SANTA MONICA, Calif. and
SHANGHAI, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision
Blizzard, Inc., the largest third-party interactive entertainment
software publisher (Nasdaq: ATVI), and Tencent Holdings Limited, a leading Internet
services provider in China (SEHK:
00700), today announced a strategic relationship to bring Call of
Duty Online to Chinese game players.
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Call of Duty Online has been in development by Activision
Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard,
for approximately two years. Under the multi-year agreement with
Activision Publishing, Tencent has
the exclusive license to operate Call of Duty Online in mainland
China. The game is free-to-play and monetized through the
sales of in-game items.
"We are very excited about our relationship with Tencent and the opportunities for gaming in
China," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of
Activision Blizzard. "We think China is one of the most exciting places in
the world for us to grow our business and to develop innovative new
games."
Kotick continued, "Tencent is an
ideal partner for Activision to bring Call of Duty Online to
China. Tencent has a terrific
track record of customer-focused innovation and deep market
knowledge that will be invaluable to Activision as we build great
games for China. We have worked closely with Tencent to create a game with broad appeal for
the Chinese market. We look forward to laying the foundation
for a long-standing relationship with Tencent and to launching a new and unique
experience for fans."
Martin Lau, President of
Tencent, said, "We are thrilled to
work with the world's premiere game developer and publisher to
bring this much-awaited title to Chinese game players.
We believe Call of Duty Online will attract tens of millions of
loyal fans in China, and our game
platform and operational expertise to run massive multi-player
online games can provide strong support to deliver the immersive
and highly interactive game experience to game players in
China."
The new game Call of Duty Online for China will capitalize on the rich multiplayer
experience that the Call of Duty franchise is known for
and introduce a new gaming model designed specifically for the
Chinese market. This new model will allow players the ability
to personalize their weapons, characters and equipment like never
before in a Call of Duty game. Using an in-game store,
players can enhance their weapons, gear, and perks built
specifically for the Chinese market. The new game will also
bring a variety of game modes and maps and features an original
story told through a series of Special Operations missions based on
the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® universe.
About Tencent
Tencent aims to enrich the
interactive online experience of Internet users by providing a
comprehensive range of Internet and wireless value-added services.
Through its various online platforms, including Instant Messaging
QQ, web portal QQ.com, the QQ Game platform under Tencent Games, multi-media social networking
service Qzone and wireless portal, Tencent services the largest online community in
China and fulfills the user's
needs for communication, information, entertainment and e-Commerce
on the Internet. Tencent has four
main streams of revenues: Internet value-added services, mobile and
telecommunications value-added services, online advertising and
e-Commerce.
Shares of Tencent Holdings Limited
are traded on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
Limited, under stock code 00700. The Company became one of
the 43 constituents of the Hang Seng Index (HSI) on June 10, 2008. For more information, please
visit www.tencent.com/ir.
About Activision Publishing
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, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and
its products can be found on the company's website,
www.activision.com.
Forward-looking Statements Disclaimer: This press release
contains forward-looking statements relating to the business
outlook, forecast business plans and growth strategies of
Tencent. They are based on
information currently available to Tencent and its outlook at the time of this press
release. These statements are made under certain expectations,
assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond
Tencent's control. These
forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and may not be
realized in future. Underlying these statements are a large number
of risks and uncertainties. As such, the inclusion of any
forward-looking statements in this press release should not be
regarded as representations by Tencent or any of its directors and employees
that the business outlook, forecast, plans and strategies will be
achieved, and no undue reliance should be placed on any of such
statements.
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.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.