Esteemed toy-maker partners with industry vets for yet another figure-based game
I can’t say for certain Activision knew it was stumbling onto a multi-billion dollar idea when it decided, “hey, let’s do something with Spyro the Dragon.” The 10th Spyro hit DS in 2005. In 2011, Activision introduced Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, which was the purple dragon’s end and the start of amiibo, Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions et al. It created an entire genre, “toys-to-life,” where real world hunks of plastic interact with your games. People spend hundreds of dollars on these things, in an instance where 1 super fan trumps 10 others. Or where children fill Christmas lists with the things.
Unlike Nintendo’s amiibo or Disney Infinity, newly formed Jumo’s toy-to-life game Infinite Arms doesn’t trade on nostalgia-rich existing properties. There is a lot of familiar pedigree here, though.
Jumo was founded by Keiichi Yano (Gitaroo Man, Elite Beat Agents, Lips), whom I met earlier this month to talk about Infinite Arms. In tow were Jumo’s Chris Esaki (Gears of War, Mass Effect), formerly of Microsoft Studios, and writer Tom Abernathy (League of Legends, Halo: Reach, The Division). It’s an eclectic mix that reminds you just how small the video game industry can be. The trio, with a combined near-lifetime of experience in the industry, are friends aiming to create the kind of toys they would’ve dug as kids.
Making them, from design to manufacturing, is Yasuo Takahama, the toy industry veteran who helped bring us Tamagotchi and Transformers.
Infinite Arms‘ toys differentiates themselves from the toys-to-life young old guard by connecting to a free-to-play iOS and Android game, rather than a game console. They connect via bluetooth, too, meaning no portals or Wii U gamepads. They’re meant to seamlessly connect with the technology most people already own (plus batteries, which last 1-2 months with regular play) and “disrupt” how games are played. I suppose even wily vets can lean on Silicon Valley buzz words.
The manufacturing process takes cues from clothing retailer’s H&M’s “fast fashion” — in this cae, “fast toys,” an accelerated process meant to get new figures “out of our minds and into consumer’s hands.” And how’s that? Well, there’s a partnership with Amazon for an online shop in-game, meaning you don’t even have to scour the web to make new purchases.
I had a momentary panic when Yano explained the Infinite Arms’ MetaMods — that’s what the bots are called — were designed as a stepping stone for kids who “grew up on Skylanders.” Grew up on Skylanders. It’s still sinking in weeks later. Anyways, focus testing showed teens enjoyed playing with those things despite market fear that kids aged 15-17 don’t play with toys. “We’re not Playskool, we’re Marvel,” I am assured. And of course there are the expendable-income-having adult toy collectors and gamers already bankrolling Nintendo, Activision, et al and sticking these things up their bums. I imagine MetaMods would be the most painful yet.
There are three major factions to the Infinite Arms current canon, manifesting as blue, red, and purple MetaMods, which are all piloted by humans. The story is “less about plot, more about context,” Abernathy said. It’s attempted to emulate the Saturday morning cartoon vibe that will “preserve player agency” and allow them to “relive those adventures on your own or make up new ones with your friends.” Weekly events provide more linear story bits bent towards “a slightly older audience” (Lost and The Matrix were name-checked), while you’ll be playing modular episodes the rest of the time — or taking on friends with up to 3-versus-3 combat arenas.
I actually played a couple matches with a toy I put together from the spare parts that awaited be under a velvety black blanket when I entered the meeting room. I had the same issues most people do with virtual touch screen controls in a full 3D, action-heavy game — I occasionally lost position on the “left thumbstick” for moving and what have you, but mostly it plays fine. While twitch reflexes will play some part in winning, as you’ll have to actually execute your moves, fire your cannons in the right place, and all, battles are largely won based on how you outfit your MetaMod.
The toys, which are chrome as hell and feature plenty of points of articulation — they’re meant to be actually played with as well as used in-game — have two hand slots and two back slots for fitting weapons into. These weapons have different stats and different uses, and even identical MetaMods and weapons have unique server IDs, so your $10 plastic crossbow might have different stats or perks than my $10 plastic crossbow (that was the only price I copped while looking at the in-game Amazon store).
Mind, Infinite Arms is a free-to-play game you can engage in without ever picking up a toy, though you’d be missing the point a bit, I imagine. There will be in-app purchases, too, but everything , from in-app purchases to $10 crossbows, are meant to be seen as “an investment” — nothing ethereal like “energy.” The weapon you bought week 1 might be followed by a new weapon in week 16 that combos into the former, like a claw mixed with a flamethrower for a flaming claw. Bits of loot (there are co-op plans; “Destiny, but for mobile and with toys”) can also be used to augment weapons.
Speaking of “investment,” because of the manufacturing process, the toys are “all limited edition.” A certain amount of characters and weapons will be released during each “season” of the game and only available for purchase during said season. “Fast toys,” and all. Season-long leaderboards track top players, who will receive special weapons (in the form of real-life toys) gifted at the end of the season, maybe even you get lucky and end up with an all-gold variant with faster shooting or some such perk (though it’s all meant to balance out for fair play, ie a stronger version of the crossbow might come with longer reload times.)
While I will continue my life-long quest to avoid plastic knickknacks and things and stuff in general, if this is your jam, you can register for Infinite Arms beta access today.
