GOOD SHEPHERD ENTERTAINMENT AND CREATIVEFORGE GAMES REVEAL AUG. 14 RELEASE DATE FOR PHANTOM DOCTRINE ON PLAYSTATION®4, XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS PC

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, and WARSAW, Poland – July 10, 2018 – Good Shepherd Entertainment and independent developer CreativeForge Games have revealed that Phantom Doctrine, the turn-based, tactical strategy, Cold War espionage game from the creators of Hard West, is expected to launch on Aug. 14, 2018, on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC for $39.99.

Phantom Doctrine is a strategic, turn-based espionage thriller set in a world of covert operations, counterintelligence and paranoia. Players lead The Cabal, a secret organization fighting back against a global conspiracy trying to control the world at the peak of the Cold War. Command your base of operations in the shadows: recruit and train agents, investigate cases, forge documents and identities, research new tech and biochemical engineering, and interrogate and brainwash enemies to gain a tactical edge.

Dive into Phantom Doctrine’s deep single-player mode, which offers players two different campaign backgrounds to choose from: experience its story from the perspective of either a KGB counterintelligence operative or a renegade CIA wet work commando. Phantom Doctrine’s turn-based missions are uniquely designed to encourage player choice – drop your operatives into the field with heavy weapons for an all-out assault, or deploy them with suppressed weapons and cutting-edge spy equipment to complete the mission stealthily. Position assets around the world, infiltrating hot zones with undercover operatives to back you up in a firefight and stay one step ahead of enemy agents.

In addition to its more than 40-hour single-player story mode, players can also challenge rivals around the world in ruthless one-on-one online multiplayer matches, as well as unlock a New Game Plus campaign with additional story content, all for $39.99.

Phantom Doctrine captures the volatile tension of the Cold War and subtle intrigue of classic spy films with atmospheric visuals, as well as an unnerving soundtrack from award-winning composer Marcin Przybylowicz (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt).

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/559100/Phantom_Doctrine

For more information, visit http://www.goodshepherd.games/games/phantom-doctrine, and follow @PhantomDoctrine and @GoodShepherdEnt on Twitter.

About CreativeForge Games

CreativeForge Games S.A. is an independent games development studio based in Warsaw, Poland. Founded in 2011 by veterans of the Polish games industry and infused with creativity of talented newcomers, it has since shipped two different projects: Ancient Space, a space combat RTS, was published by Paradox Interactive. Hard West, a turn-based action game, combined evolved mechanics of a classic genre with innovative twists in design, storytelling and setting and was published in 2015 by Gambitious. CreativeForge Games is currently working on Phantom Doctrine, a Cold War conspiracy tactical game, set to be published on PC and consoles in 2018 by Good Shepherd Entertainment. CreativeForge Games is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange’s Alternative Trading System New Connect.

Twitter: @CFGmain Facebook: creativeforgegames Discord: http://discord.gg/cfg

About Good Shepherd Entertainment

Good Shepherd Entertainment publishes video games from independent artists worldwide and operates a proprietary investment platform for a growing global network of qualified investors seeking risk-mitigated participation in the $130B video game industry. Originally established in the Netherlands in 2011 as an equity crowdfunding platform under the name Gambitious BV, the Company became a publisher in 2014 with the release of Train Fever, which was the first game ever successfully published with equity crowdfunding. The Company has since funded and released over a dozen original games across eight digital platforms. The founders of Devolver Digital and Croteam, two very successful companies in independent game development and publishing, invested in the Company and joined its management in 2012. The Company rebranded in 2017 as Good Shepherd Entertainment following an investment by Advance/Newhouse, having established a track record of success with both independent developers and investors. www.GoodShepherd.games

The “Animal Force” has Arrived! VR Party Game for All Ages Lands on PlayStation®VR

Oasis Games Launches Comedic VR Party Game, ‘Animal Force’

July 10, 2018 – Oasis Games Ltd, a leading global game publisher, today announced the launch of Animal Force, a tower defense VR adventure that brings the furred and feathered friends together for a “party” against extraterrestrials. Developed for PlayStation®VR, players must save an alternate Earth from mysterious aliens commanding a team of animals with superpowers on a rocket before it is too late!

Animal Force helps brings like-minded animals and friends together! With one PlayStation®VR headset and up to 3 non-VR players using the DualShock®4 controller, friends can enjoy additional modes that feature asymmetric gameplay; Steal the Statue, Odd One Out, and Divide & Conga. It’s controller versus VR with controller players attempting to sneak and escape past the VR player!

In the Story mode of Animal Force, the player controls a rocket that can scoop up animals, move them strategically to protect the atmosphere; or can choose to manually hold on to entire chains of superpowered animals to battle against the enemy forces. The player and their motley crew of animals can battle 30 different mission through a variety of environments with utilizing the best combinations of animals for the best protection.

Animal Force,  an official selection for the Sony Interactive (Shanghai) China Hero Project (as “The X Animal”), is co-presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia, ISVR and published by Oasis Games in North America. Developed for PlayStation®VR this game is available exclusively on the PlayStation®Store for $15.99 and has been rated “E for Everyone” by the ESRB.

Stay up to date on everything Animal Force; along with all of the PS VR and console titles from Oasis Games by liking on Facebook – fb.me/OasisGamesConsole; following on Twitter – @OAS_Games; following on Instagram – @OasGamesOfficial; or visiting us at www.oasgames.com.

About Oasis Games
Oasis Games Limited was established in 2011 and has become a top global interactive entertainment publisher. The company’s games have been translated into 16 different languages and published in more than 130 countries, reaching more than 200 million players. The company continues its pioneering presence as the first, and currently sole, strategic publishing partner of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Shanghai for the global publishing market— uniquely positioning Oasis Games to bring high quality games to PC and console players worldwide. Its blockbuster online RPG, Legend Online, has attracted over 50 million players and Naruto Online, the award-winning RPG browser-based game of the Naruto franchise, has amassed a global following. The company has also launched a lineup of exciting Steam and PlayStation®VR games including Light Tracer, Pixel Gear and Salary Man Escape while continuing to release strong new games for PC, console and VR. For more information, please visit www.oasgames.com.

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Captivating diesel-punk adventure AIRHEART set to soar onto PC and PS4 later this month with additional consoles to follow

Blindflug Studios takes to the skies with innovative vertical action title on July 24

ZURICH, Germany – July 10, 2018 – Blindflug Studios, the Zurich-based independent studio behind critically acclaimed successes such as First Strike and Cloud Chasers, is thrilled to announce that AIRHEART will be swooping onto PC and PlayStation®4 on July 24, with release on additional consoles coming in the following weeks.

AIRHEART is a stunning diesel-punk action game in which players become Amelia, a young pilot living in the cloud city of Granaria who wishes to one day reach the world’s edge. In order to survive and thrive in the floating city, Amelia must take to the air in her customizable plane to go sky fishing, avoiding pirates and many other dangers along the way.

Players are free to explore the beautifully vibrant, vertical world above Granaria at their leisure, soaring higher and higher into the sky as they take on rival aircraft using tight, responsive twin-stick controls and an assortment of aero-based abilities.

In between bouts of action, a robust crafting system offers Amelia opportunities to upgrade her highly customizable plane, crafting new items from scrap obtained from fallen foes. With over 40 weapons and airplane parts, there are tons of combinations to find your ideal airplane. Funds can also be earned from sky fishing, but doing so might have a bigger impact on Granaria’s ecosystem as it first might seem.

Tough, smart and determined, the character of Amelia, along with the game itself, is a tribute to famed author, adventurer and pioneer Amelia Earhart – on whose July 24 birthday the game will make its console debut.

“All of us at Blindflug are really excited to share AIRHEART with the world – I know that gamers will love Amelia and the colorful universe she inhabits,” said Moritz Zumbühl, Blindflug Studios CEO. “With an in-depth customization system, a raft of combat options and a world that changes according to how you treat it, I believe we’ve delivered a deep, beautiful gameplay experience for everyone to enjoy.”

AIRHEART will arrive first on PC and PlayStation®4 on July 24, 2018, followed by launching on further consoles in the coming weeks.

For more information, please visit the official website: http://airheartgame.com/

About AIRHEART – Tales of broken Wings

AIRHEART is a dieselpunk airplane action game where every colorful level is built on top of the previous one, all the way up to the stratosphere.

Welcome to Granaria, a flying city in the clouds. Meet Amelia – a young pilot and fisherwoman wishing to reach the abundant world’s edge. Sky fishing became a really dangerous job, with pirates roaming around everywhere. So start your engines, arm your airplane and get ready to make the catch of a lifetime!

AIRHEART combines free-roaming, twin stick gameplay with a beautiful, colorful world. Defeat your enemies, salvage their scrap and reuse it to craft new parts for your airplane. Build and try out over 40 weapons and airplane parts. Combine their abilities to become the pirates’ worst nightmare. Or just have some fun with your enemies and use your harpoon to disarm, unshield, swing them around or drag them back home to disassemble them.

An airplane game reimagined in a wonderful world, AIRHEART is a treat to fans and newcomers to flight action games alike.

About Blindflug Studios

Blindflug Studios is a young Swiss game developer made up of seven designers and developers. The studio was born in 2014 as a spin-off to successful Zurich-based web agency Feinheit. Its mission is to develop awesome games that tackle relevant topics of our time by transporting them into fascinating and surprising game worlds. Its debut title, “First Strike,” dealt with nuclear proliferation and the dangers of nuclear weapons, while also being a smash hit, having more than four million players to this day.

inXile Entertainment and Nintendo Premiere Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut Announcement Trailer for the Switch™

PC World’s 2014 “Game of the Year” will debut on the Nintendo Switch in August 2018

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – July 10, 2018 – From the producer of the original Fallout comes Wasteland 2, the sequel to the first-ever post-apocalyptic computer RPG. inXile Entertainment, the studio led by Interplay founder Brian Fargo, has partnered with Nintendo to release a Switch™ announcement trailer for Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, the critically praised game that won numerous accolades, including Game of the Year. It is expected to arrive on the Nintendo Switch this August.

Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut is an enhanced version of the original release that features numerous improvements and additions that further immerse the player in this epic adventure across a post-nuclear American Southwest.

Key Features:
One Size Does Not Fit All: Don’t feel like finding the key for a door? Feel free to pick the lock, bash it down with your boot, or just blow it open!
Decision Making… with Consequences: With both short and long term reactivity, player choices ripple outwards, changing the game’s events and forever altering the lives of those in the wasteland.
Huge & Customizable: Hundreds of characters. Thousands of variations on the Rangers’ appearances. Over 150 weapons. No two players will have the same experience.

New Director’s Cut Features:
Perks & Quirks: Players can customize their squads even more! Perks & Quirks are special personality traits players can use to give their characters even more life, with their own unique bonuses… and drawbacks.
Precision Strikes: Fire on enemies and debilitate them with tactical attacks! Cripple a leg to slow an enemy down, fire on their gun to blast it to bits, or aim for the head to knock them senseless – or blow it clean off.
Expanded Voice Over: Over 8,000 lines of new voice-over dialog have been added for the game’s characters and companions, bringing the wasteland to life like never before.

With over 80 hours of gameplay, players will deck out their Desert Ranger squad with the most devastating weaponry this side of the fallout zone, test the limits of their strategy skills, and bring justice to the wasteland.

For the latest updates, follow Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut and inXile Entertainment on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About inXile Entertainment

inXile Entertainment is a premiere video game development studio with locations in Newport Beach, Calif., and New Orleans, La., behind leading titles including Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera, The Mage’s Tale, The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep and Wasteland 3. Headed by Brian Fargo, inXile Entertainment is home to both industry veterans and up-and-coming talent. It is at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering high-quality titles to its passionate and dedicated fan base.

The Robot Rebellion Has Begun! Insane Robots Out Now on PlayStation®4, and Coming Soon to Xbox One, PC, and Mac

Playniac Brings Its Revolutionary Approach to Card Battling to All Major Platforms this Week Filled with Charm, Humor, Depth, and Multiplayer Appeal

LONDON — Jul 10, 2018 — Award-winning games studio, Playniac, is excited to announce that the robot rebellion has officially begun! The unique card battler, Insane Robots, launches today for PlayStation®4 with Standard ($19.99 USD) and Deluxe ($32.99 USD) editions available for purchase on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store. The robot rebellion will proceed as planned, also launching for Windows and Mac (via Steam) on July 12, and Xbox One on July 13. For players truly committed to the cause, the Insane Robots — Deluxe Edition includes the base game plus a season pass including six robot pack DLCs upon release.

Initially created as a tabletop prototype with a pile of old business cards, the creators of Insane Robots at Playniac have pulled from both physical and digital design processes, creating a card battling game that captures what players love most about the genre, while removing the elements they hate: namely expensive card expansions, time-consuming customization, farming, and an ever-rising bar that excludes players who don’t purchase more cards. This laser focus freed Playniac to create the perfectly designed battle deck. With only 22 tokens, it is easy to learn and manage, yet full of unexpected turns and strategic depth.

Not to be confused with a collectible card game (CCG), Insane Robots is card battling… HACKED!

Insane Robots finds players leading a robot rebellion through randomly generated survival arenas. Full of fiendish card battles, it’s FTL meets Battle Royale in a card game. Overthrow the malevolent robot despot, The Kernel. Save robotkind in an epic 15+ hour single-player campaign full of peril and twists, as a decaying robot dystopia is revealed.

Master the battle deck and develop strategies in super-accessible multiplayer local and online, as well as single-player robotic skirmishes. Deploy HACKS and GLITCHES in the heat of battle and use your wits to terminate the competition. Battle with over 46 deliciously diverse robots in five hostile environments. Augment devious droids to grow more powerful and trade cutting, robotic insults with opponents along the way.

Key Features Include:
·     This is card battling HACKED with no costly expansions and time-consuming customization
·     Compete in intense local and online ranked 2P multiplayer battles
·     Experience the epic 15+ hour single-player campaign, overthrow the megalomaniacal Kernel and save robotkind
·     Unlock 46 robots and find over 100 augments to boost their abilities
·     Explore your tactical options to survive randomly generated survival arenas
·     Master the 22-token battle deck and define your own style of play
·     A compelling narrative with over 150 branching story events
·     Explore five types of hazardous environment from lush jungles to barren Moonscapes

Developed by Playniac, Insane Robots is rated E for Everyone.

Stay up to date with the latest Insane Robots news and information by visiting the official website. Take lead in the robot rebellion and contribute to the shared knowledge of fellow fans on the official Insane Robots wiki on Gamepedia. You can also follow the developers at Playniac on Facebook and Twitter. Please also join the Playniac server on Discord.

About Insane Robots
The core Insane Robots battle system was originally created in 15 minutes as a tabletop prototype using a pile of old business cards. This was only the start of a substantial physical and digital design process. The Playniac team has been playing and iterating the game since then, running tabletop sessions in their studio and at festivals worldwide during 2013-2014. Development of the digital game started in Jan 2015 and 15 people have worked on it including developer/designer Tom Kail (80 Days, Biome); artists Catherine Unger (Snipperclips, Detecive Grimoire, Haunt the House, The Swindle), Fran Court (Hue, Stealth Inc 2, Frozen Synapse 2, New Art Academy 3DS) and Belinda Leung (Total War, Pokemon Art Academy); illustrator Karen ‘bitmOO’ Teixeira (Twelve a Dozen, Oceans Heart); writers Yasmeen Khan (Fallen London) and James Wallis (The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Paranoia RPG); and designer/developer Rob Davis (International Racing Squirrels, Cat On Yer Head, Anomaly X). The game’s soundtrack includes tracks by Noise 5000 and legendary French electro producer Kid Loco.

About Playniac
Playniac is an award-winning games studio making “thinky” games for all platforms. They’ve been described as “innovative” and “different” by MCV magazine and been a TIGA Awards finalist for Best Small Studio in 2016 and 2017. Their games include race-management sim International Racing Squirrels, globe-trotting crowd game Cat On Yer Head, and algebra puzzle adventure Anomaly X. They’ve won Silver and Bronze medals in the Serious Play Awards; finalist nominations at IndieCade, Develop, Game Connection, Casual Connect, TIGA Awards; and Official Selections (or similar) at IndieCade (3 times), IndieCade East (2 times), GameCity, Amaze, Leftfield Collection, Indie Megabooth and numerous other festivals. They’ve also made games for Channel 4, British Gas, Amplify Games, Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, and the BBC.

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Funmania: A New Arcade Center Emerges on iOS and Android

Sugar Games releases Funmania on iOS and Android platforms. Being a time-manager by design, the game successfully combines captivating arcade elements, tricky economics, intriguing narrative that comes as a comic book and manually drawn nice graphics for immersive yet easy-to-learn gaming experience.

Sophie, a protagonist of the game, always had talents in throwing great parties and entertaining her friends. Then, she focused on her career and had to forget good old times for a while until recently some unexpected twist allowed Sophie to release her talents in a whole different way.

In Funmania, a player helps Sophie to open arcade centers all around the world. Starting her business from the luxury ocean liner on the way to her island, she expands to other locations including the city, the desert, tropics and even open space. The player should quickly fulfill wishes and demands of clients: start arcade machines they pick, play mini-games, and make sure every client is happy. If the player succeeds, Sophie receives Expert points and can upgrade her personal island with new facilities.

A large variety of mini-games makes Funmania so time-devouring. Extremely easy at first glance, they require attention, fast reaction and quick fingers. The player should sink pirate ships, flip-flop frogs, catch toys in a claw machine, make colorful ice-creams following the given example and so on.

The economy part of the game is no less captivating. Spending money earned from happy clients, the player upgrades the arcade salons, buy new arcade machines or improves existing ones, trains Sophie’s skills and manages personnel. Also, Sophie likes to text with friends (and occasionally foes), which is a significant part of the game as it moves the plot forward.

Pricing and availability

Funmania is a free-to-play game with in-app purchases. The application works on Android 4.0.3 or later and iOS 6.0 or later.

Product page: https://sugargames.com/games/mobile/funmania
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ru/app/funmania-time-management-game/id1261246559?l=en&mt=8
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sugargames.funmania

About the company

Sugar Games develops family games for Windows, iOS and Android since 2004. The company focuses on time-management and puzzle genres. Among titles released by the company are Brownies, the Wedding Salon series, the Rainbow Web series and many others.

THE PAC-MAN™ STORIES SKILL FOR AMAZON ALEXA ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND NOW

After a successful launch in America and Europe, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is proud to announce that the new PAC-MAN™ STORIES skill is today available in Australia and New Zealand.

This project is designed to provide a fun, engaging, interactive and educational experience via Amazon’s Alexa voice service on all Alexa-enabled devices.

PAC-MAN™ STORIES is the very first announced project of the new BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe Innovation Department, which aims to find and develop new areas and heights in entertainment. “Voice-controlled services are an exciting technology with this great vision of being in everyone’s home and used by any family member. It just seemed natural to us to use our iconic character PAC-MAN™ to create fun interactive stories for all ages together with our company vision to provide dreams, fun and inspiration to people around the world”
– Naoki Katashima, President and COO, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe.

PAC-MAN™ STORIES is available on all Alexa-enabled devices, including Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, and features several fully interactive stories for the whole family. These stories can be enjoyed by anyone of any age and allows them to engage with PAC-MAN™ and make moral decisions that affect the ending.

The first story to launch with the skill for Amazon Alexa is PAC-MAN™ and the Ghastly Garbage, which delivers a fun engaging adventure allowing users to help save PAC-MAN™ planet from Garbage and a threat that affects everyone you meet! Along the way, you will make decisions, choose paths and win Power Pellets based on the decisions you make.
The skill features PAC-MAN™ and a range of new characters as well as well-known favorites, including Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde.

“PAC-MAN™ is an iconic character and storytelling and interactive adventures allow us to work with some unique talents, writers, developers and actors to provide an innovative experience. We are incredibly excited to collaborate with Amazon Alexa and work together on this first skill and we look forward to creating many unique stories in the future.”
– Lee Kirton, PAC-MAN™ Officer for Europe, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment

PAC-MAN™ STORIES & PAC-MAN™ and the Ghastly Garbage is available in English only on all Alexa-enabled devices in the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand with additional stories added throughout the year.

More info on:

• https://www.bandainamcoent.eu/pac-man/pac-man-stories
• http://amazon.com/skills
• http://amazon.co.uk/skills

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About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile.  The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, DARK SOULS™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu . All the BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment products are available on the official store https://store.bandainamcoent.eu

THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION TO RECEIVE HISTORIC $12.7 MILLION USD DONATION FROM BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT

The two-week fundraising campaign was supported by Overwatch^® players around the world

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — 10 JULY, 2018: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) today announced that it will receive an unprecedented $12.7 million USD donation from Blizzard Entertainment. The donation was tied to worldwide sales of a limited-edition “Pink Mercy” hero skin for Blizzard’s internationally acclaimed best-selling game Overwatch^®, along with a special T-shirt created to support the cause. (“Skin” is a game industry term for an alternate version of a character’s outfit or appearance.) The gaming community rallied around the fundraising effort, making it the largest donation by a corporate partner in one year in BCRF’s 25-year history.

The special charity skin was designed for the Overwatch hero Mercy, a scientist and the “guardian angel” of the game who has dedicated her life to helping others. The limited-edition skin was offered as an in-game purchase on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with Blizzard Entertainment donating 100% of the proceeds it receives from sales of the skin to BCRF.

“Blizzard Entertainment’s record-breaking commitment to activate change for women’s health by mobilising the gaming community worldwide will have a lasting impact,” said Stephanie Kauffman, Chief Strategic Alliances Officer at BCRF. “Blizzard’s support of BCRF will help accelerate breakthroughs in prevention strategies, improved treatments, survivorship and quality of life for breast cancer patients worldwide.”

In addition to the charity skin, players showed their support for the cause with a purchase of a limited-edition Pink Mercy T-shirt, available for men and women, designed by community artist VICKISIGH. Blizzard also coordinated charity streams on Twitch with 14 star Overwatch players from around the world, who collectively raised more than $130,000 USD for BCRF during the two-week campaign.

“BCRF does critical work every single day to support women’s health and develop new research and strategies for preventing, treating, and curing breast cancer, and we’re proud to make this contribution to their efforts,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “I’m grateful to all of the Overwatch players around the world who made supporting such a good cause possible with their enthusiasm for the game and their generosity.”

Click here to learn more about BCRF’s collaborations with Blizzard Entertainment.

About the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is dedicated to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide and the highest rated breast cancer organization in the U.S. Visit www.bcrf.org to learn more.

About Blizzard Entertainment

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-one #1 games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

NICKELODEON’S THE SPONGEBOB CHALLENGE KID SKILL LAUNCHES ON AMAZON ALEXA IN AUSTRALIA

Sydney, 10 July, 2018 – Kids can interact with their favourite characters from Bikini Bottom like never before as Nickelodeon Australia today unveils The SpongeBob Challenge, part of the inaugural kid skills available in Australia now on the Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices.

In The SpongeBob Challenge memory game, kids will be transported into the centre of the SpongeBob SquarePants series itself, where they will become a new Krusty Krab restaurant employee tasked with taking increasingly complicated food orders and then relaying those orders to the staff, including SpongeBob, Squidward and Mr. Krabs.

Parents can enable the skill by saying, “Alexa, start The SpongeBob Challenge” or using the Alexa app.

Australia is the first international market to launch The SpongeBob Challenge kid skill.

“The SpongeBob Challenge is the latest example of establishing innovating ways Aussie kids can learn and be entertained,” said Ben Cox, Vice President and General Manager of Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand. “Australia is the first international market to launch The SpongeBob Challenge, and it is a perfect example of our deep understanding of kids and how they engage with technology.”

“We’re excited for Nickelodeon to bring this skill to Alexa for our customers across Australia,” said: Kate Burleigh, Country Manager Alexa Skills, Australia and New Zealand. “Now, kids can just ask Alexa to interact with some of their most beloved characters like SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs, and we think families will love playing and learning together with The SpongeBob Challenge skill for Alexa.”

Featuring over 70 unique characters and 80 challenges across 25 levels, The SpongeBob Challenge recreates the soundscape and iconic environment of Bikini Bottom while promoting memory recall, verbal skills and listening comprehension. When The SpongeBob Challenge skill is enabled on Alexa, kids will work at the Krusty Krab and take orders from the colourful residents of Bikini Bottom.

Globally, Nickelodeon has launched more than 65 apps, which have over 112 million collective downloads to date, including top-performing titles like Nella the Princess Knight: Kingdom Adventures, Nickelodeon Football Champions and Game Shakers: Sky Whale, which offers augmented reality capabilities and has amassed more than 10 million downloads outside of the US. Nickelodeon Australia launched the Nick Play interactive app in 2015, which offers a wide selection of full-length and short-form content, along with fun and entertaining games. Nick Jr. Play will launch later this year.

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Follow us on Facebook: @Nickelodeon | Instagram: @Nickelodeon_AU | Twitter: @Nickelodeon_AU

About Nickelodeon International:

Nickelodeon, now in its 22^nd year in Australia and 39^th globally, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family, with 1.2 billion cumulative subscriptions in more than 500 million households across 170+ countries and territories, via more than 100+ locally programmed channels and branded blocks. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc.