COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), will showcase a blockbuster line-up of some of the world’s most anticipated next-generation gaming releases at Gamescom 2014.
Kicking off on Wednesday 13th August at the Koelnmesse GmbH Exhibition Centre in Cologne, Germany, Activision will be offering consumers and industry influencers the opportunity to get hands-on with some of the biggest titles of the year. Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare will be playable in the Microsoft booth located in Hall 5.2, Destiny will be playable in the SONY Computer Entertainment Deutschland booth, located in Hall 7.1 and Skylanders Trap Team™ will debut a new line of small-but-mighty characters in the Family Area, Hall 10.2.
“This September, October and November, we’re releasing three of the most talked about games in the industry, and perhaps our best slate ever. Destiny is the most pre-ordered new IP in history. Skylanders Trap Team is yet another breakthrough innovation for the biggest kids’ video game in the world*. And Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a creative leap forward for the biggest franchise in the industry,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “With all of the hours of great games to be played, we apologize to spouses, bosses and significant others of every stripe in advance.”
Activision’s Gamescom 2014 line-up includes:
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Published by Activision and developed by Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty® multiplayer enters a new era for the popular award-winning franchise. Gamescom 2014 will see the global reveal of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer with fans getting the very first hands-on anywhere in the world.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is primed to deliver a thrilling blockbuster experience, packed with cutting-edge technology such as the exoskeleton, which changes the way gamers will play the game, and a brand-new weapon class, load-out system, endless customization and more, creating an in-depth, robust and advanced Call of Duty multiplayer experience.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is being developed by Sledgehammer Games specifically for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PC. Versions for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system are also in development. The game is expected to release on November 4, 2014. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is rated M for Mature.
Destiny
From Bungie, the creators of Halo®, and Activision, comes Destiny, the next evolution in interactive entertainment that brings first-person action gamers together in a shared, persistent online world filled with epic adventures. Gamescom 2014 will showcase Destiny’s competitive multiplayer, The Crucible, with announcements of the modes, maps and playlists that will be available at launch. Multiplayer playlists will mix up the gameplay with special rotating events, such as the Iron Banner, which allows players to enter battle against one another with no combat level restrictions. Destiny will also feature an exclusive map called Exodus Blue for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners, which will remain exclusive until at least Fall of 2015.
Fans visiting the SONY Computer Entertainment Deutschland booth in Hall 7.1 will be able to compete head-to-head in the intense action of competitive multiplayer in The Crucible and on Saturday and Sunday top scorers in each gameplay session will be awarded a limited edition Destiny T-Shirt. The booth will also feature a custom-built ‘Sparrow’ statue, offering visitors a chance to create and upload their very own Destiny photo moment.
With four weeks to go before Destiny’s launch, global retailer GameStop Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Bob Puzon, said, “With the launch of Activision's Destiny just around the corner, our GameStop associates are working diligently to prepare for what is currently our highest pre-ordered new IP in history. Based on the consumer excitement we are encountering in our stores every day, Destiny is on track to deliver a tremendous gaming experience.”
Destiny will be available on September 9 for the PlayStation 4 system, PlayStation 3 system, Xbox One and Xbox 360. For more information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com. For exclusive updates, follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter, and interact directly with the developers at www.Bungie.net.
Skylanders Trap Team
Developed by Toys for Bob, creators of the Toys-to-Life™ phenomenon, Skylanders Trap Team reverses the magic of its signature play pattern -- letting kids take villains out of the digital world and transport them into the physical world, where they are captured in magical Traps -- bringing both Toys-to-Life and life to toys. Fans can then play as both heroes and villains who join the forces of good in an all-new adventure.
Fans attending Gamescom will get a special Skylanders® treat -- the first hands-on opportunity to play Skylanders Trap Team with a new line of cute, pocket-sized Skylanders characters, called Skylanders Minis. Sixteen of the smallest but surprisingly powerful Skylanders are now joining the fight against Skylands’ most nefarious villains. Diminutive in stature but mighty in battle, Skylanders Minis will deliver a full Skylanders wallop as completely playable characters with upgrades and abilities, just like any other Skylanders, including the ability to trap villains.
At Gamescom, visitors in the Gamescom Family Area ((Hall 10.2) -- who are “mini” enough to enter the smallest booth Activision has ever built -- will be able to play with the new Minis. Only those that meet the Skylanders Mini booth’s required height restrictions will get the chance to be the first in the world to play with five of the new Minis: Spry, Mini Jini, Drobit, Trigger Snappy and Hijinx. Visitors to the Family area will also have the chance to visit the Skylanders photo booth, where fans can be photographed as if they’ve been ‘trapped’ in TraptaniumTM, just like the infamous villains in the game.
Ahead of Gamescom, Activision also announced that it is bringing the complete Skylanders Trap Team videogame to tablets at launch, marking the first time a full Skylanders game will be available on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire tablet devicesi day-and-date with the console version. The tablet version of the game delivers the same experience, with console-quality graphicsii and high performance game controls as its console counterpart, delivering yet another significant technological leap to the Skylanders franchise. It is playable with touch controls or a Bluetooth® enabled controller that comes with the tablet Starter Pack.
Skylanders Trap Team will be available on October 10 in Europe, October 5 in North America and October 2 in Australia/New Zealand on the following platforms: a variety of iOS, Android and Kindle Fire tablets; Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and entertainment systems from Microsoft; PlayStation 4 system; PlayStation 3 system; Nintendo's Wii™ system and Nintendo's Wii U™ system. A different, unique adventure also will be available on the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system.
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, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong 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 launch date and expected features of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny and Skylanders Trap Team, 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.
*Based on revenue, including toys and accessories.
i
Available on select tablet devices
ii Graphics quality
may vary due to device limitations
Halo is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft is not the publisher of Destiny. Activision has no affiliation with Halo.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. © 2014 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, the Destiny Logo, Bungie and the Bungie Logo are among the trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Activision.
© 2014 Activision Publishing, Inc., CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY ADVANCED WARFARE, SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM, TRAPTANIUM, TRAPTANIUM PORTAL, TOYS TO LIFE and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
