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Breaking free with your own IP: Insomniac's CEO on what's next (besides Ratchet & Clank)
There's a big craze these days with independent developers, though the idea isn't all that crazy. Developers, as it turns out, like to own the stuff they create – Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games is no different. And here's something you might not know about Insomniac: the studio owns virtually none of the iconic characters or worlds it's created. Not Ratchet, not Clank, not the world of Spyro the Dragon. That last one cuts especially deep considering the vast riches Activision's reaped from its Spyro-based Skylanders game. The former two are Sony-owned.With Fuse (which we think used to be Overstrike) and Outernauts, Insomniac is pushing in a new direction. "For us, we're at the point in our growth as a company where we can own our intellectual property," Insomniac president and CEO Ted Price told us in an interview last week. "That's been gratifying for us because, as creators, controlling your own destiny – controlling the IP that you build – is important." Beyond its financial importance, owning IP also means unfortunate spin-offs of properties you created can't be farmed out to other studios (see: Resistance: Burning Skies).It's important to note what Price says about his studio not being able to own its previous projects. When Insomniac started in 1994, it produced only franchises owned by its publishers. Quite literally everything the company created up until Outernauts and Overstrike/Fuse was owned by outside forces. That's why you will assuredly see more Resistance games, despite Insomniac outright stating it won't work on any more (at least any time soon) – Sony owns the IP rights to the Resistance franchise and can do with them as it pleases.
Activision brings in $1.08 billion in Q2: more than expected, but less than last year
Activision Blizzard beat its outlook for its fiscal Q2 (ending June 30), bringing in $1.08 billion in revenue – the outlook as of May predicted $950 million. This still falls short of the same period last year.It's no mystery as to where Activision's money came from. "For the first six months, we had the top three best-selling games in North America and Europe with Activision Publishing's Skylanders Spyro's Adventures and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Blizzard Entertainment's record setting Diablo III," reported Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. In addition, Activision reported $343 million in revenue from its digital channels (WoW subscriptions and Call of Duty maps), representing an impressive 32% of total revenue.
Activision talks Skylanders Giants and the future of the franchise
We had a quick chat with Mike Graham, a design producer at Activision, about Toys for Bob's extremely popular Skylanders franchise, and the second release in the series, Skylanders Giants. Graham kindly let us in on the reasoning behind the new game and bigger toys, and what other possibilities might be in store for Skylanders. We also hear a little bit about where Spyro now fits in the Skylanders universe (That purple dragon that the whole series is based on? Remember him?) Turns out he's still in there, even if his name has been taken off the title for now.
Skylanders weather report: Warnado warning, chance of Camo and Wham Shell high
The Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure roster has been expanded, with Warnado, Camo and Wham-Shell available for purchase right now. Hit up the gallery below for some screens or get over to your local brick-and-mortar if you're looking to bolster your ranks.%Gallery-152609%
GameStop testing Skylanders toy trade-in program
GameStops are about to be overrun with toys in an epidemic the likes of which we haven't seen since the late-90s Pokémon figure thing. Pixelitis published what appears to be an internal GameStop document detailing a nascent Skylanders figurine trade-in program being tested at some stores.Surprisingly, they seem priced by rarity, with harder-to-find figurines reselling for up to $20. Trade-in values range from around $2 to $8. There's currently no information on which stores are participating in the offer, but given the popularity of the game it'll be everywhere soon enough.
NPD's top 25 includes at least eight 3DS games
No 3DS games sold enough in the US to place in the top ten last month, according to NPD data. But 3DS sales were happening just under the surface, with many 3DS games making it into the (undisclosed) top 25 games of February.The NPD told Joystiq that "some examples" of the 3DS titles that made the list include Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, FIFA Soccer, Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Resident Evil: Revelations, and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games -- the last two on that list being February releases.That's ... a significant portion of the top 25. It's also evidence of a reasonably engaged 3DS install base, and therefore stiff competition for the PS Vita, which came out in February. The Vita's Uncharted: Golden Abyss placed somewhere in the top 20 (at least in retail; Vita games also have digital sales not charted by NPD).
Three new Skylanders shock, burn and boom into Spyro's Adventure
Spyro's universe is expanding -- much like ours, but without the physical, philosophical or scientific implications -- with three new characters. Lightning Rod, Zook and Sunburn, the last of which comes to Skylanders in the Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack, are all available now. Lightning Rod and Zook are $7.99 each, and the pack including Sunburn runs $19.99.Lightning Rod, who we're convinced is modeled after Aladdin's Genie and Robin Williams' beardiness, is an air character whose attacks involve electro-bolts; Sunburn is part dragon, part phoenix, breathes fire and can teleport; and Zook, a life character, carries a bamboo bazooka and is adorable.Lightning Rod shows off his moves in the video above, and Sunburn and Zook take over the two after the break.%Gallery-149510%
Rare Skylanders sell for more than $1,000 at auction
The supplemental toys surrounding Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure have become the latest in a long line of collectable merchandising campaigns to reach "You paid how much?!" levels, following in the proud footsteps of Pogs, Pokemon cards and Beanie Babies.An eBay auction for 6 apparently rare Skylanders figures has sold for £797, or $1262.68, before shipping. The auction included gold versions of Chop Chop, Flameslinger and Drill Sergeant, as well as silver versions of Eruptor, Boomer and Dino-Rang, and we doubt it'll be the last of its kind. There's no way that these things will retain their value, of course, so we don't recommend participating in this sort of madness, but it is fascinating to watch. Kind of like a train wreck in slow motion, where the train is crashing through one of those houses on Hoarders.
Activision revenues up in 2011, claims #1 publishing spot
The world hasn't converted entirely to a Kickstarter-based economy yet -- Activision's fiscal 2011 earnings are up again, with net revenues at $4.76 billion dollars (vs. 2010's $4.45 billion), exceeding its most recent outlook. Activision claimed the number one console and handheld publishing spot in both its fiscal Q4 (ending December 31) and the year of 2011.What drove this success? Like you don't know, but: Call of Duty. Modern Warfare 3 was the best-selling game in terms of dollars, and Black Ops was #5. Skylanders also contributed, as it was the #8 best-selling game in the fourth quarter, and best-selling kids' game of 2011.Digital revenue broke records again, with over 34 percent of that $4.76 billion net coming from "digital channels." No, you aren't forgetting some breakout XBLA hit from Activision -- those digital channels are COD map packs and WoW.
January NPD: Sales down without big launches, Skylanders a hit for accessories
Both hardware and software video game sales were down by a great deal in January, according to the latest report from NPD. Both categories dropped 38% year over year in the US, and video games sales in total dropped from $1.14 billion in January of 2011 to $750 million this past month. NPD's Liam Callahan attributes the drops to a lack of new launches: Last January, Microsoft's Kinect propped up hardware sales, and Dead Space 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, and DC Universe Online did the same for software, but there weren't equivalent launches in the market this year.The full list of the top ten titles is after the break. Just Dance 3 held down the number two spot, again landing in front of the very popular Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Zumba Fitness 2 also made it into the top ten, but Activision's Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is likely the most important game for January.In addition to landing on the list at 8th, Skylanders is seeing huge sales in the accessories category, making up 22% of total accessory sales overall. The game's single character pack was also the best selling accessory during the month of January, and these numbers should bode well for the series and its future iterations.Finally, despite that big drop in hardware sales, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg points out that the Xbox 360 has remained the highest-selling console on the market, selling 270,000 units with a 49% market share.
Go buy more Skylanders toys now
New Skylanders toys are available at retail today, which roughly translates to new DLC for the video game. The "Empire of Ice" Adventure Pack includes a new ice-themed area, along with a new Water-element toy (and character), Slam Bam.Additionally, new standalone figures are available of the undead dragon Cynder, who has a "difficult past," and Double Trouble, an inept wizard. What's that? You want to know more about Cynder? According to Activision, "Cynder is a dragon of the undead element. Dark powers flow through her due to her difficult past, but she's trying to make amends with the other Skylanders."%Gallery-146190%%Gallery-146191%
Activision grabs 'Skylanders Giants' domains
The land of Skylanders may be getting giant-sized in the coming months, as a smattering of domain registrations bearing the name "Skylanders Giants" recently popped up. A few of said domains even go as far as to call it a full on "game" rather than just an expansion to last October's magical character-swapping action game slash collectible addiction. Just imagine a giant Drobot! The possibilities!The registrations are still fairly recent according to Fusible, only dating back to January 19, and none are tied directly to Activision. That said, it's common for publishers to register domains for unannounced projects via proxy, which is exactly how these were handled. We've reached out to Activision for comment, as well as Drobot, but don't expect to hear much from either.Update: Activision offered no comment and neither did Drobot.
Activision sends cease-and-desist to Skylanders hacker
The very first time we saw Activision's Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure figures at a pre-E3 event earlier this year, it seemed only a matter of time before some enterprising enthusiast cracked open both the toy figures and the "portal" base unit, and figured out how they wirelessly connected. Sure enough, a tinkerer named Brandon Wilson recently did just that, and posted his results on his personal website. In return, he got an official cease-and-desist letter from Activision a few days later, telling him to take the findings down immediately. Wilson wrote a response to point out that most of Activision's accusations against him are inaccurate: He was not intending to share his findings with others (only saved them in a .zip file for his own personal use), and has no intention to circumvent the game at all, either by using the Skylanders hardware with an iOS device (since the technology is based on RFID), or by "tricking" the portal into thinking he owns a Skylanders figure when he doesn't. Despite all of that, however, Wilson has agreed to follow the cease-and-desist order. It seems a shame -- some of the most fun hacks have come out of toys both old and new, and if Wilson wants to dissect toys he's purchased for his own enjoyment, that seems reasonable. We've contacted Activision to try and get an official position; it's likely we haven't heard the last of this just yet.
12 Days of Joyswag: Nintendo 3DS plus eight games (and a ton of Skylanders)
Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Here we are, Christmas Eve. To pre-celebrate pre-Christmas, we're giving away a Flame Red Nintendo 3DS along with a pile of 3DS games. Here, let us list them for you: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (plus a gob of figurines!) Cave Story 3D Star Fox 64 (plus ... scarf?) Thor: God of Thunder Pokemon Rumble Blast Tetris Axis Super Mario 3D Land Resident Evil: Mercenaries Not a bad haul, right? All you have to do to be eligible to win this bounty is follow the rules found right past the break.
Skylanders wants to get your kids online with Spyro's Universe
Spyro is taking on the entire known universe with the beta launch of Skylanders: Spyro's Universe, a new MMO designed for youngsters (and the truly young at heart). Spyro's Universe includes customizable Skylands, mini-games that resemble other popular bird- and sheep-based titles, and a way to bring physical toys to life, in a virtual, not-really-alive-at-all sense. The above video explains it all, and those interested can sign up their children, little sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews or cousins on the Spyro's Universe beta page.
Toys R Us offers deals on Xbox 360, 3DS, Skylanders
Black Friday may be long gone, but that's not stopping Toys R Us from offering some last minute Christmas doorbuster deals this weekend. This Friday through Sunday, customers will receive a $60 gift card with the purchase of an Xbox 360 Kinect console bundle. You can also snag a $25 gift card with the purchase of any two video games priced $29.99 or higher. Next week, from December 20 through 10pm on Christmas Eve (sorry Toys R Us employees!), the retailer will also offer a pair of deals on Skylanders and the 3DS. First up, those who purchase a 3DS (in-store only) will snag a $35 gift card. Second, purchasing the Skylanders starter pack will net customers a free 3DS game worth up to $39.99. It's worth noting that the offer is valid only for "select" 3DS titles, though the press release makes no mention of which titles are exempted. Regardless, there's potential for some serious holiday savings if either of these things are on your list. Just remember, once you buy Skylanders, you will keep buying Skylanders.
Kotick: SWTOR better for Lucas than EA, Skylanders could sell out
Next month, Electronic Arts will release its second title this year meant to undermine the hearty foundations of cross-industry rival Activision. Last month Battlefield 3 went "above and beyond the call" – though notably didn't go above and beyond Modern Warfare 3's sales numbers or Xbox Live rankings – and next comes The Old Republic, which hopes to provide lapsing World of Warcraft subscribers with a Star Wars-flavored MMO-ternative. "Lucas is going to be the principal beneficiary of the success of Star Wars," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said at the Reuters Media Summit, referring to EA publishing partner (and more importantly Star Wars license owner!) LucasArts. "We've been in business with Lucas for a long time and the economics will always accrue to the benefit of Lucas, so I don't really understand how the economics work for Electronic Arts." Earlier this year, EA said half a million subscribers would be all it needed to make the immense investment in The Old Republic a profitable one. With more than 1.1 million players abandoning Azeroth between March and November of this year, EA won't have a hard time hitting that minimum, but longevity is the true sign of a successful MMO and something that WoW has in spades. While analysts and investors worry about Activision's lack of diversity in its portfolio, Kotick points out that Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure has outperformed expectations and the game's superpowered figurines run the risk of selling out. "(Skylanders) are in high demand," Kotick said. "Retailers across the board are concerned that they will be out of inventory well before Christmas." But can't Santa just make more? [Image credit: Flickr user yum9me]
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure review: Gotta buy 'em all
There's some primal need buried deep within the human psyche that's fulfilled by performing repetitive, simple acts and watching numbers rise slowly and compellingly as a consequence. Ask anyone who ever got hooked on a Blizzard game; it's powerful stuff. Now imagine combining that need with another that's just as enslaving ... say, collectible action figures. Like Pokémon, but with a $7.99 price tag on each 'mon. It's the kind of concept that makes rooms full of suited executives twirl their mustaches approvingly. It's exactly what Activision -- together with veteran Star Control developers Toys for Bob -- have done with Skylanders. As much ecosystem as game, the full Skylanders launch range comprises 32 three-inch plastic action figures (most sold separately), a disc-shaped "Portal of Power" peripheral, an assortment of add-on toys that work like DLC, and enough flashy packaging to give your garbage collector a bad back. Oh, and there's a kid-friendly button-mashing videogame buried under all that, too. %Gallery-131485%
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure animals want to say hi... with lasers
Are you a dog person? How about a cat person? No, we know what you are -- you're a mischievous pegasus who shoots lasers out of its horn person. You may not know it yet, but your soul can't lie to us. Just watch this video of Whirlwind from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and you'll feel those heartstrings tuggin'. If you're still not convinced that, deep down, you're a pretty unicorn with wings, check out the remaining four character vignettes for Skylanders and maybe you'll find your spirit animal. If not, let's just assume it's a sea cucumber.
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures compared visually
Activision sent new screens highlighting some of the (highly collectible!) characters of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Above: "Voodood," who looks kind of like a metal Cubone. Since the company sent screens of the Xbox 360, Wii, and 3DS versions, this is also a nice chance to see them next to each other, and figure out which world you want to zap your Spyro toys into.%Gallery-131485%%Gallery-131484%%Gallery-131483%
