Activision reveals Skylanders Imaginators

Three weeks ago, Disney shed light about the future of their “Toys to Life” brand Disney Infinity and their announcement his seemed to be the beginning of the end of the genre as we knew it… That was until today. Activision this morning officially announced that the Skylanders series lives on with their latest creation Skylanders Imaginators. A couple weeks ago, I was treated to a demo where I was able to see the new theme, some new toys, and the coolest part of the game, creating your own character!

I think this is a very unique take on the series and something fans will really enjoy. Your character will be saved to the new “Creation Crystal” which will each support an appropriate element. Something Activision takes seriously when it comes to this franchise is its fans. The driving force behind the character creation component was seeing fans from around the world sending their own fan art with characters they made asking for them to be made into the game.

At the event I attended, the team had hundreds of these pictures for me to look at and I thought it was incredible to see the love from fans and the support of developer Toys For Bob to design the latest game with them in mind. The game is still in development and is scheduled to releasing on October 16th, 2016.

Check out the trailer and images below.

Skylanders Imaginators announce trailer:

Skylanders Imaginators screens/toy images:

Skylanders Imaginators pack shots:

Read on for the official press release from Activision.

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. 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/SkylanderArtContest.

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.