LOS ANGELES – When Noah Tan saw these toys on the shelf, he had to have them.
The 4-year-old from a Toronto suburb is collecting a new genre of figurines built by companies like Activision Blizzard and Walt Disney. Like most toys, they’re painted with vibrant colors and posed in dramatic positions.
But these aren’t normal figurines: when placed on a special surface connected to a console and TV, they appear on the screen and can star in a video game.
To Tan, it’s part of their magic. “They have superpowers,” he said. He’s since collected at least 30 of these toys, often sold for about $15 apiece.
Tan, and many eager young players like him, are helping to change the video game industry.
Historically, game makers were confounded by children. Aside from a handful of successes, such as Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. and Pokemon franchises, efforts to make games for kids haven’t had great success despite the opportunity that comes with targeting that demographic.
That changed with the arrival of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, released in 2011 from Activision Blizzard. The game introduced customers to new figurine accessories and a “portal of power” with which to send the toys into the game. Sales have been steadily jumping, and other companies have rushed to offer their own takes on what has become a multibillion-dollar genre.
“From the first time a kid picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword, we’ve all brought toys to life in our minds,,” said Eric Hirshberg, head of Activision’s publishing arm. “This brings that fantasy closer to reality.”
Read the full piece at CNET:
http://www.cnet.com/news/from-skylanders-to-amiibo-video-games-embrace-the-toy/