eSports WRC CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

WRC 5 will be the first WRC official videogame with simultaneous eSports competition.

New season, new challenges, WRC 5 is scheduled for October 2015 and will be available

for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation®4, Playstation®3, PlayStation® Vita and PC. 

Video game publisher and distributor Bigben Interactive, WRC Promoter, Kylotonn Games and the world’s largest esports company, ESL, are proud to announce the 2016 eSports WRC Championship, a global tournament using WRC 5, the official 2015 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) game.

For the first time, an official esports championship will run online in parallel with each WRC round throughout the 2016 season.

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is one of the most challenging motorsport adventures, which pits drivers and production-based cars against some of the toughest and most varied conditions on the planet. WRC 5 naturally becomes the perfect link between drivers and players, between real rallies and virtual driving, encapsulating the excitement generated by these two different worlds.

The eSports WRC Championship will begin alongside the 2016 WRC season in January and more details about the competition will be announced in the coming weeks.

“A great online experience is one of the most requested features expected by WRC fans. We spent a lot of time thinking about something new and really exciting for them” says Alain Jarniou, Game Director of WRC 5. “Esports is growing really fast year after year, but there are only a few motorsport games which propose an exciting online competition. We really think that WRC esports will be the best challenge ever seen for a motorsport game and for rally fans.” concludes Alain Jarniou.

“We’re very excited at ESL to integrate such an exciting motorsport game into our esports ecosystem,” said Samy Ouerfelli, Managing Director of ESL France. “The official eSports WRC Championship is sure to be filled with the best of motorsport esports, as fans around the world rally behind not just the online competition, but also its real life counterpart.”

The best esports drivers will battle online on Twitch until an epic live battle during during the final round of the 2016 WRC season.

“New technology has brought an extra dimension to the way in which people can engage with WRC. We’re proud of the ground-breaking digital initiatives we’ve introduced to allow fans to follow WRC when, where and how they choose. Our partnership with Bigben Interactive for the 2016 eSports WRC Championship is the latest example of this, and we look forward to revealing more details to our gaming fans in the coming weeks,” said WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla. 

eSports, or electronic sports, are organised multi-player video game tournaments. The gaming community has become increasingly animated by massive eSports competitions in recent years. The interest around this new generation of gaming is so huge that a study in May 2015 reported that a global audience of 135 million people watch eSports*.

WRC 5 is released on 9 / 16 October (depending on region) and will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation®4, Playstation®3, PlayStation® Vita and PC.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

WRC 5

Formats:  PC, PS3, PS4, PSV, X360, XO Out:  Autumn 2015 Publisher:  Bigben

U2 Songs To Make Video Game Debut In Rock Band 4!

“Cedarwood Road” and “I Will Follow” playable in the upcoming award-winning music game

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. (“Harmonix”) and Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT/ TSX: MCZ) today announced that U2 tracks “Cedarwood Road” from the band’s current albumSongs of Innocence and “I Will Follow” from their classic debut Boy will be featured in Rock Band™ 4.This is the first time music from the 22-time GRAMMY® award-winning band will be featured in a rhythm action music game.

“Cedarwood Road” and “I Will Follow” are only the beginning for U2 and Rock Band; fans can expect additional U2 tracks to be added to the in-game Music Store for download after launch.
    
U2 has released 13 studio albums that have sold more than 170 million records worldwide and has staged several of the biggest tours of all time, including the current iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour. Kicking off in May 2015 in Vancouver, iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE has seen “U2 reinvent the arena show” (Rolling Stone), and the tour recently began its European run after playing to more than 650,000 fans across North America, including an eight-night run at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

“Cedarwood Road” and “I Will Follow” join an already impressive soundtrack line-up including music by Aerosmith, Avenged Sevenfold, The Black Keys, Elvis Presley, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars, St. Vincent, Queens of the Stone Age, Van Halen, The Who, and more! The complete soundtrack for Rock Band 4 can be found here. Additionally, Rock Band 4 will be compatible with more than 1500 tracks available for download on the Rock BandMusic Store, with more on the way!

Winner of multiple awards and nominations at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), including “Best Music Game” from IGN and Game Informer, Rock Band 4 delivers the ecstatic rush of a live full-band game experience like never before. Rock Band 4 builds on the core gameplay people love, with brand new features, including game-changing Freestyle Guitar Solo gameplay that allows players to craft their own face-melting and truly original guitar solos.

Rock Band 4, the next generation of the award-winning social and interactive music gaming platform launches globally on October 6, 2015 for Xbox One and the PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system.

Players can ensure they’re ready to rock on launch day by pre-ordering game and hardware controller bundles through their favorite video game retailer; details can be found at http://www.rockband.com .

For more information on Rock Band 4 and to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements, head over to http://www.harmonixmusic.com andhttp://www.madcatz.com , and follow @RockBand and @MadCatz on Twitter for updates.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Rock Band 4

Formats:  PS4, XO Out:  6/10/2015 Publisher:  Mad Catz Developer:  Harmonix

           

                       World Premiere of Halo 5: Guardians Launch Television Commercial

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Halo 5: Guardians

Format:  XO Out:  27/10/2015 Publisher:  Microsoft Developer:  343 Industries

SKYLANDERS™ SUPERCHARGERS: Attack the track with Enea Bastianini

Skylanders are excited to announce that they have teamed up with Moto3 star Enea Bastianini in a collaboration with  SuperCharger Lava Lance Eruptor to share some tips and tricks for budding SuperCharged racers.

Skylanders™, the #1 kids’ console videogame franchise, ‘SuperCharged’ Gresini Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini to take the win at the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP in Italy, his first career victory in the Moto3 World Championship. Enea will take to the track again this weekend in his Skylanders SuperChargers-branded race suit at the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain.

The exclusive partnership sees Skylanders support the talent of a young promise on the European motorbike scene, who in 2012 won the Honda NSF250R Trophy, debuted in the MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2013 and in 2014 made his debut on the motorbike worldwide stage, stepping up on the podium in Barcelona and conquering the title of “Rookie of the Year” at the end of the season.

Skylanders SuperChargers is available now!

 

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Skylanders SuperChargers

Formats:  3DS, iOS, PS3, PS4, WiiU, X360, XO Out:  20/9/2015 Publisher:  Activision

Crawford Starrick, the head of the Templar order, and his seven henchmen, control the London of 1868 with an iron fist. Discover more about Starrick’s ruthless organisation and the mission that lies ahead of the Frye twins in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s story trailer:

For more information about Assassin’s Creed, please visit the UbiBlog, follow us on our UK Twitter account, like our UK Facebook page and subscribe to our UK Youtube account.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Formats:  PS4, XO, PC Out:  23/10/2015 (PS4 XO)   Autumn 2015 (PC) Publisher:  Ubisoft

ACTIVISION’S CALL OF DUTY® WORLD LEAGUE

MARKS NEW ERA FOR ESPORTS

New Global eSports League Triples its Prize Pool to $3 million,

Expands Competitive Opportunities for Pros and Amateurs Alike 

Call of Duty Championship Moved to Autumn 2016 in Support of 

All-New Seasonal Structure

The Arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops III Will Mark the

Deepest eSports In-Game Integration in Franchise History 

With the upcoming release of Call of Duty®: Black Ops III, the sequel to the best-selling series in Call of Duty® history, eSports is poised to expand to new audiences, while introducing new ways for fans of all skill levels to join the eSports movement. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Call of Duty announced today the creation of the Call of Duty® World League, a worldwide eSports league by Activision in support of the #1 console eSports franchise, Call of Duty.  The new league marks an unprecedented commitment by Call of Duty and its dedicated eSports team to directly support the growing community of eSports fans. The program will provide a deeper level of engagement with the elite circuit of professional gamers, while also encouraging casual fans and aspiring competitors of Call of Duty to enjoy the thrill of competition across different skill levels.

“Call of Duty has always been about community, camaraderie and competition, which drives incredible engagement with the game all year long.  eSports allows us to deliver these moments to our fans whether they are playing the game themselves or cheering on those who are,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc.  “Three years ago, we held the first Call of Duty Championship to showcase the dedication and skill of Call of Duty players around the world. Since then, eSports has become a global phenomenon with more than 120 million people watching online competitive gaming each year and Call of Duty continues to lead as the top console eSports franchise in the world.”

Call of Duty World League

The Call of Duty World League will be comprised of two Divisions – The Pro Division and The Challenge Division – each of which will feed into the grand finale of the competitive Call of Duty season and the biggest event in console eSports, the Call of Duty Championship. Professional Call of Duty teams in North America, Europe and Australia & New Zealand will battle throughout the year in regional competition during The Pro Division regular season to earn their ticket to the Call of Duty Championship and will compete for the largest seasonal cash prizes in Call of Duty to date.  The Call of Duty World League Pro Division kicks off competition in January 2016 in North America, Europe and Australia & New Zealand.

The Challenge Division will provide a path for amateur and other aspiring pro players to compete with each other and enhance their competitive skills as well.  The winning teams in The Challenge Division will also earn a spot in the Call of Duty Championship by competing in a series of official LAN events.

“Treyarch’s passion for competitive gaming precedes Call of Duty: Black Ops II, a heritage that inspired us to introduce dedicated eSports features into the franchise and one that compelled us to push the boundaries of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s offerings beyond anything we’ve delivered before,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head. “While our global fan base of players range from casual to professional, they all share a desire to compete – some at the highest levels. With Call of Duty: Black Ops III, we are introducing a series of new features, like Arena mode that not only accommodate that diversity of play styles, but also let players see how they stack up against one another. Treyarch is giving the community of Call of Duty players new ways to compete and enjoy the thrill of competition.”

Call of Duty Championship

For the first time in its history, the Call of Duty Championship will move from spring to autumn, taking place in autumn 2016 to give players an extended amount of time to hone their competitive skills in Call of Duty: Black Ops IIIthrough competing in the Call of Duty World League regular season.

With the Pro and Challenge Divisions of the Call of Duty World League there is an unmatched level of series and tournament combined prizing available. There’s more than $3 million on the line between series payouts, LAN events and the Call of Duty Championship, making it the biggest total prize pool for Call of Duty eSports and more than triple the previous prizing.

Activision has formed a team dedicated to launching and coordinating the Call of Duty World League, which will start with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.  Further details including broadcast, personnel and partnerships will be released at a later date.  For more information on the Call of Duty World League, announcements about the Call of Duty Championship 2016 and other Call of Duty eSports news go to https://www.callofduty.com/esports.  Fans can also follow @eSportsCOD on Twitter.

More information on Call of Duty: Black Ops III can be found at http://www.callofduty.com/blackops3,   on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/Callofduty or on Twitter @Treyarch.

PORTAL MASTERS GET READY TO GO FULL THROTTLE WITH
SKYLANDERS™ SUPERCHARGERS THIS FRIDAY!

# 1 Kids Console Game in the World[1] Brings Vehicles-To-Life,

A New Toys-To-Life Category

Skylanders SuperChargers Drives Franchise’s Innovation Even Further with Number of Firsts, Including Online Multiplayer and Racing Gameplay

Donkey Kong and Bowser Join the Incredible Cast of Skylanders Characters
as Guest Stars for the First Time, Available Exclusively for Nintendo Platforms

Skylanders™ fans with a need for speed should look no further -- Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is bringing vehicles to life on 25^th September withSkylanders SuperChargers.  Available at major European retailers, Skylanders SuperChargers takes kids on a wild ride as they drive mountainous terrains, dive the deep sea environments and fly big blue skies of Skylands like never before with amazingly detailed vehicles, many of which feature moving parts that will play in the real world and come to life in the game via the Portal of Power™. Packing some major star power, the game includes two of Nintendo’s iconic characters reimagined as Skylanders – Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser -- available exclusively in Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs for the Wii U system, and in Skylanders™ SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for the Wii system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

“Remember when you were a kid and pretended that your toy cars came to life, zooming around your living room on the most epic racetracks of your imagination?” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Well, we are about to bring that fantasy one step closer to life with Skylanders SuperChargers. We are reimagining toys-to-life by bringing race cars to life, along with helicopters, motorcycles, jet planes and submarines, as you race through Skylands and compete against other players for the first time. Our fans are going to love playing this game. I know I do.”

Developed by Vicarious Visions, Skylanders SuperChargers expands upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life -- an entirely new way for fans to experience the magic of Skylands. The trailblazing innovation of Skylanders SuperChargers is realized when players take the helm of powerful, tricked-out land, sea and sky vehicles that are playable in both physical and digital worlds in a high octane action-adventure videogame. Skylanders SuperChargers offers a rich story-driven gameplay experience filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities and platforming, set within a variety of all-new compelling environments. The game features a brand-new class of heroes that is distinct with fresh moves, powerful attacks and all-new weapons.  SuperChargers also have special in-game abilities that help Portal Masters fight Kaos.  Twenty new SuperChargers character toys and 20 new vehicle toys will be available.  Right out of the box, the game also features an all-new Racing Mode that blends high-octane, supercharged racing with combat, accentuated by power-ups, boosts, hazards and more.

Players can also purchase Racing Action Packs that unlock additional content. A total of three Racing Action Packs, one for each terrain, will be available and include three special toys - a SuperCharger, Vehicle and villain trophy which unlocks two exclusive racing tracks for the game. The first of the three packs, the Skylanders SuperChargers Sea Racing Action Pack, will be available day and date with the game, on 25^th September.

To celebrate the launch of Skylanders SuperChargers and the addition of racing to the franchise, Skylanders became the official partner of racing champion, Max Chilton, for the season finale of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. Chilton, a 24-year-old former Formula 1 driver and fan of the Skylanders franchise, race blazed the tracks of Laguna Seca in a Skylanders-themed car on 12^th - 13^th September. “SuperCharged” Chilton shattered Tony Kaanan's 1997 track record in the qualifying race, broke the race lap record set by Helio Castroneves in 1996 and ended the season on the Indy Lights podium for Carlin. Skylanders also “SuperCharged” Enea Bastianini who won his first Moto 3 race at the San Marino GP in Italy. This was his first career victory in the Motorcycle World Championship. He takes to the tracks again in his Skylanders SuperCharger-branded suit at the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on 25^th -27^th September.

Skylanders SuperChargers is hitting store shelves just in time for the festive frenzy.  Toys“R”Us predicts the game will be one of their fast-selling family games this Christmas and recently placed Skylanders SuperChargers on the company’s 2015 Holiday Hot Toy List.

“The Skylanders brand continues to capture our customers’ attention every year by delivering its promise to redefine play by merging the physical and digital worlds, which is why the newest addition to the franchise has been named to our annual Toys“R”Us Holiday Hot Toy List,” said Richard Barry, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc. “We are excited to support the launch of Skylanders SuperChargers and fully expect to be the global destination for fans to experience this truly innovative adventure in gameplay.” 

Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack will include two new Skylanders characters, a first-of-its-kind Skylanders vehicle, a newly designed Portal of Power™ and the full AAA game. Skylanders SuperChargers will be available for the PlayStation^® 3 and PlayStation^® 4 computer entertainment systems, Xbox 360^™ and Xbox One^™ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, and Nintendo’s Wii U^™ system.

Skylanders SuperChargers Dark Edition Starter Packs also will be available in Europe on 25^th September. All Dark Edition Starter Packs will include Dark Spitfire, Dark Hot Streak and the highly sought after Kaos Trophy which is the only way to unlock special gameplay content, plus a two-sided ultimate collector poster. The Dark versions of the Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and his vehicle, Barrel Blaster, will be available in the Wii U Dark Edition Starter Pack; Dark Hammer Slam Bowser and his vehicle, Dark Clown Cruiser, will be available in the Wii Dark Edition Starter Pack.

Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, a complementary racing experience, will be available on 25^th September for Nintendo’s Wii™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system. The addition of Donkey Kong and Bowser as guest stars in the new game, along with their specially created vehicles, will be available exclusively in Skylanders SuperChargers and Skylanders SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for the Nintendo platforms. The SuperCharged characters not only work in Skylanders SuperChargers, but will also work with select amiibo-compatible Nintendo games with a simple twist of the character’s base.

Fans of the Skylanders franchise can also choose to purchase the Digital Portal Owner’s Pack, available on 25^th September for connected consoles, and use the Portal of Power they already own to play Skylanders SuperChargers. The download of the Digital Portal Owner’s Pack provides a great way for returning players to enjoy Skylanders SuperChargers on the platform of their choice. On 25^th October, the full Skylanders SuperChargers game will also be available on select iOS devices including iPad®, and for the first time ever iPhone® and iPod touch®.  Skylanders SuperChargers will also be available on Apple TV® this autumn.

Skylanders SuperChargers is forward compatible with all 300+ unique toys from all previous games – Skylanders™ SWAP Force^™, Skylanders™ Giants, Skylanders™ Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders™ Trap Team. The game will be available nationwide on 25^thSeptember.

For more information please visit https://www.skylanders.com/ or follow us on Instagram @SkylanderstheGame, Twitter @SkylandersGame and Facebook.com/SkylandersGame. 

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Skylanders SuperChargers

Formats:  3DS, iOS, PS3, PS4, WiiU, X360, XO Out:  20/9/2015 Publisher:  Activision

Alison Brie Returns as Unikitty in LEGO® Dimensions™
Don’t Make Her Angry!

 
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed a new trailer featuring actress Alison Brie reprising her role as Unikitty from The LEGO® Movie™ in LEGO®Dimensions™, the all-new entertainment experience that merges physical LEGO brick building with immersive, interactive console gameplay.  In the trailer, Alison gets pulled through the LEGO Gateway and into the digital game as Unikitty, the half unicorn, half anime kitten from Cloud Cuckoo Land, to battle alongside Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle in their quest to stop Lord Vortech and save the LEGO Multiverse.

The LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack includes a complete, mission-based The LEGOMovie level, plus The LEGO Movie Adventure World, an additional open-world environment, which can be unlocked with the Wyldstyle minifigure that comes with the game.

"I'm UniKitty" trailer for LEGO Dimensions, 

For fans of The LEGO Movie that want to customise their LEGO Dimensionsexperience, there will be a Unikitty Fun Pack with LEGO Unikitty minifigure and Cloud Cuckoo Car, an Emmet Fun Pack with a LEGO Emmet minifigure and Excavator, a Bad Cop Fun Pack with a LEGO Bad Cop minifigure and Police Car, and a Benny Fun Pack with a LEGO Benny minifigure and Spaceship. These highly collectible Fun Packs will provide new buildable characters and vehicles, as well as special in-game abilities. Every vehicle and gadget can be physically built and then rebuilt twice for a total of three different objects that do entirely different things in the digital game for massive variety.

 Launching 29th September, LEGO Dimensions will be available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo´s Wii U™ System.

Follow LEGO Dimensions at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LEGODimensions
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LEGODimensions (@LEGODimensions)
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/LEGODimensions (@LEGODimensions)
Tumblr: http://LEGODimensions.tumblr.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/LEGODimensions