How much money has Skylanders made? So much money that it’s starting to make the Call of Duty franchise a bit jealous. Try half a billion. “Just a year ago, the concept of bringing toys to life in a virtual world was an untested play pattern that Activision and Toys For Bob believed in. Now the category has been established in the market and embraced by parents and kids everywhere,” said John Coyne, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Activision Publishing. “We’re humbled by the continued support and acclaim from parents, kids and critics alike, but more importantly, it’s gratifying to see kids excited about the adventures that await them both in the digital and physical worlds.” Who would have ever guessed that combining toys and video games would be such a big hit? And with children, of all people. Apparently it was news to some people in the video game industry. I mean, it’s not like it’s their job to study the behavior patterns and hobbies of their consumers.
Activision made it clear that Skylanders outsold a lot of top toy properties like Beyblades, WWE, and Star Wars. They also pointed out that they surpassed holiday box office sales for kids’ films like Wreck-It Ralph and Rise of the Guardians (both of which are good movies, by the way). The dig at the movie industry seems a bit cold, Activision. You don’t have to kick a multi-billion dollar industry when its down. That’s just mean. Even people who pirate movies and video games don’t say stuff like that.
