Activision Blizzard Studios Will Turn Iconic Games into TV and Film Series

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 10 Nov 2015

Activision Blizzard, the company that is best known for making games, wants to make movies as well. It wants to take its extensive library of iconic franchises and turn them into TV shows and movies.

I remind you that Activision Blizzard’s intellectual properties include Call of Duty, Destiny, Skylanders, Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

TV and films from the new Activision Blizzard Studios

The newly launched Activision Blizzard Studios will create original TV shows and film series that are based on the company’s gaming franchises. The studios will be co-headed by Nick van Dyk, a former Disney executive, and another senior creative executive who has yet to be named.

“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.

Skylanders animated series and Call of Duty feature films

The studio’s first production will be Skylanders Academy, an animated series based on the Skylanders game. Justin Long will voice Spyro, Ashley Tisdale will voice Stealth Elf, and Jonathan Banks will voice Glumshanks.

Fun fact: the Skylanders franchise is worth $3 billion; more than 250 million Skylanders toys have been sold since 2011.

Activision Blizzard Studios plans to create a series of feature films based on Call of Duty. It is the company’s near-term initiative to develop “a robust cinematic universe based on the Call of Duty franchise.”

The official Warcarft trailer is here (movie coming next year)



Since we’re talking about Activision Blizzard and movies, I have to bring up the upcoming Warcraft movie. Activision Blizzard tapped Legendary Pictures to create a fantasy adventure movie that’s based on the World of Warcraft game. The movie will be released on June 10, 2016 in the US. The official trailer has recently been released.


Call of Duty: Black Ops III released worldwide



The highly-anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops III has just been released digitally and at global retailers worldwide.

“With Black Ops III, we wanted to create a Call of Duty game like no other, one that brings innovations to every mode in the game, and introduces a few new surprises along the way, all while staying true to the gritty, blockbuster thrill ride for which the franchise is known. And Treyarch has delivered,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing Inc. “This game is so fun, so deep, so varied and has so many kick ass twists and turns, that we couldn’t be prouder of it. And we think our fans are going to love it.”


Pre-purchase the new Overwatch shooter



Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch, a new team-based first-person shooter, will be released in the spring of 2016. If you want to pre-purchase the game, you can do so right now. You should know that if you pre-purchase Overwatch, you will get a special Noire skin for Widowmaker, Overwatch’s ice-cold assassin, at launch.

The action in the game takes place in the near future, on Earth. In this future world, teams of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities clash to control iconic locations. The game features 21 heroes, each with their own unique weapons and abilities.

“We’re building Overwatch to be the first-person shooter we’ve always wanted to play, with a vibrant world, awesome heroes, and an emphasis on tightly focused cooperative gameplay,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re excited to welcome console and PC gamers to the fight for the future, and we can’t wait to see all the incredible things teams are able to accomplish on the battlefield this upcoming spring.”

The suggested retail price for Overwatch: Origins Edition is $59.99. Pre-purchase the game and you will get hero skins for five characters as well as a cache of Overwatch-themed content for several Blizzard Entertainment games.

Alongside the Origins Edition there will be a retail-only Collector’s Edition. The suggested retail price for this one is $129.99. It features everything mentioned above along with a full-color art book, the Overwatch soundtrack, and a high-quality collectible statue of Soldier: 76.



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