Activision is going to milk the desiccated teat of Spyro in a whole new way this year. According to USA Today, the publisher is going to unveil a line of toys based on characters from the once-beloved franchise of games which has long suffered from sub-par releases. These toys are designed to interact with a new game, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, through an accessory.
Placing one of the toys on the plastic stand allows players to then use that character in the game. As players gain levels and other rewards, the data is saved to the toy, so kids can take their unique character and play it in their friend’s game. There are 31 characters/toys in the line, each with their own special abilities. Development for the Skylanders series is underway for consoles, PC and handhelds.
So, it’s essentially a line of collectible memory cards for one specific game. The idea isn’t new but, marketed correctly, it could be a success. Of course, the target age being what it is doesn’t give me a whole lot of hope that it will be a game I will enjoy (unlike the first couple of Spyro games) but with luck it will at least not feel like a rip-off to parents of sucked-in kids.
Spyro is breathing fire again in ‘Skylanders’ [USA Today]
