London, U.K. – The iconic Pitfall Harry is in peril yet again, 30-years after his namesake Atari 2600 video game cemented ‘jump-and-run’ as a fixture in gaming history. Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, is celebrating the cherished franchise with the launch of a new Pitfall!App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. Inspired by the original 1982 classic, this modern incarnation features thrilling new environments and twists on classic Pitfall! gameplay that will appeal to fans of all generations.

Pitfall! has been in development at Activision’s recently revealed Leeds, UK-based studio The Blast Furnace. This newly formed studio team is led by veteran developer and former head of Rockstar London, Mark Washbrook, and Activision is now announcing the addition of Rockstar Leeds legend Gordon Hall, who will partner with Washbrook to oversee The Blast Furnace. Hall will also join Activision Mobile’s leadership team as Chief Creative Officer, and will focus on bringing AAA interactive experiences to the mobile space.

“The original Pitfall! on the Atari 2600 pioneered the action-platform/runner genre,” said Gordon Hall. “We loved Pitfall! then—along with millions of gamers around the world—and we still love it now. In fact, it was the game that inspired quite a few of us to seek a career in game development. This new incarnation delivers a best-in-class experience of the game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The team has kept the elements that made the original so much fun to play, and merged them with a cool, retro HD art style, updated controls and play mechanics to keep both old-school fans and newcomers happy. We’re really excited to kick off Pitfall!’s 30th birthday by rebooting the franchise for the mobile audience.”

From the moment mobile gamers start playing Pitfall!, they’ll experience an ever-changing landscape with different environments and shifting camera perspectives, vehicles and mine carts, branching paths, and a wide range of hazards to overcome. With the iconic objects from the 2600 classic game – crocodiles, rope swings, gold bars, diamond rings, cobras and more, players will traverse a volcanic island carpeted in sweltering jungle and explore villages long since forgotten by time as they dodge danger in maze-like cave systems.

Every level—crafted from the ground up exclusively for mobile—packs stunning 3D visuals, instinctive controls and engaging action-adventure gameplay. As players progress, they can sweep up loot, buy power-ups and earn experience, enabling them to advance through the leveling system and compete with friends for the best high scores. The excitement doesn’t stop there, as plans call for the game to evolve over time through future content updates.

The new Pitfall! App for mobile is available for purchase today from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/gb/appstore. Additionally, The Blast Furnace is also working on a version of the game for Android devices planned to launch at a later date. Be sure and follow the new Pitfall! mobile game on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pitfallmobilegame

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Mind Candy, the family entertainment brand behind the global children’s phenomenon Moshi Monsters, and Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard have announced the upcoming release of Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park, the second title in the Moshi Monsters video game series.

MoshiMonsters.com is an online world of adoptable pet monsters for kids aged 6-12. Players can customize and nurture their very own Monster as well as play mini-games, solve puzzles, share artwork and communicate in a safe environment. With more than 60 million registered users worldwide, the site has proved to be a hit and has expanded into a physical products line including best-selling toys, books, trading cards, the Moshi Monsters Magazine and a new music album. According to-market research firm, The NPD Group, Moshi Monsters was the No. 1 toy license-in the UK for the month of April.

Activision is a key partner in helping Mind Candy bring the beloved pet monsters to the handheld gaming platform. The debut title, Moshling Zoo, released in 2011, found success around the world and is one of only seven-3rd-Party games to ever top the UK charts, and is the only one to hold the No. 1 spot in Nintendo DS charts for an impressive five months.

“We look forward to working with Activision to build continued success for the Moshi Monsters brand and to bring new gaming experiences for our millions of fans to enjoy,” said Moshi Monsters creator and Mind Candy CEO, Michael Acton Smith.

Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park, developed by Black Lantern Studios, invites players to restore the legendary Moshi theme park to its former glory. Players progressively unlock six zones by successfully building attractions and rescuing the scattered Moshlings (adorable, itty bitty pets for your pet monster). Users of the Nintendo 3DS can also interact with other Nintendo 3DS players via the StreetPass feature and play cool games to bring the Moshlings to life in a whole new dimension. Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park marks the first time fans can interact with beloved characters via 3D technology and introduces players to a brand new, exclusive Moshling that can transfer across platforms to the online world.

“We look forward to bringing Moshi fans a brand-new gaming experience with fun, colorful gameplay; rich story and increased interactivity,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President, Activision.

Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park will connect fans across the online and handheld platforms through exclusive codes and promotions, designed to increase engagement in new and exciting ways. Fans will uncover secret codes online at MoshiMonsters.com, which will unlock special areas and content on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS.

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Santa Monica, U.S.A. – True Believers, get ready for spectacular news – Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P, a subsidiary of Marvel announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man video game in North America.  Fans Can Take on the Rhino Challenge and For the First Time Ever – Play Stan Lee as Himself!

Planned to launch June 26, 2012 the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment’s upcoming feature film.  The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.

The Rhino Challenge

Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain Rhino and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive game play challenge of pure destruction!  As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break!  Unlock able for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 system only.

Play as Stan Lee for the First Time Ever

All the rumors can officially be put to rest – for the first time ever, fans will be able to play Stan…Lee as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man.  Players will take on the role of Stan “The Man” Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan.

Stan’s mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission – after all, it is Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary this year!

Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man video game, which brings Spider-Man’s free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City.

Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game’s innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains.

Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battle star Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) announced recently an exclusive partnership with GameSpot for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) and the D.I.C.E. Summit.

GameSpot will provide live streaming video of the awards ceremony, as well as exclusive online content from the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit sessions that take place throughout the week. The 15th Annual IAAs will take place Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas and will once again be hosted by comedian, actor and gamer Jay Mohr.

This partnership brings together the Interactive Achievement Awards, the industry’s highest form of recognition of the year’s best accomplishments in interactive entertainment, with GameSpot, voted as the most influential video game media site in a 2011 EEDAR poll of console owners. The IAAs are supported by every major video game publisher and developer in the industry.

The renowned annual event, the D.I.C.E. Summit, is dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. The conference features a stellar line-up of speakers both endemic and non-endemic.

This year’s speaker line-up includes Bethesda’s Todd Howard, Activision Publishing’s Eric Hirshberg, Eat Sleep Play’s David Jaffe, Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney, among others.

“The Academy is excited to be bringing the D.I.C.E. Summit sessions, and our Interactive Achievement Awards – the industry’s highest form of recognition – to the GameSpot audience,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. ”GameSpot is part of a dynamic media institution known for its successful programming and longstanding partnerships.

We look forward to working with the GameSpot team on a stellar show and conference and sharing it with their audience and fans.” ”The D.I.C.E. Summit provides a great opportunity for our audience to see the game creators, they love speaking their mind,” said John Davison, VP of Programming, GameSpot.

“Both the awards and the conference sessions provide a unique insight into the creativity and passion that drives the games business. GameSpot viewers will have the best seat in the house as they watch these unfold live.”

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