3, a game that
defines World War 2 for a new gaming generation. Further, players will
compete for a $4 million total prize pool during this season's Call of
Duty World League, a premier esports series. Additionally, a Call of
Duty film franchise is in development. Supported by a merchandising
program that lives beyond annual game title releases 365 days a year, Call
of Duty partners include: Bioworld (Apparel, Accessories), Insight
Editions (Field Manual), DGL Group (Drones), Astro Gaming (Headsets),
Mattel (Collectible Construction Sets) and Otterbox (Mobile and iPad
cases), among many others.
Bungie's Destiny is supported by a global community of
passionate fans who have played more than 3 billion hours, life-to-date. Destiny
continues to be one of the most engaging videogames and has become the
#1 most-watched console-only game on Twitch by minutes watched for the
second year in a row. And now, for the first time ever, Destiny 2
will be available on PC at retail and as the first third-party game to
be offered digitally via Battle.net®, Blizzard Entertainment's online
gaming service. In celebration of the Destiny 2 launch on
September 8, Bungie, in collaboration with Activision, aims to expand
the adventure through new and existing licensees, including: Bioworld
(Apparel and Accessories), McFarlane Toys (Action Figures), Mattel
(Construction Sets), Funko (Vinyl Figures), Razer (Gaming Accessories),
RockLove (Jewelry), Concept One (Headwear and Accessories), Insight
Editions (Art Book, Journals), USAopoly (Puzzles and Playing Cards) and
KontrolFreek (Gaming Controller Accessories).
Rounding out Activision's portfolio is the award-winning, $3.5 billionSkylanders
franchise. Based on the debut success of the "Skylanders™ Academy"
animated television show, Netflix has ordered a third season for 2018,
with the second season planned for later in 2017. Skylanders
continues to be supported by a roster of best-in-class partners.
Additionally, everyone's favorite marsupial Crash Bandicoot is
back, enhanced and ready to dance in the Crash Bandicoot™ N. Sane
Trilogy coming in June. The game is supported by a merchandising
program appealing to fans of the nostalgic ‘90s game, including: Changes
(Apparel), Concept One (Accessories), Rubber Road (Apparel, Accessories,
Mugs, Home Décor) and Venture Classics (Collectible Figures).
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, a premier award-winning game developer and
publisher, is home to some of the world's most passionate fans who are
deeply engaged with blockbuster games like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone,
Diablo® III, StarCraft® II, Heroes of the Storm® and Overwatch,
Blizzard's internationally acclaimed team-based shooter.
Celebrating its first anniversary on May 23, Overwatch has won
more than 100 Game of the Year awards and reached more than 30 million
players globally. Overwatch's wide appeal stems from the game's
vibrant and optimistic vision of a near-future Earth, its diverse cast
of heroes and its exciting objective-and-team-based action. In addition, Overwatch
represents a next-generation esports experience, with an upcoming
competitive league that will feature professional franchises tied to
major cities. In an effort to provide Overwatch players with even
more opportunities to showcase their passion for the game and its
community, Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group is looking to
expand the merchandising program to create additional touchpoints.
The iconic massively multiplayer online role playing game World of
Warcraft has engaged more than 100 million passionate players in
a rich, ever-evolving online adventure that has spanned more than a
decade. Its latest expansion, World of Warcraft: Legion™, is one
of the fastest-selling PC games of all time. World of Warcraft
players around the world share a passion for the characters and stories
of the Warcraft universe, which serves as the foundation for
multiple games and other trans-media products. Last summer they saw some
of their favorite heroes and villains brought to life on the big screen
in the Warcraft movie, which became the highest-grossing
videogame film adaptation of all time.
Blizzard games are supported by a tailored merchandising program
designed to extend fans' experiences far beyond the games themselves.
Licensees include Good Smile (Figures), J!nx (Apparel), Dark Horse
(Publishing), Insight Editions (Cookbook) and Tokidoki (Apparel,
Accessories). Blizzard developers, including artists and designers, work
closely with licensees as part of Blizzard's commitment to creating
high-quality products that fans will love.
King
King, a leading interactive entertainment company for the mobile world,
supports an active community of hundreds of millions of players with Candy
Crush Saga, one of the world's most popular mobile games, along with
its sister titles, Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Jelly
Saga. Designed for adults, the Candy Crush brand and its
merchandising program brings to life a fun, magical world in which
players must match colorful candies in combinations of three or more to
win points, defeat obstacles and progress through more than 2,000 levels.
With candies at the center of the licensing program, the food-related
category - including Confectionary, Chocolate and Ice Cream - is one of
the most successful categories for Candy Crush licensing. Another
leading category is Publishing, having launched a Candy Crush Tips
and Tricks book, two adult-only coloring books and a Candy Crush
Cakes & Bakes book. This summer, fans will enjoy seeing the
live-action television game show hosted by Mario Lopez on CBS prime-time.
The award-winning Candy Crush property is supported by partners
including: Amber House (Health & Beauty), Ascania (Soda Drinks), BakedIn
(Bake at home kits), InPhase (Air Fresheners), Rossi (Ice Cream), Tubz
(Candy), Little Brown (Publishing) and Winning Moves (Board Games). King
is dedicated to supporting its licensees through far-reaching,
integrated marketing initiatives, including event-based activities,
partnerships, public relations and social campaigns. This includes
leveraging the massive Candy Crush franchise social media
following of more than 80 million fans on Facebook.
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group can be found at the
Licensing Expo in Booth U-202, where some of the company's newest
games will be available to play. The focus for the show includes seeking
new partners across multiple categories for Overwatch; expanding
the lifestyle merchandising program for Call of Duty; and in
partnership with Bungie, leveraging the intense excitement for this
year's Destiny 2 launch.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the world's most
successful standalone interactive entertainment company. We delight
hundreds of millions of monthly active users around the world through
franchises including Activision's Call of Duty®, Destiny
and Skylanders®; Blizzard Entertainment's World of
Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Hearthstone®, Diablo®, StarCraft®
and Heroes of the Storm®; and King's Candy Crush™, Pet
Rescue™, Bubble Witch™ and Farm Heroes™. The company
is one of the Fortune "100 Best Companies To Work For.®" Headquartered
in Santa Monica, Calif., Activision Blizzard has operations throughout
the world and its games are played in 196 countries. More information
about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's
website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
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 the Licensing Expo and the Overwatch, Call of
Duty and Destiny franchises; the release dates and gameplay
of Call of Duty®: WWII; the features of the Call of Duty World
League; the development of a Call of Duty film franchise; the
features, release dates and licensees of Destiny 2; the features
and release dates of Skylanders Academy; the release dates of Crash
Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy; and the release dates of the Candy
Crush live-action television game show, 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.
© 2017 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision, Call of Duty, Call
of Duty: WWII, Skylanders and Crash Bandicoot are
trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
© 2017 Activision Blizzard Studios, LLC. "Skylanders Academy" is a
trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc.
© 2017 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.
-
According to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-Track and Activision Blizzard
internal estimates, including in-game content sales.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170523006049/en/
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
or
King
Louise
Ramsden, +44 (0) 7717 795 004
louise.ramsden@king.com
Source: Activision Blizzard , Inc.
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