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Can Skylanders and Disney Infinity Co-Exist?

by Neal Ronaghan - January 16, 2013, 5:38 pm EST
Total comments: 2

Two companies are attacking the toys-in-video-games market in different ways.

Judging by the sales of Skylanders, I believe we are in a world where both Skylanders and the newly unveiled Disney Infinity can co-exist. They're both focused on the toy and video game fusion, but they're going about differently. It's evident that Skylanders will continue with their annual release schedule, pushing out a new line of figures alongside a tentpole fall release.

Disney Infinity seems to be doing things in a different, more flexible way. With play sets coming out regularly that introduce new worlds that you can use a variety of characters to explore, it is a much different form of the physical DLC than Skylanders. While Skylanders offers new characters in its expansion, Disney Infinity offers newly developed worlds.

Talking to the team at Avalanche Software revealed that they have individual teams working on each play set. It's to a point where teams could be attached to a specific franchise or theme, and fans could follow what their favorite creative minds at Avalanche are working on. This could all add up to a unique and interesting development dichotomy.

But the big glaring difference between Skylanders and Disney Infinity to me is that Skylanders is more of a video game. I view Skylanders as an addictive Gauntlet-like crack. From my first glance at Disney Infinity, I see a more open-ended experience, less about defeating a boss and completing a game and more about exploring a world and having fun. As such, I see myself not going in as deep with Disney Infinity, which is something I didn't expect to say after being thoroughly wowed by the initial pitch during the press conference in Hollywood the other day. That's not to say that I don't think Disney Infinity will be any less compelling than Skylanders; it's just not as much for me as Skylanders is.

I see myself biting on Disney Infinity at some point, but likely more for specific play sets of properties that I am a fan of. If they bust out a Tron play set, I will get it right away. If they throw some Aladdin love out there, I'll bite. I feel less of a need to be a completionist in Infinity, especially since my gut feeling is that I won't play much Toy Box outside of screwing around with it and maybe trying to make a side-scrolling level. I've never been a big online gamer, so the four-player chaos seems unlikely that it will happen often for me. I could totally see myself playing it locally with a friend or possibly a younger relative in local two-player, though.

Who knows, ultimately. Maybe I'll line up right away to bust heads using The Incredibles, or engage in the college hijinks of Monsters University. A lot can change about my perception of Disney Infinity before its June 18 release. So, what's your view on it?

Talkback

FjurbanskiJanuary 17, 2013

Yes, toys can coexist.


They've been doing it for a long time.

ShyGuyJanuary 17, 2013

Everyone realizes if this is successful we are going to get Darth Vader figures, Winnie the Pooh figures,  Kermit the Frog figures and Spiderman figures? They are all Disney now.

Someday, there will be a Disney Infinity figure you want.

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