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New Animated Series SKYLANDERS ACADEMY Debuts Today on Netflix

By: Oct. 28, 2016
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Activision Blizzard, Inc.'s (ATVI) highly anticipated animated series SKYLANDERS ACADEMY makes its debut today on Netflix. Based on Activision Blizzard's Skylanders video game franchise, Skylanders Academy follows the heroic adventures of Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz as they travel the vast Skylands universe, protecting it from evil-doers. Skylanders Academy is the first project from Activision Blizzard Studios.

"'We are so excited to bring Skylanders to families in a new, fun and exciting way," said Activision Blizzard Studios Co-President Stacey Sher. "High-quality writing, incredibly talented actors and beautiful animation make Skylanders Academy an epic adventure for the whole family."

"With a huge and engaged global fan base, the $3 billion Skylanders franchise was a natural fit for our first project," said studio Co-President Nick van Dyk. "Partnering with Netflix means huge new audiences can meet the Skylanders, while giving millions of fans worldwide even more of the characters they love."

In Skylanders Academy, as darkness begins to threaten peace in the Skylands, Master Eon is forced to assemble a ragtag group of heroes to protect the universe from evil-doers Kaos and the Doom Raiders. Using their unique blend of personalities and super powers, Spyro and his fellow Skylanders are called upon to set aside egos as they come together to maintain harmony and balance in the land.

Created by Toys For Bob, the Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011. Earlier this month Activision revealed the Skylanders Imaginators video game, which gives kids the power to create their very own Skylanders and bring them to life for the first time.

Season 1 of Skylanders Academy runs for 13 episodes and Season 2 will debut on Netflix in late 2017. Led by showrunner Eric Rogers (Futurama), the series features the voices of Justin Long (DodgeBall) as Spyro; Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) as Stealth Elf; Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) as Eruptor; and Norm Macdonald (Saturday Night Live) as Glumshanks. Additional voice talent includes Susan Sarandon, Daniel Wu, Bobcat Goldthwait, The Diamond Minecart, Parker Posey, James Hetfield, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Diamantopoulos and Harland Williams, among others. The series features the exclusive song "Harmony" (The Skylanders Academy Theme) produced and performed by GRAMMY Award winner Timbaland, featuring Dalton Diehl. Skylanders Academy is the first Netflix original series to be inspired by a video game franchise.

Sher and van Dyk are joined by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and Sander Schwartz, the Emmy award-winning producer of animated hits including "The Batman" and "The Aquabats! Super Show!" as the show's executive producers. Skylanders Academy is animated by the internationally acclaimed TeamTO studio in France.

Activision Blizzard Studios launched last year to create original content based on the company's extensive library of iconic and globally-recognized intellectual properties, which includes some of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world.

Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the world's most successful standalone interactive entertainment company. We delight nearly 500 million monthly active users around the world through franchises including Activision's Call of Duty, Destiny and Skylanders, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and Overwatch, and King's Candy Crush, Pet Rescue and Farm Heroes. The company is one of the Fortune "100 Best Companies To Work For." Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196 countries. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Blizzard and Activision Blizzard Studios' expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release date of Skylanders Academy, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Blizzard and Activision Blizzard Studios' 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 Blizzard and Activision Blizzard Studios as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Blizzard nor Activision Blizzard Studios 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 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.



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