Set for International Growth, New Partners
Include Rubber Road, Paladone, Exquisite Gaming, ThinkGeek, NECA
and Rossi
Activision Blizzard brings its powerhouse slate of franchises to
Brand Licensing Europe 2017, along with a strong lineup of partners
to drive the expansion of some of today’s hottest properties.
Making its international debut, the recently formed Activision
Blizzard Consumer Products Group (ABCPG) will present a roster of
iconic, blockbuster titles, including: Call of Duty®, Skylanders®,
Crash Bandicoot™ and Bungie’s Destiny from Activision; Overwatch®,
Hearthstone® and World of Warcraft® from Blizzard Entertainment;
and Candy Crush™ from King. Reaching a global audience of more than
400 million¹, the company’s franchises of the future feature
thrilling gameplay, linear storytelling, esports and consumer
products, offering exciting opportunities for multi-category
licensing.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
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Candy Crush™ ice cream from Rossi (Photo:
Business Wire)
“With some of the world’s most popular brands like Call of Duty
and Overwatch, Activision Blizzard is helping re-define
entertainment and the ways it is enjoyed,” said Tim Kilpin, CEO and
president, Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group. “We’re
excited to work closely with our partners to create new and
innovative merchandising opportunities that’ll bring fans around
the world closer to their favorite videogames and characters,
players and leagues.”
Commitment to International Growth
Activision Blizzard continues to invest in growth, most recently
with the hire of Philippe Bost, vice president of International
Consumer Products, Activision Blizzard. In his role, Philippe will
drive international growth across the portfolio to provide added
strength at retail and generate more engagement opportunities.
Additionally, ABCPG has recently appointed Tinderbox as the Call
of Duty licensing agent to expand the company’s European footprint
in key markets. This has resulted in such partners as Rubber Road,
EMP, Paladone and Sun City, to date.
Further bolstering its growth trajectory, ABCPG is also
collaborating with PowerStation Studios on the development of a
rich assortment of creative assets for both Call of Duty and
Overwatch. In doing so, they will help support the expansion of
product variety and range providing broader opportunities for
licensing and retail partners.
Esports
Activision Blizzard is squarely at the forefront of the
competitive gaming phenomenon with its Overwatch League™ and
Call of Duty World League. The esports market is expected to
reach nearly 600M² viewers by 2020 and affords rich possibilities
to give fans around the world new ways to play, display, wear and
live the brands they love.
The Overwatch League is the first major global
professional esports league with 12 city-based teams. The preseason
begins on December 6 at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles with a series of
exhibition matches—the world's first chance to see Overwatch League
professionals in action. The inaugural season kicks off on January
10, 2018 and will continue into June with the finals in July.
Additionally, the Call of Duty World League leveraged the
global strength of the best-selling console franchise and the reach
of MLG media network. This year’s competition awarded $4M in total
prize money throughout the season, concluding with the Call of Duty
World League Championship that took place in August.
Franchises of the Future
ABCPG drives some of the strongest, most culturally relevant IP
in the entertainment industry reaching virtually all demographics.
Licensing partners around the world are sustaining excitement for
ABCPG’s powerhouse slate with a vast product line-up.
Activision Highlights
- Call of Duty: With more than $15
billion³ in franchise revenue since inception, the pop culture
phenomenon Call of Duty is one of the biggest videogame franchises
of all-time. The highly anticipated new game – Call of Duty®: WWII
– is scheduled for release on November 3. It will be supported by a
roster of partners including: Rubber Road (Apparel, Accessories);
Paladone (Apparel, Accessories); Sun City (Apparel); Exquisite
Gaming (Cable Guys, Crates); Dreamtex (Bedding, Cushions,
Beanbags); and Loot Crate (Dedicated Crate with exclusive
items).
- Crash Bandicoot: Leveraging the
’90s nostalgia trend, Crash came back in a big way this year with
the top-selling Crash Bandicoot™ N. Sane Trilogy. New partners
include: Exquisite Gaming (Cable Guys, Crates); Rubber Road
(Apparel, Accessories); Bioworld International (Apparel); and NECA
(Plush, Figures, Tabletop Games, Novelty).
Bungie Highlights
- Destiny 2: Bungie’s
award-winning Destiny is supported by a global community of
passionate fans. On the heels of a successful Destiny 2 console
launch in September, the highly-rated game saw player concurrency
hit an all-time high for the franchise. Fans now are gearing up for
the launch of Destiny 2 PC on October 24. Bungie’s Destiny consumer
products program continues to expand globally with toys, figures,
apparel, publishing and accessories, such as: ThinkGeek (Vinyl
Figures, Apparel, Accessories); Funko (POP! Vinyls); McFarlane Toys
(Action Figures); Razer (PC Gaming Peripherals); Prima (Strategy
Guides); GB Eye (Posters, Mugs, Prints); and Rubber Road (Apparel,
Accessories). Visit the Bungie Store at:
http://bungiestore.com.
Blizzard Highlights
- Overwatch: With more than 30
million players and more than 100 Game of the Year awards,
Overwatch has captured imaginations and driven strong global
engagement. The franchise is supported by: Bioworld International
(Bags, Accessories); Good Smile Company (Figures); Razer (Mouse);
J!nx (Hoodies); Dark Horse (Artbook); Funko (Figures); and
Scholastic (Books).
- World of Warcraft: The iconic
World of Warcraft has engaged more than 100 million passionate
players in an ever-evolving online adventure. World of Warcraft:
Legion™ is one of the fastest-selling PC games ever, and Warcraft
(2016) is the highest-grossing videogame film adaptation of all
time. Partners include: Ju Ju Be (Bags and Accessories); J!nx
(Apparel); Insight Editions (Cookbook); Funko (Figures); and Dark
Horse (Publishing).
King Highlights
- Candy Crush: With hundreds of
millions of players, Candy Crush is one of the most popular mobile
games in the world. The award-winning Candy Crush property is
supported by partners like BakedIn whose Candy Crush Baking Kit won
Best Licensed Food or Drink Range at the recent Licensing Awards.
Additional partners include: Rossi (Ice Cream); Poetic Gem
(Apparel); Mallowtree (Confectionary); Tikiboo (Activewear);
Doshisha (Confectionary); and Partnership with Mrinalini Chandra
(Jewelry).
Located at Booth #E40, ABCPG also will continue to
highlight Skylanders and Hearthstone.
About Activision Blizzard Consumer
Products Group
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group is a division of
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company and the
world\'s most successful standalone interactive entertainment
company. Building on the existing consumer products businesses, the
newly formed Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group
encompasses Activision, Blizzard and King’s franchises of the
future. The division is passionate about working with best-in-class
partners around the world to create high quality and deeply
relevant merchandise that gives fans new ways to play, display,
wear and live the brands they love. Activision Blizzard is home to
iconic and beloved entertainment franchises, including Call of
Duty®, Overwatch®, Bungie’s Destiny, Skylanders®, World of
Warcraft® and Candy Crush™.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 and
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, California, 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.
About Bungie
Bungie is an independent, employee-owned game development studio
dedicated to creating hopeful worlds that inspire passionate player
communities. For more than two-and-a-half decades that purpose has
led to the creation of some of the industry’s most celebrated
gaming franchises, including Marathon, Myth, Halo, and Destiny.
Today, Bungie is focused on creating new experiences and adventures
for the Destiny 2 community to share.
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 Brand
Licensing Europe 2017 and its partners, programs and expected
international growth, the release dates of Call of Duty: WWII and
Destiny 2 PC and the release dates and features of the Overwatch
League, 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 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.
© 2017 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE,
BLIZZARD, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, WORLD OF WARCRAFT: LEGION and BLIZZARD
ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc.
¹Activision Blizzard has over 400 million Monthly Active Users
(MAUs). We monitor MAUs as a key measure of the overall size of our
user base. MAUs are the number of individuals who played a
particular game in a given month. We calculate average MAUs in a
period by adding the total number of MAUs in each of the months in
a given period and dividing that total by the number of months in
the period. An individual who plays two of our games would be
counted as two users. In addition, due to technical limitations,
for Activision and King, an individual who plays the same game on
two platforms or devices in the relevant period would be counted as
two users. For Blizzard, an individual who plays the same game on
two platforms or devices in the relevant period would generally be
counted as a single user.²According to Newzoo 2017 Esports Market
Report³According to the NPD Group, GFK Chart-Track and Activision
Blizzard internal estimates, including in-game content sales.
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Activision/Activision Blizzard Consumer Products
GroupKerstine Johnson+1.310.255.2508;
kjohnson@activision.comorBlizzard EntertainmentRob
Hilburger+1.949.242.8404;
rhilburger@blizzard.comorKingLouise Ramsden+44 (0) 7717 795
004; louise.ramsden@king.com
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