Activision Blizzard Studios
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture production |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Beverly Hills, California , United States |
Key people | Stacey Sher (co-president), Nick van Dyk (co-president) |
| Parent | Activision Blizzard |
Activision Blizzard Studios, LLC was a motion picture production firm based in Beverly Hills, California, operating as a subsidiary of the prominent video game corporation Activision Blizzard. Established in 2015, its mission was to transform the parent company's well-known gaming franchises into film and television content. The studio was jointly managed by producer Stacey Sher alongside former The Walt Disney Company executive Nick van Dyk.
By 2021, both co-presidents had exited the company, and with no new projects since 2018, the studio seems to have halted its activities.
History
The creation of Activision Blizzard Studios was revealed during an investor event on November 6, 2015, following the release of the Warcraft feature film. The studio’s objective was to develop original television series and movies inspired by its video game catalog. In January 2016, Sher and van Dyk were appointed as co-presidents.
In 2016, the studio collaborated with Netflix to exclusively distribute Skylanders Academy, an animated show based on the Skylanders gaming franchise. That same year, it granted Legendary Pictures the rights to produce sequels to the Warcraft film, which is rooted in World of Warcraft.
By April 2017, screenplay development for a Call of Duty movie was in progress with ambitions to commence filming in 2018. Additional plans included adaptations of Overwatch and other titles. Nonetheless, by 2020, director Stefano Sollima indicated that the Call of Duty project was "in limbo" and no longer a strategic focus for Activision.
Since 2018, no new productions have emerged from the studio, and it no longer appears on the corporate website. The exit of Sher and van Dyk further implies that the studio is no longer operational.
Film
| Year | Title | Co-production with | Distributed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Untitled Call of Duty film series | TBA | TBA |
Television
| Year | Title | Co-production with | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 | Skylanders Academy | TeamTO | Netflix |
Cancelled
| Year | Title | Co-production with | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Untitled Crash Bandicoot animated series | Amazon Studios | Amazon Prime Video |