Destiny BETA dates unveiled - and limited editions revealed

Official Beta Dates for the PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 Announced

Destiny ‘Ghost’ and ‘Limited’ Collector’s Editions Revealed 

Auckland, New Zealand – July 8, 2014 – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), and Bungie today confirmed the calendar for the highly anticipated Destiny Beta, which will include a diverse sampling of major activities featured in the full game. Fans who pre-order Destiny at a participating retailer are guaranteed access into the Beta, which will commence as follows:

·         The Beta begins first for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system (PlayStation Plus required for some features) and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system at 5:00am NZDT on July 18

·         The Beta begins for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft (Xbox Live Gold required) at 5:00am NZDT on July 24

·         The Beta will be offline for scheduled maintenance on July 22 – July 23 and remain open for all platforms until 6:59pm NZDT on July 28

“As we prepare to launch our first Beta on multiple console platforms around the world, we are excited and eager to open the flood gates,” said Harold Ryan, Bungie’s president.  “We already love to play Destiny, and with your help we can be ready for our launch in September.”

Activision and Bungie also revealed today three epic collector’s edition versions of the game. The Destiny Ghost Edition and the Destiny Limited Edition both include the following:

·         Limited edition SteelBook™ Case and Game Disc

·         Guardian Folio:

o   Arms & Armament Field Guide

o   Postcards from the Golden Age 

o   Antique Star Chart

·         Collector’s Edition Digital Content Pack:

o   Unique Ghost Casing

o   Exclusive Player Emblem

o   Exclusive Player Ship Variant

·         Destiny Expansion Pass – expands the Destiny adventure post-launch with the following two expansions, which will include brand new story missions, cooperative activities and competitive multiplayer arenas, and a wealth of all new weapons, armour and gear to earn:

o   Expansion I: The Dark Below – Set deep beneath the surface of the Moon, fans will discover an ancient tomb that has been unsealed, and a dark god who has risen an evil army in the depths of the Hellmouth, the home of the Hive enemy race

o   Expansion II: House of Wolves – Details will be revealed later

o   PlayStation platforms will also include additional exclusive content with each expansion

The Destiny Ghost Edition will also include the following:

·         Ghost replica, featuring motion-activated lights and voice recordings from award-winning actor Peter Dinklage, voice of the Ghost character, the player’s personal companion in the game

·         Letter of Introduction

·         Golden Age Relics, which include a Photo, Patch, Sticker and two Chrome slides of the Traveler

For digital pre-order fans, the Destiny Digital Guardian Edition includes a digital download copy of the game, Destiny Expansion Pass and the Collector’s Edition Digital Content Pack.

The Destiny Ghost Edition available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only, the Destiny Limited Edition, the Destiny Digital Guardian Edition and the Destiny Expansion Pass(RRP $42.99 for the pass, Expansion I and Expansion II are priced individually at RRP $27.99) are all available for pre-order now. All pre-orders on any sku will include access to the Vanguard Armoury that includes early access to weapons, gear and exclusive player emblem. Fans can visit:

·         http://www.destinythegame.com/au/en/wheretobuy to see a list of participating global retailers

For more information about the Beta and the Destiny collector’s editions, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com.  For exclusive updates, follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter, and interact directly with the developers at www.Bungie.net. 

About Destiny

Players are cast as Guardians of the last city on Earth, who will explore the ancient ruins of our solar system from the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles of Venus. Able to wield incredible power, gamers must battle humanity’s enemies and reclaim all that was lost during the collapse of mankind’s Golden Age. In a story-driven universe,Destiny unfolds through grand tales and epic adventures by immersing players in a bold new universe filled with cooperative, competitive, public, and social activities, all seamlessly connected. Destiny has a pending rating of M (Fantasy Violence, online interactivity).

About Bungie

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: develop kick ass games that combine state-of-the-art technology with uncompromising art, captivating storytelling, and deep gameplay, and then to sell enough copies to fund their ongoing quest for World Domination. Over the past twenty years, Bungie created a bunch of fun games, including the Halo Franchise, the Marathon Trilogy, and the first two Myth games. Now independent, employee-owned, and located in Bellevue, Washington, Bungie is preparing to unleash their newest creation, Destiny, upon the world.

More information about Bungie can be found at www.bungie.net.

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, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website,www.activision.com.