CALL OF DUTY WORLD LEAGUE PRESENTED BY PLAYSTATION 4 RETURNS TO AUSTRALIA FOR THE SYDNEY OPEN II

Top Teams from the Asia Pacific Region Clash in Competition 12-14 May

SYDNEY, Australia – 12 May, 2017 – The Call of Duty® World League Presented by PlayStation®4 (CWL) returns to Australia this week as teams will compete for a share of the event prize pool and an important step toward the CWL Championship in August. Starting this Friday, APAC’s best will face off at the CWL Sydney Open II, hosted by ESL, 12-14 May at the ESL Studios in Sydney.

Teams from the APAC region, including fan-favorites Tainted Minds and the Chiefs, are expected to compete in an effort to best position themselves for entrance into Stage 2 of the CWL Global Pro League.

The CWL Sydney Open II marks the second APAC LAN event for the 2017 season of the CWL, as Mindfreak captured the top honors in a thrilling final in March.

The top team coming out of the APAC region by June 3 will enter the CWL Global Pro League relegation tournament for a chance to participate in the CWL Global Pro League Stage 2. Teams taking part in the relegation tournament will also be included in the open bracket at the CWL Anaheim Open, June 16 – 18, for a chance at their share of a $200,000 prize pool. The CWL 2017 season culminates in the year’s premiere competition on the Call of Duty World League calendar, the CWL Championship, August 9 – 13 in Orlando, Florida.

Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 is proud to partner with Major League Gaming Corp. (MLG) as North American tournament operator and broadcast partner for the season.  Through MLG’s proven live streaming capabilities and technology, MLG.tv will help to deliver the CWL Sydney Open II event across a number of platforms including mlg.tv/callofduty.

For the latest intel on the Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 and for live broadcasts check out: http://www.callofduty.com/cwl, Mlg.tv/callofduty, www.youtube.com/majorleaguegaming, or follow @CODWorldLeague and @Call of Duty_ANZ on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website,www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements, including event timing, that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’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 Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes 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 Publishing or 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.

TURTLE BEACH STRENGTHENS PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA

Leading Gaming Headset Maker Joins Forces with eSports Organization SYF GAMING and Signs with Five Star Games as New Distribution Partner in Move to Increase Its Presence in the Australian Market

San Diego, CA – May 11, 2017 – Leading gaming headset and audio accessory company Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR) today announced two significant steps that will strengthen its presence in the Australian market. First, Turtle Beach has joined forces with SYF GAMING – an Australian professional gaming organization fielding teams across a variety of competitive games, including Counter Strike™: Global Offensive, Call of Duty^®, Battlefield 1™ and StarCraft 2^®. As part of the new partnership, SYF GAMING teams and players will don Turtle Beach’s professional-level ELITE PRO line of gaming audio gear tailored for today’s competitive gaming athletes. Additionally, Turtle Beach is proud to announce a new Australian distribution partner in Five Star Games. Effective immediately, Five Star Games is working directly with Turtle Beach to expand the company’s overall reach in the Australian market.

“Growing and expanding our business in int’l markets is a key goal for us this year, and our new partnerships with SYF GAMING and Five Star Games are two major steps for achieving this in the Australian market,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. “eSports is growing rapidly in Australia, and we’re excited to have SYF GAMING join-up with us because they recognize the competitive value of using the best gaming audio gear available. And via our new relationship with Five Star Games, we’re further expanding our ability to bring Turtle Beach’s best-in-class gaming headsets and audio products to a wider audience of Australian gamers.”

“We decided early-on that our organization would only ever partner with businesses that share our value and passion for gaming, so we’re very excited to start our journey with Turtle Beach, which we see as a massive step for Australian eSports, and one that will capture and drive additional attention of competitive gamers and spectators in the Oceanic gaming scene,” said Mackenzie Lund, Head Business Manager, SYF GAMING. “We’re always looking for new ways to provide a better experience for our teams and fans, and with such a well-known brand like Turtle Beach backing us, and their ELITE PRO gear in our arsenal, we now have the highest quality headsets as well as an enormous range of gaming audio solutions for our organization to capitalize on.”

“The experienced team at Five Star Games are ecstatic to be partners with Turtle Beach – the world’s premiere gaming headset brand,” said Tom Dekker, General Manager, Five Star Games. “Through our strong retail partnerships and an exceptional product portfolio, we look forward to strengthening Turtle Beach’s presence and growing the category in the Australian market.”

SYF GAMING will be competing in the Call of Duty^® World League Sydney Open 2, Presented by PS4™, hosted at the ESL Sydney Studio and taking place this coming weekend, May 12-14, 2017. This event follows the extremely successful Sydney Open 1 event and will host the Asia-Pacific region’s most elite Call of Duty^®: Infinite Warfare teams as they once again compete for a first place prize of 10,000 CWL Pro Points and the lion’s share of a $30,000 prize pool. For more information and for tickets to watch SYF GAMING compete, visit the ESL Australia website.

The TURTLE BEACH^® ELITE PRO is the first gaming headset designed from the ground-up for today’s generation of eSports athletes and hardcore gamers. The ELITE PRO’s large 50mm Nanoclear™ over-ear speakers deliver more efficient, crisper audio with less distortion for a game changing sound experience, while the Pro Gaming Microphone with TruSpeak™ Technology provides crystal clear chat so your commands are always heard. The ELITE PRO also features Turtle Beach’s unique ComforTec™ Fit System – a revolutionary adjustment system for truly personalized comfort, including AeroFit™ Ear Cushions – where groundbreaking material technologies combine to deliver cooling comfort as well as passive noise isolation and deeper bass response, and the patented ProSpecs™ Glasses Relief System – alleviating ear cushion pressure for gamers who wear glasses.

For more information on the latest Turtle Beach products and accessories, visit www.turtlebeach.com and be sure to follow Turtle Beach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Torn Banner Studios Announces Open Beta for Mirage: Arcane Warfare

Beta Now Open to Public, Includes Brand New Arena Mode

TORONTO, May 11^th, 2017 – After a successful closed beta run, Torn Banner Studios upcoming magic ‘n melee multiplayer combat game Mirage: Arcane Warfare is opening its doors to a wider audience of gamers with a new Open Beta, beginning today and running until May 14th. This will be the final beta before the game launches on May 23^rd. Gamers can instantly play the new Open Beta by visiting the Mirage: Arcane Warfare Open Beta page starting now.

Featuring the current roster of nine maps that are cycling through the beta, as well as the latest gameplay and technical improvements to the still-in-development game, the Mirage: Arcane Warfare Open Beta will also introduce a brand new gameplay mode called Arena. The new Arena mode is a 3-on-3, last-man-standing style competitive tournament mode that takes place on an entirely different set of smaller, more close-combat maps. The final game will ship with six Arena mode maps, but two are included in the Open Beta: Spire and Tunnel.

Spire
Fight on the top of a huge monolith. Bait your opponents to the perilous edges of the tower – then shove them to their doom!

Tunnel
There’s only one path to death in this long, narrow level. Meet your opponents in the centre, using wall-jumps to gain the higher ground in this claustrophobic corridor.

Due for worldwide release on May 23rd, Mirage: Arcane Warfare is currently available for pre-order for $29.99 for the Standard Edition and $39.99 for the Special Edition via Steam.

For more information please visit MirageArcaneWarfare.com or the game’s Steam page. Like their game’s Facebook page and follow it on Twitter @MirageGame for future news and updates.
About Torn Banner Studios
Torn Banner Studios is a small indie games studio that makes BIG games. Based in Toronto Canada, Torn Banner Studios was founded in 2012 by a group of passionate game developers who are dedicated to creating powerful and unique games for a dedicated audience of fans. The nucleus of the team first came together from a group of modders who created a well-known Half-Life 2 mod called Age of Chivalry. Their first full game, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, was a critical and commercial success and has driven the dedicated team at Torn Banner to continue to develop great games and ongoing content for their passionate community of fans. For more information visit TornBanner.com or follow @TornBanner.

Daedalic’s highly anticipated space exploration RPG “The Long Journey Home“ to be released May 30^th

Start your own journey home later this month when the game launches on Windows PC for 34,99 Pounds

11 May 2017, London -Daedalic’s The Long Journey Home will be released on Steam for Windows PC on May 30th at the price of $39.99. In this space exploration RPG, players command a 4-person crew that ends up lost on the other side of the universe after the first light jump goes horribly wrong. Stranded with a rapidly deteriorating ship and dwindling supplies, players must manage the politics of different alien races, the limited yet valuable resources at their disposal, and the survival of the ship all while trying to bring the crew home.

Andreas Suika, lead game designer for The Long Journey Home, explains the idea behind the game: “Being lost and alone is a fear we can all appreciate. Now, imagine being on the other side of the universe, alone, low on resources, never knowing what awaits after the next jump. The Long Journey Home taps into that primal longing for home, while also providing a colourful, comic universe that players will have a blast exploring and returning to.”

Starting your journey

Lead Your Crew: Pick 4 out of 10 possible characters, from astronaut Kirsten to expert pilot Malcolm. Harness their unique skills and personalities to uncover the mysteries of the universe, salvaging lost wrecks, raiding ancient tombs, and investigating alien artefacts.

Real Flying: Flying in space is a bit complicated…really, we looked it up. “The Long Journey Home” provides a flying experience with actual planetary gravity, which can be difficult to master but can also be used to your advantage. Flying in Long Journey Home is a bit different than in many other space games. Be careful not to be sucked into a black hole or outmaneuvered by an alien warship!

Lost in Translation: Meet and try and befriend fifteen strange alien races – four empires out of eight, plus assorted smaller civilisations in every game. Will they appreciate you approaching with raised shields as a sign of respect, or see it as an aggressive display? Can you win their respect, and with it, their assistance? With over two novels worth of dialogue, you’ll feel part of a living universe full of memorable characters and big decisions.

Weigh Your Options: Players have to land on planets in order to gather resources. By doing so, you always risk damaging the landing unit or even losing a crew member. Be sure to carefully consider the risks involved in every reward.

Andreas Suika notes that “‘The Long Journey Home’ is about making the right decisions. When you alone are in space, there is no room for wasteful choices. It’s important to remember: always think twice and once you’ve made a decision, be ready to deal with the consequences.”

Procedural, not Random: Although most of the game is procedurally generated, there are no random aspects in it. For example, dialogues with aliens may vary in different playthroughs but the lore behind each race is very much consistent. Quests or reactions might change, but their core attitude and character always stays the same.

Same Game, Different Journey: Thanks to the variety of the key elements of the game, the experience can be very different with every new run. Players can expect to see about 20% of the possible content in one run which should only take about 6 – 8 hours.

Official links:

•        The Long Journey Home Website
•        Facebook
•        Twitter

###

About Daedalic Entertainment

Daedalic Entertainment, based in Hamburg, publishes and develops computer and video games for all platforms. The studio focuses on interactive literature and character and narrative-driven games like adventures and RPGs. Daedalic Entertainment has a staff of more than 160 employees, including the Writer’s Room, a team of writers unique to the German media industry.

Since May 2014, Daedalic Entertainment is part of the Bastei Lübbe group of companies. In July 2014, the publisher opened a new studio, Daedalic Entertainment West, in Düsseldorf. The studio’s first project is the Space Exploration RPG The Long Journey Home.

Daedalic won the German Developer Award 21 times („Studio of the Year“ 2009 and 2013, among others). In 2013, the studio won the prestigious German Games Award for “Best German Game” with “Chaos on Deponia”. Daedalic Entertainment is also the six-time winner of the German Video Game Award and the European Games Award.

With titles like State of Mind, Silence and Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, Daedalic will raise the bar for the whole adventure genre. With Blackguards they also gained a reputation for creating high quality RPG games. As a publisher, the studio is also known for releasing unique and outstanding titles like Shadow Tactics, Crazy Machines 3, Valhalla Hills and Candle.

Award-winning Community Builder Block’hood Expands Out of Early Access and Into Your Neighborhood

Games for Change winner for Best Gameplay Goes 1.0, Available Now on Steam

THE ‘HOOD — Lauded architects at Plethora Project and amateur ecologists Devolver Digital announce that eco-friendly city builder Block’hood has officially launched on Steam for PC and Mac http://store.steampowered.com/app/416210/Blockhood/. Ambitiously lead by Jose Sanchez, a professor of architecture at University of Southern California, Block’hood celebrates the diversity and experimentation of city planning and the unique ecosystems within them.

Announced for the Early Access program in 2015, Block’hood has achieved several accolades and recognition for its approach to conscious building and city planning. Budding city planners now have access to more than 200 building blocks from the original 90 to arrange and combine, creating unique neighborhoods and the sometimes surprising consequences of their designs.

Additional resources are always needed to unlock new blocks, configurations, and combinations to create more prosperous neighborhoods. Throughout the design process, players will need to avoid the decay of their city blocks by making sure each unit doesn’t run out of resources and become a strain on the complementary units around them.

With a five episode story mode now complete, players are able to experience a heartwarming tale about a boy, his pet and his neighborhood as well as explore other modes like Challenge mode, Sandbox mode and Education mode. Additionally, the title has undergone a complete aesthetic update that iterates on the already unique and eye-pleasing design of the original.

Design your neighborhood today at http://www.plethora-project.com/.

To keep up with the latest interior decorating trends, follow @DevolverDigital on Twitter.

GWENT Closed Beta registrations ending soon

CD PROJEKT RED, creators of The Witcher series of games, announce registrations for the Closed Beta of GWENT: The Witcher Card Game will shut down this weekend. The game will remain active for everyone who redeemed their invite before, or during the weekend.

Gamers can still join the Closed Beta by signing up on playgwent.com.

“Throughout Closed Beta, we’ve reworked and added a huge amount of features and mechanics to GWENT. Balance changes, numerous tweaks of how cards work and how the game flows; additional cards, a new faction and ranked play — it was an amazing ride and GWENT’s community was with us all the way,” said Benjamin Lee, Development Director at CD PROJEKT RED. “I’d like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the hours invested,” added Lee.

The end of Closed Beta registrations is part of the preparations for GWENT’s Public Beta. More information regarding this next stage will be revealed next week.

The upcoming weekend will also play host to GWENT Challenger tournament finals. On May 13th the winners of GWENT Challenger community qualifiers will compete with professional gamers: Jeffrey “Trump” Shih, Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy, Peter “ppd” Dager, and Kacem “Noxious” Khilaji for a piece of the $100,000 prize pool. The finals of GWENT Challenger will be streamed live starting at 3PM CEST on CD PROJEKT RED’s Twitch channel.

Watch the GWENT Challenger finals trailer

About GWENT: The Witcher Card Game

In GWENT: The Witcher Card Game, gamers clash with their friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing, on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction. The game is played over a best-of-three series of rounds, as players unleash their hand by slinging spells and diverse units with special abilities and use clever tricks to deceive their opponents.

About CD PROJEKT RED
CD PROJEKT RED is a game development studio founded in 2002. It develops and publishes videogames for personal computers and video game consoles. The Studio’s flagship franchise, games from The Witcher series, has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Its newest release – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – debuted in 2015 for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and has since received over 800 awards and accolades, including 250 Game of the Year awards. Along with GOG.COM, a game store offering hand-picked titles for PC and Mac, CD PROJEKT RED is part of the Warsaw Stock Exchange listed (ISIN: PLOPTTC00011) CD PROJEKT Group.

Deep Silver FISHLABS’ non-stop vertical platformer Jumping Joe leaps onto the App Store and Google Play

Prepare yourselves for the most addictive mobile game you will play all year! German premium publisher Deep Silver FISHLABS and Polish indie developer Power Up Game Studio take you to new heights with Jumping Joe, which is out now on iOS and Android.

Hamburg, Germany – May 11, 2017 – Deep Silver FISHLABS from Hamburg, Germany and Power Up Game Studio from Gdańsk, Poland are happy to announce the worldwide release of their first conjoint project. Jumping Joe is a fast-paced arcade game with whacky characters, stylized comic graphics and a gazillion references to contemporary pop culture. It is now available for free on a broad range of iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

App Store download link: https://itunes.apple.com/app/jumping-joe/id1207239054?mt=8
Google Play download link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dsfishlabs.jumpingjoe

“We did not have to think twice about partnering with Power Up to bring Jumping Joe to the App Store and Google Play”, says Andreas Stecher, Director of BizDev & Sales at Deep Silver FISHLABS. “Everyone at our studio loved the game from the moment they first laid hands on it. Jumping Joe is the kind of app you just cannot put aside. As soon as any of your friends have beaten your highscore, you will start playing again until you have reclaimed your position on top of the leaderboards.”

Jumping Joe’s go-getting features:                                                                                             

■ ONE DIRECTION: Reach for the top and go up high… waayyy up high!
■ SUPER-ADDICTIVE: Chase highscores and share them with your friends!
■ MIGHT AS WELL JUMP: Leap from platform to platform via tap or swipe controls!
■ SHIFTING COLORS: Enter Joe’s ever-changing world – are you up for it?
■ LIL’ HELPERS: Fly rockets, trigger bombs and use many helpful power-ups!
■ DRESS TO IMPRESS: Unlock tons of characters, helmets and trails to customize Joe according to your own liking!

A lively impression of Jumping Joe’s diverting gameplay is provided by the official trailer (linked above). The app itself can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play free of charge.

About Deep Silver FISHLABS:

Deep Silver FISHLABS is Koch Media’s mobile unit operating under the premium publishing label of Deep Silver. Having spearheaded 3D mobile gaming for more than a decade, the Hamburg-based studio has assembled an award-winning portfolio of international top titles such as the acclaimed Galaxy on Fire saga. In addition to developing their own IPs in-house, the 90-strong team of Deep Silver FISHLABS also provides comprehensive publishing services for co-operant independent developers from all over the world. To date, the games of Deep Silver FISHLABS have generated a total of 125+ million downloads.  www.dsfishlabs.com

About Power Up Game Studio:

Power Up Game Studio is a Polish indie developer based in Gdansk. The studio currently has two live games under its belt with “Jumping Joe!” and “Orbitron Arcade” and is working to add more pixel-based creations to its portfolio. The four-strong crew values outstanding code craftsmanship and out-of-the-box thinking as well as artistic expression and functional game design. Power Up Game Studio is up to its tricks since January 2016, proudly sticking to its objective to make great mobile games and explore new platforms. www.powerupgamestudio.com

MEDIEVAL CITY BUILDING, STRATEGY AND SURVIVAL COME TOGETHER IN FOREST VILLAGE

Lead Your Refugees to a New Life and Create a New Home for Them

May 11, 2017  –  Developer Mindillusion and publisher Bitbox announced today the upcoming release date for their Middle Ages-era City Building game, Life is Feudal: Forest Village. Set for release on May 26, Forest Village challenges players to lead a small group of refugees, forced to begin again on an unknown island. Shape the land and expand with houses, pastures, orchards, farms, windmills and many other real-world experiences. Forage in the forest, hunt for prey, grow crops and domesticate animals for food. As Winter creeps in, you’ll need to stock up on firewood, charcoal and warm clothes to survive.

Feeling like getting more directly involved in your town’s development? Then take control of one of your villagers, zoom down to their level, and work on construction, foraging and management, or just enjoy strolling around town. Forest Village is all about realism, from having to fight disease and malnutrition, to dealing with the specific water and soil requirements of a summer crop, and even getting everyone undercover during a terrifying lightning storm. The game will challenge the burgeoning Burgermeister in everyone.

Life is Feudal: Forest Village is a feature-rich, town building simulator strategy game with engaging survival aspects. Lead your people — a small group of refugees who were forced to start again on an unknown island.

You can oversee your village from a birdseye view or occupy one of your villagers to control and perform tasks in a first person view to speed things up or just to explore.

Features Include:

Advanced farming system – Different crops require varying amounts of moisture, labor and time in order to ripen ready for harvest. Your pastures and hens require hunters to protect them from forest predators.

Switch between birdseye and first person views – Play in a overhead view, or take direct control of a villager and play from a first person perspective.

Diseases, food rations and vitamins – Diseases spread faster in cold weather, especially if your villagers lack warm clothes or their food is too plain and lacking in vitamins. Try to stock all types of food possible to keep your villagers healthy.

Dynamic/reactive  ecosystem – Villagers walking in the surrounding woods too often will scare wildlife deeper into forest, making hunting more challenging. Excessive farming or woodcutting can lead to flora and fauna extinction

Real time weather and seasons system – Summer droughts will force your farmers to water your crops and rainy days will force them to dig trenches to drain excess water. You’ll also need firewood and warm clothes for your villagers in Winter.

Morale and increasing population –  Keep your villagers happy and their families will grow – that is, if their needs are being met! Living in overcrowded hostels, unfulfilled requirements and even bearing witness to a villager’s demise will reduce morale and their productivity.

Disasters – Lightning strikes, tornadoes, earthquakes and more! Make sure your villagers are prepared for disaster and have places to hide.

Mod friendly – Game modders will have access to AI, animations, task and resource management, navigation, sounds and many other game systems.
# # #
ABOUT BITBOX
Bitbox is an independant indie studio, developer and publisher of PC games. Founded in 2011 by Vladimir ‘Bobik’ Piskunov, the studio’s most notable achievement is the release of the successful multiplayer online RPG project: Life is Feudal: Your Own.

ABOUT MINDILLUSION
Mindillusion is a small indie game development studio of roughly 5 developers that was founded in 2015. Their development is based on the homemade gaming engine, that was developed by their lead developer in the past decade. Forest Village is their first gaming title shipped.