Today, Activision Blizzard announced the creation of Activision Blizzard Studios, a new division that will focus on television and movies.
On the movie side of things, they announced a “a robust cinematic universe based on the Call of Duty franchise,” which will span multiple films and possibly TV. Expect the first release in either 2018 or 2019.
On TV, Activision Blizzard Studios is creating Skylanders Academy, an animated TV show based on the Skylanders franchise. Expected to debut in the second quarter of 2016, it is being created by Eric Rogers (Futurama) and includes a variety of well-known actors:
- Justin Long as Spyro
- Ashley Tisdale as Stealth Elf
- Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) as Eruptor
- Norm Macdonald (Saturday Night Live) as Glumshanks
- Harland Williams
- Richard Horvitz
Nick van Dyk, Co-President of Activision Blizzard Studios, and former Walt Disney Company senior executive, talked about the new division:
“Activision Blizzard Studios has the unique advantage of starting with a library of world-class intellectual property that includes some of the largest franchises which have not yet been developed in film and television.”
“Activision Blizzard Studios is not just an exciting new business for our company, it is a synergistic complement to our core business. Our movies and shows will benefit from the remarkable IP created in our games and will further increase the awareness of, engagement with, and passion for our franchises.”
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick added, “We intend to approach film and television development with the same unwavering commitment to excellence we are known for in game development.”
Would you go see a Call of Duty movie?
