MARVEL BATTLEGROUNDS PLAY SET FEATURING ALL-NEW FOUR-PLAYER, BRAWLER STYLE GAMEPLAY LAUNCHES FOR DISNEY INFINITY 3.0 ON MARCH 24 (AUS/NZ)

 New Playable Characters from Marvel, Disney and Star Wars Also Available

MELBOURNE, Aust. – (March 16, 2016) – Disney Interactive and Marvel today announced new details on the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set for Disney Infinity 3.0, the No. 1 video game of 2014 and 2015 in the “toys-to-life” category, according to the US NPD Group. Developed by United Front Games, in partnership with Avalanche Software, Marvel Battlegrounds is the first Disney Infinity Play Set to introduce a new four-player, local co-op, brawler style gameplay. The Play Set features an original Marvel storyline and full compatibility for all Disney Infinity Marvel figures, including new characters, Captain America – The First Avenger, Ant-Man, and Black Panther, whose costumes are inspired by the upcoming film Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.”

“We’re providing our fans a brand new way to play Disney Infinity with Marvel Battlegrounds,” said John Blackburn, SVP & General Manager, Disney Infinity. “The Play Set’s four-player brawler style combat gameplay and wide selection of Marvel characters makes it the ultimate family game and a great way to experience some of the characters that appear in the upcoming summer blockbuster film, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.”

In addition to Captain America – The First Avenger, who is included in the Play Set pack, Hulkbuster, Ultron and Black Suit Spider-Man are also now available, along with other Marvel characters including: Ant-Man, who shrinks to the size of an ant but increases his strength to pack a whopping punch; Black Panther, the leader of Wakanda who defends his homeland utilizing acrobatic skills, increased agility, and legendary claws made from Vibranium, and Vision, a brave and noble synthetic warrior who will fight to bring peace to the world.

“Marvel Battlegrounds continues Marvel’s history as a leader in the family gaming category,” said Peter Phillips, EVP and General Manager, Interactive & Digital Distribution at Marvel Entertainment. “This innovative new Play Set gives families a new way to play together via a battle brewing across the Marvel Universe, starring an epic roster of our most popular Super Heroes and Super Villains.”

In addition, a new Marvel Battlegrounds Power Disc Pack will be sold separately and includes:

• Cosmic Cube Blast – Unleash a powerful energy blast on nearby foes
• Darkhawk’s Blast – Blast obstacles with a powerful energy beam from your chest
• Nova Corps Strike – Call upon the Nova Corps to unleash a tactical strike from above
• Ghost Rider’s Motorcycle – Take a ride on the wild side with Ghost Rider’s flaming motorcycle

A full Australia and New Zealand asset set for this announcement–including new screens, poster art and figure art–is available to download from here. (Link valid for 7 days.)

All Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes characters and round Power Discs are fully compatible with the Play Set. Marvel Battlegrounds is available for a suggested retail price of $34.95 AUD/$44.99 NZD.  Each Marvel character figure (RRP: $17.95 AUD/$24.99 NZD each) and the Marvel Battlegrounds themed Power Disc Pack (RRP: $11.95 AUD/$15.99 NZD) are sold separately. The Play Set requires the latest Disney Infinity software update in order to play. Software updates require Internet connection.

In the original storyline of Marvel Battlegrounds, Ultron teams up with Loki in an effort to steal Wakanda’s most valuable resource, Vibranium. Captain America, along with the universe’s greatest Super Heroes, leap into action but before they can uncover Loki’s plans for the precious metal, their nemesis creates robotic replicas of the famed Marvel Super Heroes and turn them against each other. The Marvel Super Heroes battle each other in iconic environments such as a wrecked Brooklyn train yard, Wakanda mines and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Lunar Base, culminating in a universe-shaking battle against Ultron. Players engage in the ultimate rumble and choose from more than 25 Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains, and battle through 12 levels across eight dynamic arenas.

Additional characters coming soon for Disney Infinity:

• Baloo – The beloved bear from Disney’s The Jungle Book will also be available from March 24 at a suggested retail price of $17.95 AUD/$24.99 NZD. Playable in the Toy Box, Baloo loves to dance around the jungle and protects his friends by tossing fruit.

• Kylo Ren Light FX – The Kylo Ren Light FX figure is also available for pre-order soon at a suggested retail price of $22.95 AUD/$34.99 NZD.

About Disney Infinity

Disney Infinity is an interactive gaming platform where players have unprecedented freedom and endless opportunity to create stories and play experiences starring the beloved characters from across The Walt Disney Company. Building on the success of Disney Infinity 1.0 and 2.0, Disney Interactive launched its latest installment to the best-selling “hybrid toy/video game” this year — Disney Infinity 3.0. In its third iteration, players will utilise real-world interactive figures to activate original storylines (Play Sets) in the virtual game worlds of popular Star Wars franchises and create new adventures with a variety of characters from Marvel, The Walt Disney Co. and Disney•Pixar properties in the Toy Box mode. Disney Infinity 3.0 is rated PG for online interactivity and mild violence. For more information, visit Disney.com/Infinity.

For additional information, please visit www.disney.com/infinity and www.youtube.com/disneyinfinity, join the Disney Infinity Facebook community (Facebook.com/disneyinfinity) and Google+ community (https://plus.google.com/+DisneyInfinity),  and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/disneyinfinity) and Instagram (instagram.com/disneyinfinity).

About Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media

Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that brings our Company’s stories and characters to life through innovative and engaging physical products and digital experiences across more than 100 categories, from toys and t-shirts, to apps, books and console games. DCPI comprises two main lines of business: Disney Consumer Products (DCP), and Disney Interactive (DI). The combined segment is home to world class teams of app and game developers, licensing and retail experts, a leading retail business (Disney Store), artists and storytellers, and technologists who inspire imaginations around the world.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years.  Marvel utilises its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit marvel.com.  © 2016 MARVEL

©Disney. ©2016 MARVEL. STAR WARS © & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

VISUAL DESIGN TEAM TAKES FINAL FANTASY XIV TO NEW HEIGHTS IN NEW DEVELOPER DIARY

SYDNEY 16^th March 2016 – In the final entry of the FINAL FANTASY® XIV developer diary series, the visual design team details their approach in the creation and implementation of new landscapes and environments, as well as the introduction of flying mounts for the acclaimed expansion pack.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Dev Diary Chapter Three: Visual Design can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gT-LcSlZewk

Key members of the visual design team include lead designer Takeo Suzuki, lead background artist Junichi Murata, character artist Yuji Mitsuishi, and lead animator Shinya Ichida. In this video, they explain their goals in creating an amazing player experience, the creative process from conception to implementation, and the challenges they faced in order to expand the world of FINAL FANTASY XIV.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD is available now on the PlayStation®3 system, PlayStation®4 system and on Windows PC. For newcomers, an all-in-one bundle including both the award-winning FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn and FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward is also available now. A free 30-day trial is included for new accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at $19.95. Those who have not yet had the chance to try FINAL FANTASY XIV Online can do so by downloading the 14 day free trial for PC here; http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/en/ or, for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 directly from the PlayStation Network.

HEAVENSWARD Official Website: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/heavensward/

The Lodestone: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/

Official Website: www.finalfantasyxiv.com

Official Promo Site: eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/pr/

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV

Official YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FINALFANTASYXIV

Official Twitter: @FF_XIV_EN

#ENDS#

YouTube Stream: https://youtu.be/gT-LcSlZewk

UBISOFT’S TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION™ RECORDS THE BIGGEST FIRST WEEK EVER FOR A NEW VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE

Sydney, Australia – March 16, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft announced ongoing record sell-through sales for Tom Clancy’s The Division, which has grossed more than $330 million  worldwide in its first five days*. Having already broken Ubisoft sales records in the first 24 hours following its release, The Division is now the company’s best-selling game and the industry’s best-selling new game franchise in an opening week.

“The Division taking the top spot in the industry for first week sales of a new franchise is a tremendous achievement. We are very proud of our teams, and humbled by and thankful for the millions of players who are giving us their feedback and support,” said Yves Guillemot, CEO and Co-Founder, Ubisoft. “The Division is the latest example yet of our unique ability to deliver immersive gaming playgrounds that keeps players engaged and that they eagerly share with their friends and community.”

The Division is also breaking player engagement records for Ubisoft. The game surpassed 1.2 million peak concurrent users over the weekend. Players spent more than 100 million hours playing online on Ubisoft’s servers in the first week.

“On top of record breaking sales, player engagement is the highest ever for any Ubisoft title, demonstrating, among other things, that our investments in our online infrastructure and services are paying off,” said Stephanie Perotti, Vice President of Online Services, Ubisoft. “We are delivering an online experience that’s on par with the best in the industry, and that matches the quality and connectivity demanded by The Division and its players.”

At launch, The Division was the number one viewed game on Twitch and has since consistently been ranked in the top five. The Division also accrued over 57 million views on YouTube in week one.

Tom Clancy’s The Division takes place weeks after a devastating pandemic sweeps through New York City on Black Friday. One by one, basic services fail and in only days, without food or water, society collapses into chaos. The Division, an autonomous unit of tactical agents leading seemingly ordinary lives among us, is activated to save society. In this immersive online open world action RPG, discover a hostile and dynamic environment where exploration and player progression are essential. Team up with other players to investigate the sources of the virus and reclaim the city from the overwhelming turmoil.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is now available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC. For more information, please visit http://www.thedivisiongame.com​

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© 2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy’s, The Division logo, the Soldier icon, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2014-15 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of €1.464 billion. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

Eestimated world-wide revenue from physical and digital full game sales (including gold edition) only, according to GFK Chart-Track, first parties, retail customer sell-through and internal estimates through end March 12th at current exchange rates