“Skylanders Academy” Netflix Television
Series Committed for Season 3 in 2018
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
billion Skylanders 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
GroupKerstine Johnson,
+1-310-255-2508kjohnson@activision.comorBlizzard
EntertainmentRob Hilburger,
+1-949-242-8404rhilburger@blizzard.comorKingLouise Ramsden,
+44 (0) 7717 795 004louise.ramsden@king.com
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