E3: Activision To Open Studio on Dreamworks Campus

Following on the heels of their multi-year strategic alliance, major game publisher Activision and DreamWorks Animation SKG have announced that Activision will be opening a dedicated studio facility on the DreamWorks campus. The move, which "establishes an unprecedented level of collaboration between a Hollywood studio and a video game company", according to a public statement will facilitate simultaneous co-development between DreamWorks' CG feature films and Activision games based on those films. In November 2005, Activision signed a multi-year agreement with DreamWorks Animation for the exclusive video game rights to all current and future console platforms, PC, and handheld devices for DreamWorks' upcoming feature films -- "Bee Movie," "Kung Fu Panda," "Rex Havoc" and "How to Train Your Dragon." The deal also extended Activision's rights beyond "Shrek the Third" to include potential future films in the "Shrek" franchise. The company's alliance with DreamWorks has resulted in more than $300 million in video game sales worldwide. "This announcement marks an unparalleled step in the convergence between Hollywood and video games," stated Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc. "For the first time, we will be able to align our games' production schedules with the movies' from the pre-production phase onward. This will allow us to fully leverage the movie assets and storylines, in addition to collaborating closely with the talented production teams at DreamWorks to develop storylines that expand the movie experience in new and compelling ways."