Team from Laval University Wins Heroes of the Dorm® National Championship

Victorious five-player team to receive full tuition for remainder of their collegiate careers

Red and gold are the colors of victory as the Rouge et Au of Laval University have claimed the Heroes of the Dorm^® National Championship, including the top prize of full tuition for its five players for the remainder of their collegiate careers. The North American collegiate esports tournament for Heroes of the Storm®, the dynamic battle arena title from Blizzard Entertainment, culminated at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California and crowned its first Canadian champion. In its fourth year, Heroes of the Dorm serves as the marquee event from Tespa, Blizzard's collegiate esports network.

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The team from Laval University, the Rouge et Au, celebrate their Heroes of the Dorm National Championship at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles on May 12, 2018. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Rouge et Au were flawless in their run through the Heroic Four, sweeping teams from the University of Kentucky and the University of Buffalo in the semifinals and finals, respectively. The first game in each best-of-five series seemed to hold the best chances for Laval's opponents, but, each time, the moment came and went with the Quebecois students answering in full with textbook execution and timing on their Heroic Ability attacks.

"For years, it was only a US team [as national champions], not even one Canadian team in the top four, and we just won Dorm, not only the top four," said team captain Jérôme "Earth" Levesque. "It was an amazing Heroes of the Dorm. It was an incredible, special thing [that was] well done."

"Laval University had a run for the ages and I couldn't be more impressed with the new champions," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Heroes of the Dorm teams are the future of competitive gaming, and we're thrilled at how they embrace their roles in the broader esports ecosystem. The passion of all the students and college sports fans who participated in this year's event keep us looking forward to more Tespa events in 2018 and beyond."

This year's Heroes of the Dorm began with hundreds of teams from across North America organized by conference. It included a unique broadcast partnership with Raycom Sports, providing cross-country coverage for the tournament's Atlantic Coast Region. Fans were able to play along at home via the Heroes of the Dorm Bracket Challenge, which broke new ground in esports by offering a $1 million-dollar grand prize to the lucky fan who could correctly pick all 63 winners in the bracket phase. Though that prize went unclaimed this year, one skilled entrant will receive $10,000 for the best bracket. The Rouge et Au's victory also unlocks themed Heroes of the Storm in-game items for the top 500 Bracket Challenge entries. All Heroes of the Storm players will be able to purchase these items at a later date.

Collegiate esports continues in 2018 with several high-profile events in the Tespa Collegiate Series, including the Hearthstone^® National Championship and the Overwatch^® Training Grounds. Visit tespa.org for more information.

About Heroes of the Storm^®

Heroes of the Storm brings together a diverse cast of iconic characters from Blizzard's far-flung realms of science fiction and fantasy, including the Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, Overwatch^®, and Diablo^® universes. Across the Battlegrounds of the Nexus, teams of five players come together to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles where only coordination, teamwork, and strategy can win the day. To learn more about Heroes of the Storm, visit www.heroesofthestorm.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard ATVI, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

About Tespa

Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader in college esports, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to distribute more than $1,000,000 in scholarship prizing in 2018 through intercollegiate leagues. Tespa has had more than 5,000 teams from more than 1,200 universities compete in its college tournaments and has empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about Heroes of the Dorm 2018, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

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