October 2011 marked the dawn of a new chapter in video games.
Skylanders revolutionised video gaming by introducing collectible figurines to the mix!
Overlap between action figures and video games has been around almost as long as video games themselves, but never before had a game merged the two quite as much as Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. In Skylanders, the figures that came with in the “Starter Pack” became the characters in the game when put on a “Portal of Power” that shipped with the game. To top it all off, a crazy number of extra figures were realised. Not only did this add a collectible element, but also the opportunity for a frankly ridiculous amount of money for Activision, the company behind the game.
Speaking from my own experience, the game wasn’t only a really clever idea, but also a really fun game. As a bit of a collector myself, the opportunity to collect and play as all the available characters was addictive, but on top of that my entire family, from age 4 to age 60 absolutely love playing the game.
From the sales figures, it seems that the revolutionary new idea was popular with a lot of other families as well. The original game was the 3rd most profitable game from January to March 2012 in North America and Europe, and has so far just continued to build on its success. The game has since spawned two sequels, Skylanders: Giants, in 2012 and Skylanders: Swap Force in 2013. These were just as successful as the first game, making Skylanders the #3 bestselling video games franchise of 2013, and the #1 kids franchise. Even beyond video games, Skylanders has branched into books, card games and so much more.
For a while, many people were wondering whether any other companies would head down the same pathway. Skylanders was built almost entirely from scratch, with Spyro as the only recognisable name, and it still managed to be insanely popular. If a previously established brand, with a host of characters, could jump on the bandwagon then the opportunities were endless.
Last year saw Disney as the company to step up and put their prestige and wealth of characters into this new medium. Disney Infinity launched with characters from beloved franchises including The Incredibles, Monsters University, Toy Story and Pirates of the Caribbean. Though the game itself didn’t quite match up to Skylanders in review scores, it was wildly popular, selling a million copies within two months of launching, and 3 million by January 2014. With such a back catalogue of characters and stories to take advantage of, Disney Infinity looks set to carry on with this success for a long time.
The question is: what’s next?
Skylanders has still got a much greater install base, and regular updates to the game and figurines will keep things interesting for a while to come. Disney Infinity, on the other hand, won’t need any radical game play changes, and can use the star power of characters like Mickey Mouse, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and so many more to keep players hooked. It’s also a nifty way of advertising new films, as the company did with box office hit, Frozen, when it was released late last year.
The real difference maker will be if a third party enters into the arrangement. Skylanders had an edge as the trailblazer, and Disney has the brand, but a third party could upset all of this. There are so many companies with catalogues just begging to be utilised in this way. For example, I can imagine a lot more adults would be interested if Marvel or DC released a superhero themed version, or even if Lego could somehow integrate their still insanely-popular figures and constructions with video games even beyond what they’ve already achieved.
The risk is that the idea could become oversaturated. It was the uniqueness of Skylanders that really springboarded it to success, and it’s hard to imagine that any new entries would get by on the novelty alone. Upon first glance, it seems that new games utilising figurines can only be a good thing, but when you really think about it, the gimmick could wear off quickly if too many companies try and get in on the party.
As it stands, Disney Infinity v Skylanders is just enough to keep things interesting, but there’s definitely a danger of too many figurines staring back at customers in games shops around the world.
Would more adult-themed entries into this genre be successful? Will the success of Skylanders and Disney Infinity last? Would it be a good or bad thing for more companies to branch into this area? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
