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.
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