SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Since the launch of Skylanders®, kids around the world have sent Toys For Bob, the pioneers of the toys-to-life category, hand-drawn Skylanders with one special request – please bring my Skylander to life. This October, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), will make that wish a reality. For the first time, Skylanders® Imaginators will empower Portal Masters to unleash their imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylander.
“Since we launched the very first Skylanders game, we have received countless letters and drawings from kids all over the world sharing their vision for their own Skylanders. No matter how in touch with our 'inner kids' we might think we are as adults, nothing comes close to the endless creativity that springs from the mind of an inspired kid,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "We've turned this year's game into the ultimate blank canvas for kids' imaginations so they can create and play their own Skylanders.”
Skylanders Imaginators gives players immense possibilities -- including appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more -- to create the wildest Skylanders imaginable. The amazing depth of the creation system could allow for more than a googol distinctive characters.
With the evil Kaos on a new quest to take over Skylands, it’s up to Portal Masters everywhere to create their own Skylanders – known as Imaginators – using the new elementally-aligned toy type called the Creation Crystal. Creation Crystals allow players to transport their Imaginators to consoles at anytime, anywhere!
Skylanders Imaginators introduces Skylanders Senseis, all-new heroes who represent 10 powerful Battle Classes such as Knight, Sorcerer, Bowslinger, Brawler and more. Skylanders Senseis help train created Imaginators by offering a range of benefits including unlocking super-cool Imaginator weapons, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as bestowing Secret Techniques across the Battle Classes. Senseis also have their own unique benefits including the extraordinary ability to unleash Sky-Chi – the ultimate Battle Class super move. There are a total of 31 Senseis, which include some fan-favorite villains who have been reformed and now fight for good!
“Skylanders consistently delivers on innovative gameplay experiences. With customization a dominant trend in the consumer market, the fact that Skylanders Imaginators will allow kids to bring their own creations to life is a game changer and one our customers will enjoy,” said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc. “We are proud to continue to serve as a marquee Skylanders destination, and look forward to fans’ excitement when the new Skylanders Imaginators game arrives this holiday season.”
To celebrate imaginations coming to life, Activision is kicking off the “Skylanders Art-to-Life Contest.” Starting today, Portal Masters are invited to submit drawings of their own created Skylanders for a chance to have their characters represented in the Skylanders Imaginators game at launch! To participate, fans simply draw their imagined Skylander and submit it via Instagram or Twitter with the dedicated hashtag #SkylandersArtContest, or to us directly at SkylandersCommunity@Activision.com. The judging panel will include Toys For Bob who will determine a grand prize winner. For more information, including rules, visit: Skylanders.com/SkylandersArtContest.
Starting today, fans can pre-order Skylanders Imaginators Starter Packs which include two new Skylanders characters, a Creation Crystal, Portal of Power® and the full AAA game. Skylanders Imaginators will be available on Xbox 360™ and Xbox One™ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo’s Wii U™ system.
Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous games. The game will be available on October 16 in North America for the suggested retail price of $74.99. For more information, fans can check out the debut of the Skylanders Snapchat channel or watch the story unfold here and here.
About the Skylanders® Franchise
The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys1 since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro’s Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore® characters to the collection of interaction figures. Skylanders® SWAP Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern – swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids’ console game globally1. Skylanders® SuperChargers launched on September 20, 2015 and expanded upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life for the first time.
About Activision Publishing
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release dates of Skylanders Imaginators, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
©2016 Activision Publishing, Inc., SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS, SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS, SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM, SKYLANDERS SPYRO’S ADVENTURE, SKYLANDERS GIANTS, SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, SWAP FORCE, LIGHTCORE, PORTAL OF POWER and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
¹The NPD Group, GfK Chart-track, Activision Blizzard internal estimates, including toys and accessories
