SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bring
Your Toys To LifeTM. This novel premise takes
a monster step forward with the worldwide unveiling of
Skylanders Giants, the follow-up to the most
successful kids' IP launch of the year.(1) Activision Publishing,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ATVI), will debut the sequel at the North American
International Toy Fair in booths 3151 and 3251 at the Javits Center
in New York City from February 12-15.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120207/LA48464)
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure uniquely combined
collectible real-world toys with an epic virtual game world,
creating a new platform for communal play that was embraced by
parents and kids everywhere. Skylanders Spyro's
Adventure was the #1 best-selling kids' franchise worldwide
in 2011, as well as the #1 overall new IP launched in North America, according to The NPD Group,
Charttrack and GfK.
(1) According to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk
According to The NPD Group, Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
went on to become a Top-10 seller in North America and generated the greatest
overall single-year sales, inclusive of software and accessories,
of any new children's IP in North
America, since NPD has been tracking the category.
Skylanders Giants builds upon the breakthrough
fundamentals of the first game—merging the physical and virtual
realms with an innovative line of cross-platform toy figures that
have "brains," which players everywhere can magically bring to life
in the world of Skylands. This next installment of the
franchise features a variety of new characters, new challenges, a
thrilling new story-driven adventure, and advanced integration
across console, handheld, mobile and online:
- Going Big: Skylanders Giants
introduces eight new highly collectible figures that are more than
twice the size of the main skylanders cast in both physical and
virtual form. Their in-game powers and abilities reflect their
colossal scale.
- Bright Lights: Helping to further the real world magic
of bringing toys to life, Skylanders Giants includes
a set of characters that feature spectacular new light technology
integrated into the toys, allowing the figure to light up when near
or on the Portal of Power™. These characters have additional
in-game benefits as well. Batteries are not required.
- Brand New Skylanders: Eight new regular sized
skylanders, each with their own unique powers, abilities, and
personality, join the adventure alongside the Giants.
- Forward Compatibility: Every beloved character from
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is 100% compatible with
Skylanders Giants, leveled-up stats and
customizations intact.
- Wider Worlds: Portal
Masters will see all new arenas and more gameplay options in Battle
Mode for exciting head-to-head play, as well as enhanced Elemental
Zones, new Hero Challenges, and other features that encourage
players to collect and level up every character.
Skylanders Giants also features closer integration
with Skylanders Spyro's UniverseTM, the
large online world that allows Portal Masters around the world to
greatly expand their Skylanders experience.
"Skylanders Spyro's Adventure's success in 2011 validated
an exciting idea—that with the right technology, and the creative
minds to support it with engaging characters and story, we could
define a new model for children's play," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.
"Skylanders Giants marks the evolution of this core
concept. We've got super-sized figures, remarkably cool new
characters that light up, as if by magic, and more ways to play and
explore Skylands than ever before. We're delighted to announce the
title at Toy Fair 2012 and can't wait for fans to go hands-on this
fall."
Toys"R"Us has reaffirmed its commitment to Activision and the
Skylanders franchise, and will remain a marquee
retail partner for the launch of Skylanders Giants.
"While it was still in development, we recognized the potential
that Skylanders had to connect with our customers due to its
unique merging of physical and digital play," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc.
"The game was an enormous success last holiday shopping season, and
the toys seem to evaporate as soon as they arrive on our store
shelves. We're excited to continue our enthusiastic support
for Skylanders with a comprehensive, global marketing
program to introduce Giants to our customers."
Skylanders Giants is developed by Toys For Bob, an
Activision studio located in Novato,
California. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more
information, visit www.skylandersgame.com
Activision Publishing Broadcast Media Center
Members of the media can visit Activision Publishing's Broadcast
Media Center to download broadcast quality video, web-ready video
and high-resolution images. Members of the media using
Pathfire can take advantage of a Pathfire enabled video
download.
Broadcast Media Center: http://activisionvideo.com
About Toys"R"Us, Inc.
Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and
juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping
experience through its family of brands. It currently sells
merchandise in more than 1,570 stores, including 858 Toys"R"Us and
Babies"R"Us stores in the United
States, and more than 510 international stores and 200
licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it
exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells
extraordinary toys in the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in
New York City. With its strong
portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com,
eToys.com, FAO.com and babyuniverse.com, it provides shoppers with
a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products.
Headquartered in Wayne, NJ,
Toys"R"Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 associates
worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities
as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to
keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading
worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United
Kingdom, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Australia,
South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and
its products can be found on the company's website,
www.activision.com.
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 that are not
facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision
Publishing generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could,"
"would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may,"
"expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," "future," "plan,"
"positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set
to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify
forward-looking statements. 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, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision
Publishing's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact
of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical
nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing's
ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware
platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price
protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision
Publishing's products, adoption rate and availability of new
hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry
competition including from used games and other forms of
entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes
in technology, industry standards, business models including online
and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in
specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively
multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights,
maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers,
licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers,
including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel
and developers that can create high quality "hit" titles,
counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and
manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and
political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax
rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition
opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic
expansion, and the 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.
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, Portal of Power, Bring Your Toys
to Life, and Skylanders Giants are trademarks, Skylanders Spyro's
Universe is a service mark, and Spyro and Activision are registered
trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and
trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
All rights reserved.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.