On the evening of January 10, 2009, Digital Playground’s blockbuster movie “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” made history at the AVN Awards as the title was announced a record 15 times for awards in virtually all of the major categories.  “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” received awards for Best Video Feature, Best Director (Joone), Best Actor (Evan Stone), Best Supporting Actress (BellaDonna), Best Supporting Actor (Ben English), Best Girl / Girl Sex Scene (Jesse Jane® and BellaDonna), Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Videography, Best Editing (Joey Pulgadas), Best Special Effects, Best Makeup, Best DVD Extras, Best High Definition Production, and Best Overall Marketing Campaign.  Joone, the acclaimed writer/director of “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” and Digital Playground’s Founder says, “This amazing honor from AVN is only equaled by the outstanding fan support we received from fans throughout the week at AEE and since the movie’s release.  Thank you to everyone, especially the cast and crew who helped achieve our vision.”

“Digital Playground achieved a great accomplishment with ‘Pirates II’ raising the bar again and breaking their own record,” says Paul Fishbein, President of AVN Media Network.  “The success of ‘Pirates II’ is a perfect example of the positive results that come with implementing high production values.”

The original “Pirates” received an unprecedented 11 awards at the 2006 AVN Awards and an additional 3 awards from AVN over the next two years.  Samantha Lewis, Digital Playground’s CEO says, “Like all great directors, Joone continues to take each of his movies to a new level.  ‘Pirates II’ was a remarkable project to work on.  Thank you to AVN for recognizing our efforts and to everyone that teamed together to create the movie, especially our beautiful contract stars, the most amazing and gorgeous performers ever.  Most importantly, thank you to our loyal fans.”

“’Pirates II’ is a really special movie,” says Dan Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Genesis.  “It surpassed the record making first film in terms of both quality and cast, so it was deserving to surpass it for awards as well.  These are tough times for the industry, so it’s a great accomplishment for ‘Pirates II’ to do so well in terms of both awards and sales.  In this economy it was truly ambitious for Digital Playground to embark on such a great undertaking.  Also noteworthy is the fact that ‘Pirates II’  drove a lot of the media traffic throughout AEE and the AVN Awards, including the most influential mainstream media outlets in the world.”  Chris Thorne, XCritic.com Editor adds, “The AVN Awards haul for ‘Pirates II’ proves the hard work and quality entertainment will be rewarded in this industry.”

Digital Playground was honored with an additional 7 awards in a variety of categories, demonstrating an unmatched, impressive range of content.  Heralded director Robby D.’s “Cheerleaders” was named the Top Selling and Top Renting Release of 2008 and was also received Best Vignette Release and Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene for the nine of the hottest names in the industry, including contract stars Jesse Jane® and Stoya™.  “Jack’s POV 9”, also directed by Robby D., received Best POV Release.  The movie features Stoya who took home the highly coveted trophy for Best New Starlet.  Digital Playground also had the Best Overall Marketing Campaign for company image.  “It was truly a great year for Digital Playground,” says Paul Fishbein, President of AVN Media Network.  “In addition to the notoriety ‘Pirates II’ achieved, ‘Cheerleaders’ was actually the best selling and best renting title in 2008.  When a studio is recognized for their features, vignettes, and  gonzo titles in the same year, it demonstrates a great aptitude for understanding exactly what consumers want.”

“Congratulations to both Joone and Robby D. for directing the best movies of 2008!” says Samantha Lewis, CEO of Digital Playground.  “And thank you to Paul Fishbein and AVN for recognizing their outstanding achievements.  Digital Playground’s quest to produce the highest quality movies starts with our talented directors and breathtakingly beautiful contract stars.”  Robby D. adds, “Thank you to all of our fans.”