Even though Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure can be played with just the three toys that come with the bundle, people went out in their droves to add to their collection. Skylanders was a highly ambitious project. Activision had merged with Vivendi when they approached Reiche and asked if he wanted to do the next Spyro game. The twist was, they didn't want a conventional Spyro ; they wanted a new kind of game that would be an explosive hit.
Reiche was told to aim high, to make it not only the top kids' game but also to rival the likes of Call of Duty. Toys for Bob initially struggled to come up with an innovative idea that they believed could sell. We were trying to get kids to play physically - it was a disaster.
In the end, what they decided on actually came from something they had started to patent years earlier - the concept of toys communicating with a game. Toys for Bob spent three months building the software side and manufactured prototypes of the toys. However, even in the early days of production, there were indications that the figures would end up being the success they are today.
We said, 'Okay, this is a good sign'. Nervous about the prospect of launching an entirely new IP, Activision invited Toys for Bob to take its pick of any of the properties that were available. With the Skylanders concept vaguely in mind, they chose Spyro, a purple dragon who had been the star of some well-regarded Insomniac actions adventures in the s, followed by sequels and spin-offs in the following decade that attracted mixed reviews.
Certainly, by the time Ford and Reiche selected Spyro, the dragon was well past its prime, and there wasn't much in the way of online demand for a return. But the team saw the creature's potential.
He had a good name. The choice was based on commercial and presentation calculations. Toys for Bob and Activision were worried that retail and media wouldn't really get their new idea. A hook was required, something familiar. The first game was called Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Today, Reiche credits Spyro with a lot of the franchise's subsequent success.
Spyro gave us that. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was branded as a reboot for the dragon. But the magic was in the toys. It was not a popular one with executive underlings seated around the conference table. He wondered if the developers could use another year to polish their idea.
It was an unusual move in a business that moves fast, when new ideas are rarely unattended by at least one competitor, innovating along similar lines. Everyone in the meeting understood that entering the toy business would be extremely risky. Timing was key. Safe, economical, fun toys," says Reiche.
It would have been the last thing we would have done. We had a really screwy way of emulating it," adds Ford, who believes the extra year made a huge difference.
It cost a lot of money and it made a lot of people nervous but he made a good call there. Activision was pursuing a strategy of 'less is more", focusing on a small number of franchises.
At the time, Call of Duty was bringing in billions of dollars in revenue. Bobby had a lot of money to invest. He had also acquired a taste for the toy business.
Activision had recently accrued a new expertise in the manufacture and distribution of plastic artifacts due to the success of one particular franchise, Guitar Hero. At the time of Skylanders' development, the pretend-guitar games were at the peak of their popularity.
Plastic guitars added valuable profits. Guitar Hero taught Activision a great deal about sourcing and manufacturing in China, and about securing retail space in toy stores, outside the standard box-sized video game sections.
As much as we might sit here and say, wow, two billion dollars, if that was all ours that would be great Not many companies in gaming know how to do that. The toy business is a harsh tutor. Lucky for Toys for Bob, the sharp decline in music gaming's popularity had yet to come. Despite Leyland's best efforts, early prototypes of Skylanders had technical problems. There were delays between the toy being placed on the portal and actions on-screen.
Because the tech was still developing, there were different options to choose from. RFID chips were expensive, adding to the cost of the toys. They were struggling to get the price down to a level that would work for cash-strapped parents.
Worst of all, the most expensive aspect of the project were RFID chips that could be written to, so that the toys could remember what modifications and achievements they had unlocked in-game. Reiche and Ford agreed that without this element, the toys might be seen as irrelevant, getting in the way of the game experience. But RFID chips prices were coming down, rapidly, and the tech was improving fast. The RFID reader is in the turnstiles. For every turnstile there are thousands of cards.
Skylanders has returned the favor. Activision is now the biggest distributor of RFID reader units in the world, with over 10 million portals sold "Now the RFID people come and talk to us when they have advances they want to make," says Ford. Despite its confidence and its cash, Activision was looking for a partner to help spread the risks of the new venture.
Nintendo, flush with the success of Wii, also with experience of the toy business, and with a reputation for "blue sky thinking," seemed like the perfect choice. Toys for Bob journeyed to Nintendo of America's offices to present the idea, very early in its development cycle.
They had some success with peripherals. Why it is that they didn't rush in here will probably haunt them for the rest of their days. So after hearing him speak, I invited Paul to come to The Strong to deliver a keynote address at a conference we were hosting that year. Once he was here at the museum, we had a chance to show him our efforts to preserve the history of play.
And, of course, I let him know that The Strong would love to preserve materials from his career. The process is seamless, beautiful, and feels like magic. Why is Disney Infinity Cancelled?
In fact, it's because of the tiny toys that the game lost money for Disney. Going forward, Disney will partner up with other game developers for games based on its characters. Goar Jatzuba Teacher. How do Skylanders light up? The portal emits a type of radio frequency that triggers the lights within the figure.
As the figure approaches the portal, it essentially picks up a stronger 'signal' the closer it gets, causing it to glow brighter until you finally set the figure down and it reaches it's maximum brightness. Marilina Lapochkin Reviewer. Where can I sell Skylanders? You might get more money from eBay, but you might never sell these because they have low demand. Amrinder Artigas Reviewer. Can you get Skylanders on PC?
What are the most expensive Skylanders? E3 Spyro. E3 Gil Grunt. E3 Trigger Happy. Green Chop Chop. Green Riptide. Green Scorp. Silver Dino-Rang. Silver Eruptor. Crystal Clear Stealth Elf. Crystal Clear Cynder. Glow-in-the-Dark Zap.
0コメント