Activision Announces Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5 for Wii and DS

Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced an agreement with Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) to release Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5, a videogame for Wii and Nintendo DS. The title is based on Mattel's legendary Hot Wheels brand and eagerly anticipated Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5 animated television series set to air this August on Cartoon Network. A crash and bash vehicular combat title developed by Sidhe Interactive, the Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5 videogame will hit shelves this Fall.

"Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 lends itself perfectly to interactive entertainment," said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. "We are closely collaborating with the TV show's creators on a host of exciting ideas that will tightly intertwine the show and gaming experiences."

Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 features the speed and high-energy collisions that kids have loved about the Hot Wheels brand for generations. Each Battle Force 5 episode transports kids to a fantasy world where they will meet an elite team of teens in five ultra-cool, ultra-fast vehicles who must work together to save earth from the most outrageous galactic predators. In the game, fans will be able to live out these adventures with pedal-to-the-metal combat-racing in numerous Battle Zones, where they "car battle" with The Sark and The Vandals, dangerous aliens from another dimension. When vehicles execute an attack, they transform and unleash their battle mode weaponry. Speeding along tracks between Battle Arenas, players must find a key in each Battle Zone to close the portal and prevent the aliens from invading Earth.

"The crash and bash excitement of Battle Force 5 naturally translates from television to videogame and provides a deeper level of engagement for fans of the show to experience," said Tim Kilpin, General Manager, Mattel Brands' Girls, Boys & Games Division. "Activision has been a fantastic partner and we think gamers are going to love one of our most ambitious projects to date."