SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), is pleased to announce
that Skylanders Spyro's Adventure™, which launched to
great acclaim and record-setting sales in October 2011, was the #1 best-selling console and
handheld video game title between January and April 30, 2012 worldwide based on revenue
inclusive of toys and accessories, according to The NPD Group, GfK,
Charttrack and Activision internal estimates.
"This achievement is incredibly gratifying, and quite an honor
for everyone at Activision and our team at Toys for Bob," said
Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision
Publishing. "It was a simple idea really—bridging the gap between
real and virtual play—but one that required tremendous creativity
to execute and communicate to our audience. It spawned a new
category and a new platform for play in an overwhelmingly
challenging marketplace. We couldn't be happier that there is an
ever-growing universe of Portal Masters out there."
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure combines unique and
collectible "toys with brains" with an epic digital fantasy world,
creating an unprecedented medium for cross-platform, communal play.
Physical toys spring to virtual life by placing them on them the
Portal of Power peripheral included with every starter pack. This
novel concept was universally acclaimed after its launch, becoming
the #1 best-selling kid's video game title worldwide in 2011 based
on revenue inclusive of toys and accessories and the
best-performing new children's video game IP in North America in overall single-year revenue,
inclusive of software and accessories since NPD began tracking the
category in 1998. Since claiming the top overall sales spot for
2012, the game has eclipsed the usual constraints of genre and
demographics—no longer a daring experiment,
Skylanders is now an unqualified monster hit.
In addition to its perch atop the international sales charts,
the Skylanders franchise has soared to mobile and the
web. The console sequel, Skylanders Giants™, will
enjoy its Electronic Entertainment Expo coming-out party this
June 5-7th and is swiftly becoming
one of this fall's most hotly anticipated titles.
Giants will introduce more than 20 new figures and a
raft of technological and gameplay innovations that create even
more opportunities for collaborative and competitive play. The
sequel to the best-selling video game title of 2012 launches this
October.
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is developed by Toys
For Bob, an Activision studio located in Novato, California. For more
information, please visit www.skylanders.com.
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is rated E10+ by the
ESRB; Skylanders Giants is not yet rated.
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, including statements about the expected
release date of SKYLANDERS GIANTS are forward-looking
statements 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.
SKYLANDERS SPYRO'S ADVENTURE and SKYLANDERS GIANTS are
trademarks; and SPYRO, PORTAL OF POWER and ACTIVISION are
registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other
trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective
owners.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.