Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), is gearing up to deliver the innovation of “dynamic swapability” to the top selling Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system¹ this fall with the highly anticipated launch of Skylanders SWAP Force. The $1.5 billion Skylanders® franchise continues to lead the video game industry in overall retail sales worldwide.2
The Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders SWAP Force offers gamers a unique adventure complete with its very own story, levels and special starter pack characters. A truly complementary experience to the console version, Skylanders SWAP Force on Nintendo 3DS will hit retail destinations worldwide with three new characters — Rattle Shake, Volcanic Eruptor, and Free Ranger — which are not found in any other Skylanders Starter Pack. So if fans buy both a console version and the Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders SWAP Force, then they will end up with four SWAP Force Skylanders, giving them 16 different combinations.
“Skylanders fans have been very supportive in expressing what they’d like to experience in the Nintendo 3DS version of SkylandersSWAP Force, and we really took their input to heart,” said Alex Peters, Vice President, Activision Production. “The game plays smoother and crisper than ever before, and with kids’ collections becoming larger and larger, we were able to add more depth and gameplay variety than any other hand-held version of Skylanders.”
The story of Skylanders SWAP Force on Nintendo 3DS begins in Boomtown, home of Skylands’ favorite pilot, Flynn. As the town is celebrating Flynn as their hometown hero, a new villain known as Count Moneybone sneaks his way into Boomtown to kidnap Cali, long-time friend to Flynn and the Skylanders. Now it’s up to Portal Masters everywhere to assemble the Skylanders and SWAP Force to save Cali and defeat the evil Count Moneybone.
Skylanders SWAP Force gives kids an unprecedented level of choice by allowing them to swap the top and bottom halves of the toys to transform 16 SWAP ForceTM characters into more than 250 unique combinations3. Skylanders SWAP Force on Nintendo 3DS is compatible with all of the toys from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure® and Skylanders Giants; additionally, all of the characters’ abilities, levels and customization will carry forward to Skylanders SWAP Force. Like the game’s console version, the level cap for all characters has been raised from 15 to 20, enabling players to continue building the skills and experience of their favorite Skylanders.
Skylanders SWAP Force on Nintendo 3DS, developed by n-Space, will be available on October 13 in North America, October 16 in Australia and October 18 in Europe. The game is rated E10+ by the ESRB. For more information, visit: www.skylanders.com.
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, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, mainland China 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 expected release date of SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, 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.
SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, SWAP FORCE, SKYLANDERS SPYRO’S ADVENTURE, SKYLANDERS GIANTS and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
¹ According to The NPD Group for April, May and June 20132 According to The NPD Group, Gfk Media Control® and Activision internal estimates, including toys and accessory packs through July 2013 3 Requires purchase of all SWAP Force Skylanders
