SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS ON STORE SHELVES NOW

SKYLANDERS® IMAGINATORS ON STORE SHELVES NOW -- KIDS CAN CREATE THEIR OWN SKYLANDERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AWARD-WINNING TOYS-TO-LIFE VIDEOGAME

Fans to Receive a Free, Fully-Playable Kaos Toy with Purchase of
Skylanders Imaginators Starter Packs

Skylanders Creator App Extends the Magic

of Creating Skylanders Beyond the Living Room!

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Oct. 17, 2016 –  Ready, Set, Create! Skylanders® Imaginators is now available at major retailers worldwide from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI). For the first time, Portal Masters can create their own Skylanders, designing the wildest characters imaginable including customizing appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more. Fans will also enjoy Crash Bandicoot and Dr. Neo Cortex as guest star Skylanders, as well as a new mobile app Skylanders™ Creator and the upcoming Netflix original series, Skylanders™ Academy.


“From the day we created Skylanders, we have received thousands of letters from kids all over the world sharing ideas for their ideal Skylander. The creativity and imagination that this game inspires in kids is overwhelming,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “And Skylanders Imaginators was designed to harness all of that creativity. It's the game we've always wanted to make, and the game kids have always wanted to play.”


Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators empowers players to unleash their imaginations and bring their creations to life in an all-new adventure with puzzles, battles, a compelling storyline and new lineup of heroes and villains.  As part of the Creation Celebration, fans who purchase a Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack at participating retailers nationwide will receive a fully-playable Kaos toy for free.  Offer valid until October 22 or while supplies last.

“This year, we’re letting fans create the magic of Skylanders by giving them the power to express their imaginations in ways never before possible,” said Josh Taub, senior vice president, Skylanders at Activision Publishing. “Skylanders encompasses an award-winning videogame franchise, top toy property and now a new television series, Skylanders Academy from Netflix and Activision Blizzard Studios. We’re proud that we’ve created a beloved franchise that has touched fans’ lives worldwide in so many ways.”


The launch of Skylanders Imaginators also ushers in the release of a fun, new mobile app for the game, Skylanders Creator, that lets fans take their creations on the go!  Featuring similar creation tools available in the Skylanders Imaginators console game, players can create Imaginators from scratch or magically transfer their created characters from the console game to the app using special audio technology. The app helps fans to express their creativity and love for Skylanders. Players can simply download Skylanders Creator for free via their favoite app stores and start creating their Skylanders on select iPad, iPhone and Android mobile devices.

For the first time in toys-to-life history, fans can immortalize their Skylanders Imaginator creations in physical forms using Skylanders Creator. Some fans can choose to have their creations transformed into 3D printed Imaginator figures (limited quantities, while supplies last). Additionally, they can create Imaginator Cards emblazoned with full color images of their created Skylanders that are fully-playable in the Skylanders Imaginators console game. Fans also can create customized Skylanders Imaginator T-shirts featuring images of their very own creations. Availability of these items varies by territory, and not all features are available at game launch. 

Portal Masters are encouraged to get into the creation spirit by participating in the
Skylanders Imaginators #CreatorContest. Starting October 24, fans who share their Skylanders Imaginators creations on social media using the dedicated hashtag have a chance to win a 3D printed Skylander Imaginator.

Skylanders Imaginators is sure to be at the top of kids’ wish lists this season. Earlier this year, Skylanders Imaginators won the prestigious “Best Family Game” from the two top videogame tradeshows in the world: Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and Gamescom. The game also has been named to the Toys“R”Us 2016 Hot Holiday Toy List and the Toy Insider’s Hot 20 Holiday Toys List; as well as highlighted as one of Parents magazine’s “2016 Best Toys.”

“The new innovation in Skylanders Imaginators provides kids with so many opportunities to let their creativity shine,” said Richard Barry, executive vice president, global chief merchandising officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc.  “This is certainly an exciting time to be a Skylanders fan, and we’re happy to be a premier retail destination for Portal Masters this holiday season.”

The new toys-to-life game offers fans more creative choices than ever before, including a variety of music tracks that players can use to customize their Imaginators. Song selection includes “A State of Trance” music from famous DJ Armin van Buuren. Imaginator music styles provide players with a fun way to express their characters’ personalities - each style morphing to match the players’ gameplay experience.

“From the moment I got my hands on Skylanders Imaginators, there was an instant connection with the game. Not only because it’s a lot of fun, but because I truly enjoyed watching my creativity come to life through my character,” said Armin van Buuren.  “I’m pleased that my music can be chosen as a theme for players’ favorite Skylanders – and I can’t wait to play the game at home.”

The story of Skylanders Imaginators takes place long ago when the Ancients used a mysterious power known as “Mind Magic” to create everything in Skylands. With it, they conjured into existence anything that they could imagine!  However, they soon learned that in the wrong hands, it could be very dangerous, and so they sealed it away so that it could never be misused.  After discovering this ancient secret, Kaos has unleashed the power of “Mind Magic” into Skylands once again – and he is using it to create an unstoppable army of Doomlanders, the likes of which have never been seen! Now it’s up to Portal Masters to create Skylanders Imaginators from their own imagination and stop Kaos and his evil Doomlanders before it is too late.  And to help train them, Eon is sending the greatest mystic warriors of all time – the Senseis!

Skylanders Imaginators also introduces two new guest star characters -- Crash Bandicoot and his arch-nemesis Dr. Neo Cortex. They join the lineup of Skylanders Sensei characters as fully-playable toys. The game also gives Crash fans a dedicated level, Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands, that pays homage to be beloved ‘90s video game icon.

Adding to the fun, Skylanders Academy, the new animated comedy-adventure show inspired by the award-winning Skylanders franchise, will debut on Netflix on October 28.  Jam-packed with humor and heart, Skylanders Academy promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with epic action for kids of all ages. This Netflix original series Season 1 will debut 13 episodes in 190 countries, with a second season planned for late 2017. 


The Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack will be available for the suggested retail price of $74.99 on Xbox 360™ and Xbox One™ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo’s Wii U™ system.  Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders from previous games. For more information, visit Skylanders.com.







About the Skylanders® Franchise The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders® franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys1 since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro’s Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore® characters to the collection of interaction figures. Skylanders® SWAP Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern – swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids’ console game globally1. Skylanders® SuperChargers launched in 2015 and expanded upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life for the first time.

About Activision Publishing Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.