Rovio Entertainment And Activision Publishing, Inc. Unleash Angry Birds™ Star Wars® For Home And Handheld Gaming Systems

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rovio Entertainment Ltd. and Lucasfilm Ltd., in association with Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), today launched Angry Birds™ Star Wars® for home and hand-held video game systems. Based on Rovio's wildly popular, action-strategy mobile game, Angry Birds Star Wars brings the interstellar struggle between the ragtag Rebel Birds and dastardly Imperial Pigs to new audiences on the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, Nintendo's Wii™ and Wii U™ systems and the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system. Angry Birds Star Wars is also planned to launch on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Sony's PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, when these new next-gen consoles arrive in November.

"Angry Birds Star Wars brings together fans from multiple generations and across two widely loved fictional worlds," noted Jami Laes, Executive Vice President of Games at Rovio Entertainment. "The success of Angry Birds Star Wars is a testament to the versatility of these iconic franchises. As a company we want to be where-ever the fans are, so we are thrilled to be partnering with Activision to bring this one-of-a-kind experience to console and handheld gaming fans."

Angry Birds Star Wars marries the fantastic spirit, legendary characters and classic imagery of Star Wars™ with the accessibly engaging design and energetic gameplay of Angry Birds™, thrusting players into a captivating, lighthearted adventure saga, featuring inventive challenges, tantalizing Force powers and a wealth of familiar faces and places. Twenty exclusive, newly created levels join the over 200 stages already available from the original mobile release of Angry Birds Star Wars. This latest version brings the flock to the fight with the introduction of cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes, letting players team up or square off for high scores and galactic bragging rights. Moreover, this expansive edition exploits the unique capabilities of each game system to deliver a distinctive experience tailored specifically to each platform, including sharp and colorful, high-definition visuals (on HD-compatible devices), achievements and trophies, leaderboards, voice command support through Kinect for Xbox 360, and touch-screen controls on Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation®Vita system.

The next-generation versions of Angry Birds Star Wars maintain these core features while introducing new play and interface elements exclusive to each system. The PlayStation®4 system's adaptation makes full use of the DualShock 4 controller's touchpad to offer precision, touch-screen handling, paired with full support for PlayStation®Move in both single-player and local multiplayer modes. Players can also easily record and share their accomplishments with the world with the PlayStation®4 system's automatic screenshot and video capture options. Angry Birds Star Wars on Xbox One also allows for automatic video capture and online sharing, while adding all the benefits of the system's improved Kinect for Xbox One functionality, affording intuitive gesture and motion controls, as well as voice command support. The Xbox One iteration of Angry Birds Star Wars also includes unique, timed challenges that deliver fresh trials for players well after the game's launch.

Angry Birds Star Wars is available now for a suggested retail price of $49.99 for Wii U, $39.99 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system, PlayStation®Vita system and Wii, and $29.99 for Nintendo 3DS. The PlayStation®4 system and Xbox One versions will be available for each console's respective launch in November, both priced at $49.99. The game is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit starwarsgame.angrybirds.com.

About Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is a global industry-changing entertainment media company headquartered in Finland, and the creator of the globally successful Angry Birds™ characters franchise. Angry Birds, a casual puzzle game, became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly into multifaceted entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand. Rovio's animated Angry Birds feature film is slated for July 1, 2016. www.rovio.com  

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production.  In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

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, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, 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 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.

© 2013 Activision Publishing, Inc. Angry Birds is a trademark of Rovio Entertainment Ltd. Copyright 2009-2013 Rovio Entertainment Ltd. LucasArts, the LucasArts logo and STAR WARS are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2013 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. and ® or ™ as indicated. All Rights Reserved. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo.   All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

For Information, Contact:
Amanda Young
Sandbox Strategies
212.213.2451
[email protected]

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.