动视暴雪买下了美国最大的电子竞技联盟 etc.
2016-01-05 07:46:59 来源: 好奇心日报(北京)
MLG（Major League Gaming）& ESL（Electronic Sports League）
根据国外媒体 Esports Observer 的报道，在去年的最后一天，世界最大的第三方游戏发行商动视暴雪，花费 4600 万美元买下了美国最大的电子竞技联盟，MLG。
MLG（Major League Gaming）是北美地区成立最早也是最有名的电子竞技联盟之一，是最早开始将游戏主机项目列入比赛的联盟，靠着美国国民射击游戏《光环 2》，从 2002 年建立起迅速建立起知名度，并在 2013 年建立起来的北美最大的电子竞技专用视频播放平台 MLG.tv。目前旗下游戏赛事除了《光环》，还有《CS：Global Offensive》、《星际争霸 2》、《英雄联盟》等。
比起收购《糖果粉碎传奇》开发商 King Entertainment 时候花的 59 亿美元，4600 万美元简直不值得一提，而带来的好处是明显的：新成立的动视暴雪电子竞技分部将直接接管 MLG 近 14 年以来的赛事资源，和 MLG.tv 这个视频平台。随着《英雄联盟》、Dota2 等一系列游戏在电子竞技赛事中的分量越来越重，这些游戏的拥有公司希望更加直接参与到这个行业的运作中：控制比赛。Valve 为自己搭建的 Dota2 一系列赛事和各种破纪录的奖金池告诉了所有公司，将比赛握在自己手里可以带来多大的好处。
有了 MLG 之后，暴雪在未来推行《使命召唤》、《星际争霸 2》、《风暴英雄》以及即将上线的《守望先锋》电子竞技赛事的时候，无疑会方便。相对来说，MLG 本身的非动视暴雪的项目很可能就会遭到冷落。
动视暴雪也有权力要求这些。本身，MLG 的重要组成部分《使命召唤》世界联盟职业联赛，就和动视有关；同时，《星际争霸 2》则是暴雪旗下游戏。不过在去年 10 月，《使命召唤》世界联盟职业联赛的主办权被 MLG 的对手 ESL（Electronic Sports League）夺去。整个联盟的运行状况也不甚乐观，去年，MLG 预计他们将会出现 600 万美元的赤字。当动视暴雪成立电子竞技分部的时候，MLG 的另一个创始人 Mike Sepso，也被挖去作为分部的副总裁。
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动视暴雪完成对《糖果粉碎传奇》开发商收购 2016年02月24日15:22
动视暴雪今日完成了斥资59亿美元收购《糖果粉碎传奇》游戏开发商King Digital Network的交易案。合并后的公司将拥有超过5亿个用户，涵盖范围包括游戏机、PC电脑在线游戏如《使命召唤》和《魔兽世界》（World of Warcraft）和移动游戏如《糖果粉碎传奇》。
在合并后，动视暴雪在今年预计会实现62.5亿美元的营收和20亿美元的运营收入。每股收益估计会达到1.75美元。动视暴雪收购King公司的最终价格将会达到每股18美元。此次收购案将会使动视暴雪成为美国最大的游戏公司，这将会给各大主流平台上的诸多竞争对手制造很大的压力。
现在我们在全球范围内拥有5亿多个用户，他们遍布于几乎每个国家。这使得我们成为了全世界最大的游戏网络。我们现在拥有绝佳的机会，让我们的用户在移动设备、游戏机和个人电脑上尽情体验他们最爱的游戏，例如《使命召唤》和《魔兽世界》等。”动视暴雪CEO鲍比•科迪克（Bobby Kotick）在一项声明中说，“我很高兴代表动视暴雪欢迎里King公司的CEO卡多•扎可尼（Riccardo Zacconi）、联合创始人兼首席创意官塞巴斯蒂安•克努特松（Sebastian Knutsson）和首席运营官史蒂芬•库根（Stephane Kurgan）以及该公司的所有才华横溢的员工来到我们这个大家庭。”
在合并后，动视暴雪旗下将有超过1000款游戏，包括《使命召唤》、《魔兽世界》、《小龙斯派罗的大冒险》（Skylanders）、《命运》（Destiny）、《星际争霸》（StarCraft）、《暗黑破坏神》（Diablo）、《守望先锋》（Overwatch）、《风暴英雄》（Heroes of the Storm）、《炉石传说》（Hearthstone）和《糖果粉碎传奇》。截至去年第四季度，King公司估计约有3.18亿个月活跃用户；该公司已开发了200多款游戏。
_______________________________________________________________________________
Stacey Sher Named Co-President of Activision Blizzard Studios
JANUARY 13, 2016 | 05:00AM PT
Veteran movie producer Stacey Sher has been named co-president of Activision Blizzard Studios, the upstart production unit that intends to build TV shows and movies out of intellectual property from one of the world’s biggest gaming companies.
Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick announced the hiring of Sher, the producer behind such acclaimed films as “Erin Brockovich,” “Matilda,” and a trio of Quentin Tarantino movies, “Pulp Fiction,” “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight.”
She will head the gaming giant’s studio along with Nick van Dyk, her co-president and an executive at Disney prior to joining Activision Blizzard.
The studio has already created an animated series based on the “Skylander Academy” video game property. The show, expected to be ready for release this year, includes voice performances by Justin Long, Ashley Tisdale, Jonathan Banks and Norm Macdonald. Sher and van Dyk said that they are looking to turn the hugely-popular “Call of Duty” franchise into a movie, or even a series of films.
The company previously licensed its hugely-popular “World of Warcraft” game to Legendary Pictures for a movie, but the film has been delayed amid rumors of a troubled production. The new Activision Blizzard unit has no involvement in “Warcraft,” which is now scheduled for release June 10.
The new studio was announced in November, along with the appointment of van Dyk, who for nine previous years had been the company’s senior VP of corporate strategy. Kotick, on adding co-president Sher, praised her “unyielding commitment to creativity.” The CEO said the company’s expansion into film and TV would aid Activision Blizzard in “thoughtfully and creatively expanding our franchises through television and films in a way that will honor the commitment our audiences make to our games.”
Though she is associated with an eclectic array of non-gaming films, Sher said she knows some of the Activision Blizzard properties, thanks to her 14-year-old son. She said the company’s strong catalog of IP — with 1,000 titles dating back 30-plus years — gives it a starting point for storytelling that is coveted by many other film- and TV-makers.
Sher said the company will move deliberately to make a few good productions, not to churn out dozens of mediocre ones. “It’s about making sure you do not have the pressure to just get something out there because you are backing into a release date,” she said. She said the company’s challenge is to “create filmed entertainment based on Activision Blizzard games that is as great as the games themselves.”
Van Dyk called the company’s model “unique,” saying it had not only enviable IP but a leaner organization than other production companies. “Our focused and disciplined strategy will drive tremendous franchise value for Activision Blizzard as we bring audiences new ways to engage with the intellectual property they love,” van Dyk said in a statement.
Sher said the films and TV shows will support the games and vice versa, “extending the franchises to a broader audience.” Van Dyk said the opportunity to inspire gamers to see films and TV shows, and to get film and TV audiences to start gaming, “creates a virtuous cycle.” A number of distributors and production partners have been clamoring to form alliances with the new studio, the co-presidents said.
The studio will be housed at Activision Blizzard’s Santa Monica headquarters. Kotick previously said he envisioned the unit scaling up to about 40 staffers in the near future.
Among other game titles controlled by Activision Blizzard are Diablo, StarCraft, Candy Crush and Guitar Hero.
MLG（Major League Gaming）& ESL（Electronic Sports League）
根据国外媒体 Esports Observer 的报道，在去年的最后一天，世界最大的第三方游戏发行商动视暴雪，花费 4600 万美元买下了美国最大的电子竞技联盟，MLG。
MLG（Major League Gaming）是北美地区成立最早也是最有名的电子竞技联盟之一，是最早开始将游戏主机项目列入比赛的联盟，靠着美国国民射击游戏《光环 2》，从 2002 年建立起迅速建立起知名度，并在 2013 年建立起来的北美最大的电子竞技专用视频播放平台 MLG.tv。目前旗下游戏赛事除了《光环》，还有《CS：Global Offensive》、《星际争霸 2》、《英雄联盟》等。
比起收购《糖果粉碎传奇》开发商 King Entertainment 时候花的 59 亿美元，4600 万美元简直不值得一提，而带来的好处是明显的：新成立的动视暴雪电子竞技分部将直接接管 MLG 近 14 年以来的赛事资源，和 MLG.tv 这个视频平台。随着《英雄联盟》、Dota2 等一系列游戏在电子竞技赛事中的分量越来越重，这些游戏的拥有公司希望更加直接参与到这个行业的运作中：控制比赛。Valve 为自己搭建的 Dota2 一系列赛事和各种破纪录的奖金池告诉了所有公司，将比赛握在自己手里可以带来多大的好处。
有了 MLG 之后，暴雪在未来推行《使命召唤》、《星际争霸 2》、《风暴英雄》以及即将上线的《守望先锋》电子竞技赛事的时候，无疑会方便。相对来说，MLG 本身的非动视暴雪的项目很可能就会遭到冷落。
动视暴雪也有权力要求这些。本身，MLG 的重要组成部分《使命召唤》世界联盟职业联赛，就和动视有关；同时，《星际争霸 2》则是暴雪旗下游戏。不过在去年 10 月，《使命召唤》世界联盟职业联赛的主办权被 MLG 的对手 ESL（Electronic Sports League）夺去。整个联盟的运行状况也不甚乐观，去年，MLG 预计他们将会出现 600 万美元的赤字。当动视暴雪成立电子竞技分部的时候，MLG 的另一个创始人 Mike Sepso，也被挖去作为分部的副总裁。
———————————————————————————————————————————
动视暴雪完成对《糖果粉碎传奇》开发商收购 2016年02月24日15:22
动视暴雪今日完成了斥资59亿美元收购《糖果粉碎传奇》游戏开发商King Digital Network的交易案。合并后的公司将拥有超过5亿个用户，涵盖范围包括游戏机、PC电脑在线游戏如《使命召唤》和《魔兽世界》（World of Warcraft）和移动游戏如《糖果粉碎传奇》。
在合并后，动视暴雪在今年预计会实现62.5亿美元的营收和20亿美元的运营收入。每股收益估计会达到1.75美元。动视暴雪收购King公司的最终价格将会达到每股18美元。此次收购案将会使动视暴雪成为美国最大的游戏公司，这将会给各大主流平台上的诸多竞争对手制造很大的压力。
现在我们在全球范围内拥有5亿多个用户，他们遍布于几乎每个国家。这使得我们成为了全世界最大的游戏网络。我们现在拥有绝佳的机会，让我们的用户在移动设备、游戏机和个人电脑上尽情体验他们最爱的游戏，例如《使命召唤》和《魔兽世界》等。”动视暴雪CEO鲍比•科迪克（Bobby Kotick）在一项声明中说，“我很高兴代表动视暴雪欢迎里King公司的CEO卡多•扎可尼（Riccardo Zacconi）、联合创始人兼首席创意官塞巴斯蒂安•克努特松（Sebastian Knutsson）和首席运营官史蒂芬•库根（Stephane Kurgan）以及该公司的所有才华横溢的员工来到我们这个大家庭。”
在合并后，动视暴雪旗下将有超过1000款游戏，包括《使命召唤》、《魔兽世界》、《小龙斯派罗的大冒险》（Skylanders）、《命运》（Destiny）、《星际争霸》（StarCraft）、《暗黑破坏神》（Diablo）、《守望先锋》（Overwatch）、《风暴英雄》（Heroes of the Storm）、《炉石传说》（Hearthstone）和《糖果粉碎传奇》。截至去年第四季度，King公司估计约有3.18亿个月活跃用户；该公司已开发了200多款游戏。
_______________________________________________________________________________
Stacey Sher Named Co-President of Activision Blizzard Studios
JANUARY 13, 2016 | 05:00AM PT
Veteran movie producer Stacey Sher has been named co-president of Activision Blizzard Studios, the upstart production unit that intends to build TV shows and movies out of intellectual property from one of the world’s biggest gaming companies.
Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick announced the hiring of Sher, the producer behind such acclaimed films as “Erin Brockovich,” “Matilda,” and a trio of Quentin Tarantino movies, “Pulp Fiction,” “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight.”
She will head the gaming giant’s studio along with Nick van Dyk, her co-president and an executive at Disney prior to joining Activision Blizzard.
The studio has already created an animated series based on the “Skylander Academy” video game property. The show, expected to be ready for release this year, includes voice performances by Justin Long, Ashley Tisdale, Jonathan Banks and Norm Macdonald. Sher and van Dyk said that they are looking to turn the hugely-popular “Call of Duty” franchise into a movie, or even a series of films.
The company previously licensed its hugely-popular “World of Warcraft” game to Legendary Pictures for a movie, but the film has been delayed amid rumors of a troubled production. The new Activision Blizzard unit has no involvement in “Warcraft,” which is now scheduled for release June 10.
The new studio was announced in November, along with the appointment of van Dyk, who for nine previous years had been the company’s senior VP of corporate strategy. Kotick, on adding co-president Sher, praised her “unyielding commitment to creativity.” The CEO said the company’s expansion into film and TV would aid Activision Blizzard in “thoughtfully and creatively expanding our franchises through television and films in a way that will honor the commitment our audiences make to our games.”
Though she is associated with an eclectic array of non-gaming films, Sher said she knows some of the Activision Blizzard properties, thanks to her 14-year-old son. She said the company’s strong catalog of IP — with 1,000 titles dating back 30-plus years — gives it a starting point for storytelling that is coveted by many other film- and TV-makers.
Sher said the company will move deliberately to make a few good productions, not to churn out dozens of mediocre ones. “It’s about making sure you do not have the pressure to just get something out there because you are backing into a release date,” she said. She said the company’s challenge is to “create filmed entertainment based on Activision Blizzard games that is as great as the games themselves.”
Van Dyk called the company’s model “unique,” saying it had not only enviable IP but a leaner organization than other production companies. “Our focused and disciplined strategy will drive tremendous franchise value for Activision Blizzard as we bring audiences new ways to engage with the intellectual property they love,” van Dyk said in a statement.
Sher said the films and TV shows will support the games and vice versa, “extending the franchises to a broader audience.” Van Dyk said the opportunity to inspire gamers to see films and TV shows, and to get film and TV audiences to start gaming, “creates a virtuous cycle.” A number of distributors and production partners have been clamoring to form alliances with the new studio, the co-presidents said.
The studio will be housed at Activision Blizzard’s Santa Monica headquarters. Kotick previously said he envisioned the unit scaling up to about 40 staffers in the near future.
Among other game titles controlled by Activision Blizzard are Diablo, StarCraft, Candy Crush and Guitar Hero.
