14 DAY TRIAL // Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure might not be the biggest hit of the fall but it has managed solid sales and has proven that publisher Activision can take an older character and create a new way for players to engage with him.
Eric Hirshberg, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing, has told Gamasutra that, “We were looking for a new way to reinvigorate and came to the table with this idea of bringing physical toys to the game, and that got everyone's imaginations firing.”
Initially the project was pretty small inside Activision, with Toys for Bob creating the Nintendo Wii version of the video game and then another studio taking over to create versions for the Xbox 360, the PC and the PlayStation 3 while Vicarious Visions created the Nintendo 3DS port.
After launch Activision was surprised to discover that despite its branding as a game for the entire family reviewers that were oriented towards more hardcore genres were ready to play it and give it a good score.
Hirshberg added, “That's been the most gratifying part for me. Core gamer reviewers say 'I know this was made for kids, but I can't stop playing it.' ... I think we were able to elevate it out of kid land. ... There's a little nostalgia for core games because a lot of them grew up as toy collectors. I think it triggers something fundamental in people who share this mindset.”
The Activision CEO also commented on how a close relationship with specialist toy retailer Toys R Us helped his company with marketing and allowed the new Skylanders game to reach more homes than it would have if marketed as simply a video game.
The game will get more characters over the coming months, with more than 30 planned before the end of the run, and players would have to spend upwards of 300 dollars in order to get them all.
It's not clear whether Activision plans to deliver other titles linked to the toys and the universe.