Ben-DutkaIt's another billion-dollar franchise for Activision, and the train just continues to roll.
Today, Activision Publishing, Inc. has announced that combined sales of the Skylanders franchise (counting both Spyro's Adventure and Giants ) has topped $1 billion in worldwide retail sales; this is inclusive of all the toys and accessories available, and the milestone was reached in a mere 15 months. That's pretty damn quick.
Last year, combined sales of Skylanders toys outstripped the top action figure lines in the US and Europe, and that includes selling more than Beyblades, Star Wars and Transformers. Furthermore, as of January 2013, over 100 million toys have been sold at retail. Said Activision Publishing, Inc. CEO Eric Hirshberg:
"The Skylanders franchise became the first kids' videogame IP to cross the $1 billion mark in just 15 months4, and I think we are still just starting to realize its potential. We knew that the simple, but magical idea, of bringing your toys to life in a video game could change both the video game and the toy industries, and more importantly, change the way kids play. And this fall, we're looking forward to delivering to fans our latest break-through innovation, Skylanders SWAP Force™, which lets kids customize their own characters, bringing toys to life to a whole new level."
Skylanders: SWAP Force lets gamers reconfigure 16 special characters, thereby creating as many as 250 unique combinations. Kids can mix and match powers and moves, and see their creations come to life on the screen. On top of which, in addition to the new SWAP Force characters, the game will boast 32 core characters and 8 new LightCore fighters. Oh, and don't forget that your entire collection of Skylanders characters will be compatible with the new offering.
Between Call of Duty , World of Warcraft and Skylanders , it seems Activision is in an enviable position.
Related Game(s): Skylanders: SWAP Force
If anyone wonders how this thing manages to generate so much revenue, it's not the actual games, it's the toys that tie into it.
Activision, you've done it again. I don't know how or why? *clap hands
Bobby Kotick sure knows how to leech the revenue out of the peripheral market, that's for sure.
Just proud to say that I have invested $0 into Acti's latest money grab scheme.
I just wish everyone else had the same kind of willpower, then maybe they would focus on making good games, and not these garbage peripheral driven titles.
I am glad for the kids because it seems like something that they can really grab hold of – at the expense of their parents' wallets. lol. I hope that the Wonderbook has success, too. I find them both to be innovative.