8 Feb, 2012
Myself and others scoffed last year at the debut of the Skylanders idea at E3 in 2011. It was a weird concept with a physical input device and toy figures that were required to play the game. No one thought it had a chance to make any money when it was released. Looking deeper, it did not even integrate Spyro into the main game all that well either. But imagine my shock when Skylanders became the breakout hit of Holiday 2011. The figures flew off the shelves and now routinely command $50 or higher on ebay and other secondary outlets. And let us not even mention the limited edition silver and retail exclusive figures that can top out over three digits.
So it was no surprise that a new Skylanders game would be put into development quickly, and now we have the word that Skylanders Giants is coming later this year. The new Skylanders Giants are spearheaded by eight new Giants that are twice the size physically and virtually in the new game. There will also be eight new, regular sized Skylanders and some will feature new tech that allows the figures to glow when near or on the Portal of Power.
Skylanders Giants will also feature full forward compatibility, with all Skylanders figures from the first game working with the new Skylanders Giants. The figures will also integrate much better with the online title, Spyro Skylanders Universe, a PC title where codes from the figures can be used to battle other players and their Skylanders online.
So, while Activision drove other peripheral titles into the ground, they have found a new cash cow with the Skylanders brand and they are striking while the iron is hot. Look for Skylanders Giants to hit sometime in the Holiday 2012 time frame.
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