Activision Blizzard's First In-House TV Series to Air on Netflix
June 16 2016 - 12:55PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah E. Needleman
Activision Blizzard Inc.'s first television series developed
in-house will air on Netflix Inc. this fall, the videogame
publisher said Thursday.
"Skylanders Academy" is being produced by Activision Blizzard's
new TV and film division, led by former Walt Disney Co. executive
Nick van Dyk and movie producer Stacey Sher. The animated series is
set to run for two 13-episode seasons. Terms of the deal weren't
disclosed.
Activision Blizzard chose Netflix because the show will appeal
mostly to young viewers who prefer programming on their own
schedule, Mr. van Dyk said.
"You watch what you want to watch, when it's convenient," he
said.
Netflix has been aggressively looking to buy marquee titles to
create a stable of original programming that entices viewers from
all over the world. While the bulk of Netflix's business is built
around licensing movies and TV shows to stream over the internet to
subscribers, the company increasingly has been bringing aboard
original content. "Skylanders Academy" is one of five new original
animated series Netflix is adding for children.
The videogame company's new division, Activision Blizzard
Studios, isn't planning to release any other titles until 2017 and
hasn't disclosed any future projects. It isn't expected to have
significant impact on Activision Blizzard's earnings this year, Mr.
van Dyk said, but aims "to be a profitable growth engine for the
company."
Activision Blizzard is best known for publishing popular console
and computer games such as "Call of Duty," but recently has been
growing its footprint in other entertainment genres. In December,
it acquired Major League Gaming, a producer of so-called e-sports
competitions, and in February it bought King Digital Entertainment
PLC, the company behind the mobile-gaming hit "Candy Crush," for
$5.9 billion.
With its new film and TV unit, Activision Blizzard aims to
leverage its vast library of recognizable properties. "Skylanders
Academy" is based on the company's popular toys-to-life franchise,
in which players buy figurines that can be digitally transported
inside the game. The show will feature several well-known actors,
including Susan Sarandon, Justin Long and Jonathan Banks.
Activision Blizzard hasn't previously adapted any of its titles
for film or TV. Before merging with Activision in 2008, Blizzard
Entertainment struck a deal with Legendary Entertainment for a
movie based on its "Warcraft" property now in theaters. With its
new unit, Activision Blizzard is looking to handle production on
its own, hiring scriptwriters, directors and other talent. The
company declined to say how much it cost to produce "Skylanders
Academy."
"We've set the bar very high from a creative and narrative
perspective," said Ms. Sher, a producer on movies such as Quentin
Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" and Steven Soderbergh's "Erin
Brockovich."
"Skylanders" launched in 2011 and has since generated more than
$3 billion in global revenue, including sales of more than 250
million figurines, Activision Blizzard said.
The show, however, arrives at an uncertain time for the
toys-to-life genre. Disney recently decided to shutter its
"Infinity" line of videogames featuring characters from Marvel and
"Star Wars" despite being a leader in the category. A sixth
installment of "Skylanders" is due out this fall.
--Shalini Ramachandran contributed to this article.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 16, 2016 12:40 ET (16:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024