Activision Blizzard Studios Expands Pioneering Skylanders Franchise Into Television 

New Animated Television Series “Skylanders Academy” to Debut on Netflix 

Sydney, Australia. 17^th June 2016. – Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced that “Skylanders Academy”, the first production by Activision Blizzard Studios—its newly-created television and film studio—will premiere in Spring 2016 on Netflix, the world’s leading internet television network.

“Over the last five years, millions of families around the world have welcomed Skylanders characters into their homes. Now, they’ll be able to watch their favourite characters come to life on Netflix,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “We couldn’t have found a better home for ‘Skylanders Academy’ and look forward to sharing our extraordinary characters with Netflix audiences around the world.”

The series follows the heroic adventures of the Skylanders team, a group of heroes with unique elemental skills and personalities who travel the vast Skylands universe, protecting it from evil-doers and showing the next wave of Academy cadets how to do things the “Skylander way”. Created by Toys For Bob, the $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011, and earlier this month Activision revealed Skylanders Imaginators, the latest innovation in the franchise.

“‘Skylanders Academy’ gives us the opportunity to approach narrative storytelling with the same level of quality and excellence that millions of Skylanders fans have come to expect from the game,” said Activision Blizzard Studios Co-President Stacey Sher. “We’re inspired by our fans’ excitement for these characters and have worked hard to bring these characters to life with stories our fans will love.”

Activision Blizzard launched its studio last year to create original content based on the company’s intellectual property, and “Skylanders Academy” is the first production by Sher and studio Co-President Nick van Dyk. The two-season Netflix partnership is another important step in Activision Blizzard’s strategy of enhancing its franchises and broadening their appeal.

Produced under the supervision of showrunner Eric Rogers (“Futurama”), “Skylanders Academy” features the voices of Justin Long (“Alvin and the Chipmunks,” “Ask Me Anything”) as Spyro, Ashley Tisdale (“Phineas and Ferb,” “High School Musical”) as Stealth Elf, Jonathan Banks (“Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul”) as Eruptor and Norm MacDonald (“Saturday Night Live”) as Glumshanks. Additional voice talent includes The Diamond Minecart, Susan Sarandon, Daniel Wu, Parker Posey, James Hetfield, Catherine O’Hara, Bobcat Goldthwait, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jonny Rees, Harland Williams and Richard Horvitz.

Sher and van Dyk are joined by Sander Schwartz, the Emmy award-winning producer of animated hits including “The Batman,” “The Aquabats! Super Show!” and “Justice League: The New Frontier,” as the show’s executive producers. “Skylanders Academy” is animated by the internationally acclaimed TeamTO studio in France.

“Activision Blizzard Studios’ enviable mission is to work with our extraordinary portfolio of franchise intellectual property and bring it to broader audiences on new platforms,” said van Dyk. “We’re excited to reach this strategic partnership and for the future of ‘Skylanders Academy.’”

For the latest on news and announcements from Netflix, please see the Netflix Media Centre.

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 over 500 million monthly active users around the world through franchises including Activision’s Call of Duty®, Destiny and Skylanders®, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo® and Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™, and King’s Candy Crush®, Pet Rescue® 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.

[Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Blizzard, Activision Blizzard Studios and Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release date of “Skylanders Academy,” are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Blizzard, Activision Blizzard Studios and 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 Blizzard, Activision Blizzard Studios and Activision Publishing as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Blizzard, Activision Blizzard Studios and Activision Publishing 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.]

Ashes of the Singularity Turtle Wars DLC Adds New Scenarios, Maps, and More

Plymouth, MI. – June 16, 2016 – Stardock released the Turtle Wars DLC for Ashes of the Singularity today. With new single player scenarios focused around the player building up defenses against impossible odds and additional new maps to keep multiplayer matches fresh, this update brings challenges for both newer and older players.

The Turtle Wars DLC pack contains scenarios such as “Implosion”, “Mountaintop”, and more, plus new maps that offer a wider array of options for multiplayer matches.

“Our goal is to continue to create a variety of maps with open possibilities,” said CEO and President of Stardock, Brad Wardell. “Some of these new maps are ideal for things like a 2v1 match, even a 4v1. We’ve also made sure to include a large-sized 1v1 skirmish map, which will encourage players to build much bigger armies for more epic battles.”

The new scenarios in Turtle Wars focus on having the player build up and maintain their defenses against mounting enemy pressure. In the “Eruption” scenario, the player has the command of a single Hyperion Dreadnought and a handful of defensive structures and must somehow hold out against enemy siege while trying to turn the tides of battle.

In another scenario, “Turtle Wars,” the player is faced with several indestructible factories that are mass producing swarms of frigates. In order to win, they must hold off against the enemy and take control of the factories before the rest of the army makes it through the mountains to finish them off.

“These new scenarios add a different type of challenge and call upon a certain playstyle,” said Wardell. “We know that players will enjoy trying something new and then comparing their scenario scores against others’ in our Hall of Fame.”

The Turtle Wars DLC is now available for purchase on Steam or through Stardock. For more information about Ashes of the Singularity, please visit www.ashesgame.com.

Screenshots

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About Stardock

Stardock is a developer and publisher of PC games and desktop software founded in 1991 by nationally recognized technology expert Brad Wardell. Located in Plymouth, Michigan, Stardock is a powerful leader in the video gaming and software development world.  Its PC games include Sins of a Solar Empire, the critically acclaimed Galactic Civilizations series, and Ashes of the Singularity. Stardock puts the user experience first through software that enriches the Windows experience for everyone from casual computer users to highly technical professionals. Products offered by Stardock include Start8, Start10, Fences, WindowBlinds, Multiplicity, and more at www.stardock.com.

About Oxide Games

Oxide Games is an independent digital entertainment studio focused on delivering revolutionary leaps in PC and console gaming. Its groundbreaking Nitrous engine provides industry-leading visuals and powers its first game, Ashes of the Singularity. Oxide Games is based in Timonium, Maryland. Learn more at www.oxidegames.com.

EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF THE BAKU STREET CIRCUIT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN F1™ 2016

FIRST GAMEPLAY VIDEO SHOWS DANIEL RICCIARDO AND  JOLYON PALMER DRIVE THE CIRCUIT IN GAME

F1 2016 TO RELEASE ON 19^TH AUGUST

SYDNEY, 18^TH June 2016 – Codemasters® have released the first gameplay video for F1 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, showcasing Daniel Ricciardo and Jolyon Palmer taking on the thrilling Baku street circuit which will host the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE. Codemasters has also announced that F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (Digital) on 19^th August 2016 across Australia & New Zealand.

The new video features Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo and Jolyon Palmer from Renault Sport Formula One™ Team as they enjoy their first virtual laps of the Baku City Circuit and give their impressions on the challenging street circuit. The circuit itself is said to thrive on Baku’s very attractive urban atmosphere and its great combination of history and 21^st century style. The historic city centre, the beautiful seaside promenade and the impressive architecture all combine to provide the perfect backdrop for the spectacular new track.

Speaking about his experience, Daniel commented: “I can’t think of anything like Baku… For the corners it looks like you want to have maximum downforce but I don’t think you can afford to run it because of the long straight. I think we will have to sacrifice some grip in the corners to keep up on the straight.”

Talking about Baku’s soon to be famous Turn 5, Jolyon Palmer, said: “There’s some crazy corners and maybe the craziest there is in FORMULA ONE with the up the hill left and then straight into a blind right hander… It’s going to be easy to hit a wall. It’s very high speed. The challenge is huge!” Jolyon also said that practising on the new circuit in the new F1 2016 videogame before the race itself meant that he now knows “…probably more than most others, maybe everyone in the field so, it’s going to give me a little advantage.”

Both Daniel’s and Jolyon’s laps have also been released as separate videos:

• Welcome To Baku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HksnXmJGqe4
• Jolyon Palmer Flying Lap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAMmQr7FjSc
• Daniel Ricciardo Flying Lap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZuStK4qUq8

Codemasters also announced that there will be a Limited Edition of the game to pre-order which includes the F1 2016 ‘CAREER BOOSTER’ DLC PACK, which will give players a head start in their F1 career. It gives the user a ‘Research and Development boost’ that applies a percentage increase to all research and development credits earned by the player in each session in the new career mode. Exclusive Career Helmet and Laptop designs are also included. Once the player has selected their choice for their career helmet, this design is then applied to the laptop located within the Career hub.

F1 2016 features the most in-depth career mode ever seen in the series, allowing players to create their own legend over the course of ten seasons dealing with life and drama both on and off the track. The recreation of the sport will be enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car and also includes the new American Haas F1 Team. A number of yet to be announced features are also due to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.