Activision Blizzard Launches Activision Blizzard Studios to Create Original Film and TV Content Based on Iconic, Globally-Recognized Franchises
Initial Productions to Include Skylanders™ TV Series and Call of
Duty™ Film Series
Disney Veteran Nick van Dyk Named Studio Co-President
SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the launch of
Activision Blizzard Studios, a new film and television studio devoted to
creating original content based on the company’s extensive library of
iconic and globally-recognized intellectual properties. Activision
Blizzard’s owned content includes some of the most popular entertainment
franchises in the world, including Call of Duty®, Skylanders®,
Diablo®, Hearthstone® and StarCraft®.
Former Disney executive Nick van Dyk has been tapped to co-head the
division, along with a senior creative executive who will be announced
soon.
Activision Blizzard Studios’ first production will be “Skylanders™
Academy,” an animated TV series based on the award-winning Skylanders®
game. Currently in production under the supervision of showrunner Eric
Rogers (“Futurama”), “Skylanders™ Academy” will feature 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 Harland Williams and Richard Horvitz. The award-winning,
$3 billion Skylanders® franchise has sold through more than 250 million
toys since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011i.
Another near-term initiative for Activision Blizzard Studios will be the
development of a robust cinematic universe based on the Call of Duty
franchise. Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare remains the
number one-selling title on next-generation consolesii and
today marks the launch of the highly-anticipated new Call of
Duty®: Black Ops III. Activision Blizzard Studios envisions a
series of Call of Duty feature films as well as the possibility of
television adaptations.
“Activision Blizzard is home to some of the most successful
entertainment franchises in history, across any medium. With the launch
of Activision Blizzard Studios, our engaged fans can now watch the games
they love come to life across film and television,” said Bobby Kotick,
Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Activision Blizzard
Studios is yet another way we’re celebrating our players and fans, and
we expect that our film and television productions will entertain and
delight whole new audiences, as well. I’m excited that Nick and his team
will be leading this important new growth opportunity for Activision
Blizzard.”
Kotick added, “We intend to approach film and television development
with the same unwavering commitment to excellence we are known for in
game development.”
Nick van Dyk, formerly a long-time Walt Disney Company senior executive,
will serve as Activision Blizzard Studios’ Co-President, alongside a top
creative executive who will be announced soon. Van Dyk will have
responsibility for distribution, physical production, strategy, finance
and operations and will co-manage all aspects of the studio. Before
joining Activision Blizzard last year, van Dyk spent nine years at
Disney where, as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, he helped
drive Disney’s focus on franchise intellectual property and played a
significant role in the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm.
Prior to that, van Dyk was part of Artisan Entertainment’s senior
management team.
“Activision Blizzard Studios has the unique advantage of starting with a
library of world-class intellectual property that includes some of the
largest franchises which have not yet been developed in film and
television,” said van Dyk. “Our library spans more than 30 years of
global entertainment culture and, in the last 12 months alone, fans of
Activision Blizzard properties have played and watched our games online
for more than 13 billion hours. This gives us a huge, passionate and
deeply-engaged audience that is hungry for more great content built from
the universes they already know and love—and which are extremely broad
in their appeal.”
Van Dyk added, “Activision Blizzard Studios is not just an exciting new
business for our company, it is a synergistic complement to our core
business. Our movies and shows will benefit from the remarkable IP
created in our games and will further increase the awareness of,
engagement with and passion for our franchises.”
Activision Blizzard Studios is another important step in the company’s
strategy of expanding the platforms through which it offers its
compelling intellectual property to existing fans and new audiences
around the world.
The founding of Activision Blizzard Studios follows the company’s
announcement on Oct. 22 of a new esports division headed by former ESPN
CEO Steve Bornstein and Major League Gaming co-founder and president
Mike Sepso. The esports division will build on the company’s competitive
gaming leadership by creating all-new ways to deliver the best-in-class
fan experience across games, platforms and geographies, furthering the
development of its world-leading esports ecosystem. Activision
Blizzard’s other divisions are Activision Publishing and Blizzard
Entertainment. On Nov. 2, the company announced its plans to acquire
King Digital Entertainment, the creators of the Candy Crush®,
Farm Heroes®, Pet Rescue® and Bubble
Witch® franchises, which will make it a new global leader in
mobile gaming.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the world’s most
successful standalone interactive entertainment company. It develops and
publishes games based on some of the most beloved entertainment
franchises, including Call of Duty®, Destiny, Skylanders®,
Guitar Hero®, World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo®, and Hearthstone®:
Heroes of Warcraft™. The company is one of the FORTUNE “100 Best
Companies To Work For®” 2015. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California,
it has operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196
countries. Activision Blizzard makes games for leading interactive
platforms. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products
can be found on the company’s website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
i NPD, GfK and internal estimates
ii NPD, Gfk
Retail Sales
Contacts
Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Elizabeth Ashford, 424-272-3015
Senior
Director, Global Communications
Elizabeth.Ashford@Activision.com
or
42West
Julie
Mathis, 424-901-8715
Julie.Mathis@42West.net
