darkSpyro

Sorry if this was posted already, I don't recall seeing it. Old news really, but I think this is the first report about the topic which I have seen.

http://gamerant.com/disney-inf...ife-game-sales/

Some selected quotes from this article.

Quote:

Reports indicate that Disney Infinity 3.0 is now the most popular toys-to-life video game, with its Star Wars content helping the game pull ahead of Skylanders.

Quote:

Reports indicate that Disney Infinity 3.0 games and toys have managed to pull in an astounding $200 million since its release this past August. It seems likely that most of this revenue is from the toys, not the actual video game, as the game only managed to appear on the top selling games of September 2015 chart, and has failed to crack the list since then.

Quote:

Another factor to consider is perhaps the gimmick from this year’s Skylanders didn’t resonate with consumers. This year’s game, Skylanders: SuperChargers, integrated vehicles into the Skylanders formula, with new gameplay mechanics built around the vehicles. While not a drastic departure from previous games in the series, it stands to reason that fans of the franchise just weren’t as interested in collecting vehicles as they are in collecting new character figures.

Of course they don't tell us what these "reports" actually are. I like to see source proof with my reporting as without it, it's just conjecture but I don't doubt what they are saying is inaccurate either.

I'd wager that Activision will turn mud into gold by claiming that they sold more starters, thus they are the better toys to life video game or some other trickery such as that to make them look good.

This was posted in one of the Skylanders doom and gloom threads in the toys and merchandise forum. There's really not much sense in discussing. It's only common sense that Star Wars would skyrocket sales for Disney Infinity. Disney played their hands with Marvel and Star Wars...now nowhere to go but down...right??? Activision hasn't helped themselves out any with Superchargers and it's quite ridiculous to be bringing up Disney Infinity when each franchise has completely different factors at play with regards to success/failure. I expect sales for both franchises to follow a downward trend next year.

Quote:

"Disney Infinity is now the top toys-to-life game on the market"

Cringe. The article should not say "Disney Infinity is the most popular Toys-to-Life game". It should say "Disney Infinity 3.0 was the most popular Toys-to-Life game of 2015".

Anyway, Skylanders is still more fun, creative and original. As long as it sells enough for it to continue, it's all good.

Yeah the real winner here is Star Wars, not Disney infinite .

I can guarantee that a lot of older Star Wars fans got the new Star Wars battlefront, realised there was no story mode, so resorted to DI to fulfil their Star Wars story lust. And the mini missions in DI barely count as a story iether, but it's more then battlefront.

Star Wars fans literally have no other option but to buy one or the other or both.

Not much of a difference. It's the same as the Activision article,where "reports" said they are doing well. Without source,we could even be looking at some made up stuff because of bias.

It's funny because I agree and "disagree" at the same time about the gimmick.
It's true, it didn't resonate well for me and felt a bit too forced an overfocused especially since it's something which doesn't integrate the normal gameplay but goes next to it.

Yet I would like to know how DI customers received their innovation.
Because if Star Wars is an "innovation" so are each year's new Skylanders.
No difference whatsoever in terms of gameplay.

For those that haven't tried 3.0, but have 2.0 or before - this year's version plays significantly better than previously. The sets are much more fun, and it is much easier to unlock the other figures to use in them (any Star Wars figure works in any Star Wars set as long as you find an easy to locate token). They also added those inexpensive other sets that allow you to use every figure. It finally reached the potential it had. There is rumor that there won't be a 4.0 anytime soon and they will take the Dimensions route and just keep adding content to the game through updates and new figures/sets. The reason they did better isn't just Star Wars, it is they kept doing what they did well, and they upped their game on the parts they were lacking.

Oh, and just because they did Star Wars this year doesn't mean they are done with Star Wars. They weren't done with Marvel this year even though it wasn't the central focus.

No doubt this year's game is better than the previous two, but I can't hear the word "innovation" when all they did besides perfectioning what was already there, was putting a new franchise in.
That's not innovative or game-changing at all.

I'm sure they will keep adding characters from both Marvel and Star Wars, all well as Disney and Pixar, but it certainly won't feel "exciting" as it was the first time.
Going the Dimensions' route would be a really good idea in this situation.

If you look at vgchartz the sales between all three are pretty much in dead heat, so without the specifics comparing the franchises this is just fluff to me. (Btw, I don't doubt the veracity, but give me numbers). Maybe they are comparing toy sales.

Is not a fair competition, Dinesy has taken advantage of star wars to improve their sales, but I still believe Skylanders is a better game in all terms imo.

They added vehicles and space flying, and weren't vehicles this year's "innovation" for Skylanders? Except you don't have to buy the vehicles for $15 each.

I do enjoy Skylanders (in fact I probably like Superchargers more than most people around here), but I'd say they are a lot closer in terms of gameplay now. Also, the Toy Box is still an awesome feature if you are into creating and adds a great deal of longevity.

vgchartz is also much more inaccurate for the base game these days, especially since Infinity and Skylanders both have digital options that use previous portals. The only real way to judge success is by figure sales since they really don't track digital sales of the base game.

Disney took advantage of Star Wars and Skylanders took advantage of Nintendo/Amiibo. Are you suggesting they shouldn't have done that so the competition would remain "fair"?

No, we're suggesting that Infinity already used up their two big sellers.

Their "innovation" in 2.0 was Marvel Comics, and their "innovation" in 3.0 was Star Wars. Other than that the games are exactly the same, meanwhile Skylanders at least tries to innovate, even if it doesn't work out.

So unless they buy Hasbro and put Transformers and My Little Pony into 4.0, then it's not gonna be the most popular for long.

Plus at least we don't blatantly copy splatoon.

Quote: defpally

For those that haven't tried 3.0, but have 2.0 or before - this year's version plays significantly better than previously. The sets are much more fun, and it is much easier to unlock the other figures to use in them (any Star Wars figure works in any Star Wars set as long as you find an easy to locate token). They also added those inexpensive other sets that allow you to use every figure. It finally reached the potential it had. There is rumor that there won't be a 4.0 anytime soon and they will take the Dimensions route and just keep adding content to the game through updates and new figures/sets. The reason they did better isn't just Star Wars, it is they kept doing what they did well, and they upped their game on the parts they were lacking.

Oh, and just because they did Star Wars this year doesn't mean they are done with Star Wars. They weren't done with Marvel this year even though it wasn't the central focus.

I've never played an Infinity game but I've heard that you cannot play any character on any level thay you feel like. Is that still true? If I want to play Jasmine on the Star Wars level then I'm out of luck.

Quote: fairyland

Quote: defpally

For those that haven't tried 3.0, but have 2.0 or before - this year's version plays significantly better than previously. The sets are much more fun, and it is much easier to unlock the other figures to use in them (any Star Wars figure works in any Star Wars set as long as you find an easy to locate token). They also added those inexpensive other sets that allow you to use every figure. It finally reached the potential it had. There is rumor that there won't be a 4.0 anytime soon and they will take the Dimensions route and just keep adding content to the game through updates and new figures/sets. The reason they did better isn't just Star Wars, it is they kept doing what they did well, and they upped their game on the parts they were lacking.

Oh, and just because they did Star Wars this year doesn't mean they are done with Star Wars. They weren't done with Marvel this year even though it wasn't the central focus.

I've never played an Infinity game but I've heard that you cannot play any character on any level thay you feel like. Is that still true? If I want to play Jasmine on the Star Wars level then I'm out of luck.

Correct. Story levels are restricted to characters from it. Kinda ruins the experience a bit.

Quote: defpally

Oh, and just because they did Star Wars this year doesn't mean they are done with Star Wars. They weren't done with Marvel this year even though it wasn't the central focus.

Of course not...if a simple rinse & repeat formula still produces profits, you better bet that they'll be releasing more Marvel and Star Wars characters. It's just not a solution for long term success. Personally, I think the death of Toys to Life is near, so companies just don't care to think long term. I would be VERY surprised if either Activision or Disney have a 3 year game plan for their Toys to Life franchises. The novelty is wearing off and the cash grab has a finite life cycle despite each franchise having their "must have them all" collector base. The big innovation several years ago was the concept of Toys to Life...there really is no major innovation to be had within the Toys to Life franchises.

I agree TTL is losing luster, but I think Disney and Lego are on to something here. Turn it into an expansion type thing and it will last longer. Stop going for the Starter dip every year, and just add sets/characters - they have a very solid base to work. They have tons and tons of potential Sets and figures from all the franchises they own. Zootopia already has a couple new Infinity figures coming out, and Finding Dory will no doubt as well. Then, next year we have Star Wars again, and Marvel has new movies and a vast stable of characters.

I think we are reaching the point where a full Starter and stable of new characters is just not going to be feasible. I hope whatever TfB is coming up with has future expansion in mind or they will put a stake through the heart of Skylanders.

Quote: AdamGregory03

No, we're suggesting that Infinity already used up their two big sellers.

Their "innovation" in 2.0 was Marvel Comics, and their "innovation" in 3.0 was Star Wars. Other than that the games are exactly the same, meanwhile Skylanders at least tries to innovate, even if it doesn't work out.

So unless they buy Hasbro and put Transformers and My Little Pony into 4.0, then it's not gonna be the most popular for long.

I've got new for you bro, Star Wars has been popular for almost 30 years. It isn't about to be "used up" after a few months in Infinity. They can play that for years and not run out of things to do. And that doesn't even begin to touch Disney's property stable. Indiana Jones? All the planned Marvel movies? Episode 8? Pixar? Zootopia? Did you know they already have a Peter Pan playset planned for later this year? That's the point, there is good information that there won't be a 4.0 anytime soon. They have a large enough toolkit they can just build upon with updates.

And they added space vehicle flight in 3.0, which was not in 2.0 as well as much expanded use in normal levels. So what you are basically saying is Infinity has Skylander's vehicle "innovation" and Star Wars which you also consider an "innovation". Oh, and don't forget they also added Inside Out playset and figures from several other franchises. They also did not deprecate last year's innovation like traps were basically made useless. You might want to stop doing the defending, because you aren't actually helping.

But I still don't see how Infinity selling well affects Skylanders.

Quote: AdamGregory03

But I still don't see how Infinity selling well affects Skylanders.

It really doesn't. At least beyond parents only being able to afford one franchise for their child.

Personally, I like Skylanders a lot. I just hate to see people dissing Disney Infinity that either haven't played it, haven't played since an earlier version or base their opinion on a few minute demo at a store or a friend's house. It's a very good game now, with excellent quality figures and a clearly superior release strategy. Most people that trash it are just afraid it will kill Skylanders - when the truth is Activison is the one that is going to kill Skylanders eventually with business decisions.

It's true, vehicles weren't the innovation I wanted or expected either (since they didn't add anything new to the normal gameplay) and I'm absolutely not saying they were "mind-blowing".
But so weren't Marvel and Star Wars.

Disney can, will and should use all of its franchise but none of them will be worth the term "innovation".

Quote:

I've never played an Infinity game but I've heard that you cannot play any character on any level thay you feel like. Is that still true? If I want to play Jasmine on the Star Wars level then I'm out of luck.

Jasmine is a toybox character and wont work in a Starwars Level game although you can tweak toybox to look like starwars or play an online custom starwars toybox game .

Toybox is a free for all do what you want area and combine anyone or anything .

Quote: defpally

They added vehicles and space flying, and weren't vehicles this year's "innovation" for Skylanders? Except you don't have to buy the vehicles for $15 each.

I do enjoy Skylanders (in fact I probably like Superchargers more than most people around here), but I'd say they are a lot closer in terms of gameplay now. Also, the Toy Box is still an awesome feature if you are into creating and adds a great deal of longevity.

vgchartz is also much more inaccurate for the base game these days, especially since Infinity and Skylanders both have digital options that use previous portals. The only real way to judge success is by figure sales since they really don't track digital sales of the base game.

Disney took advantage of Star Wars and Skylanders took advantage of Nintendo/Amiibo. Are you suggesting they shouldn't have done that so the competition would remain "fair"?

What I mean is that Disney relys heavily of the popularity of it's characters rather than of the quality of their games. Sure, is legit to do that, they own the rights and they use them, but imagine for a moment Disney Inifnity was a game witohut the "disney" name on it and without any popular characters... would it be the first option for TTL fans? I doubt it. Not saying DI is a bad game, caz it is a very good one, but SSC is better imo.

If we strip both games of their "popular" stuff (spyro, skymiibos for skylanders and nearly eveything for disney) who would win on the sales competition?

Activision has a lot of merit here, they create something from zero, and while it's financial and promotional power is far from Disney's, we can still see their toys alongside Star wars on the shelves. That says a lot about Skylanders.

Quote: angelg

What I mean is that Disney relys heavily of the popularity of it's characters rather than of the quality of their games. Sure, is legit to do that, they own the rights and they use them, but imagine for a moment Disney Inifnity was a game witohut the "disney" name on it and without any popular characters... would it be the first option for TTL fans? I doubt it. Not saying DI is a bad game, caz it is a very good one, but SSC is better imo.

If we strip both games of their "popular" stuff (spyro, skymiibos for skylanders and nearly eveything for disney) who would win on the sales competition?

Activision has a lot of merit here, they create something from zero, and while it's financial and promotional power is far from Disney's, we can still see their toys alongside Star wars on the shelves. That says a lot about Skylanders.

Then you haven't played it lately, which is what I was saying. The game greatly improved this year - to the point of it being a good game, not just a good Disney/Star Wars game. And, Infinity has the Toy Box which is great if you like to make stuff and it is much easier to use that now as well. So, I think in a generic face off Infinity would win due to the Toy Box. SSC does fighting, but not as well as Diablo. It does driving, but not as well as Mario Kart.

But who cares, they have their licenses, and being able to play Iron Man/etc. in worlds you create is fantastic. You can usually only play figures in their own plaset, but that also changed this year, any Star Wars toy works in any Star Wars playset, you just have to find an easily located token. They also have other game set (Toy Box Takeover, etc/) that let you use any figure in a storyline playset - my son and I played that with Hulkbuster and Luke Skywalker and it actually rivaled the fun of Skylanders.

Saying Infinity is good isn't a dig at Skylanders unless you are a fanboy.

Quote: henryszuch

I just don't see how Infinity 4.0 is going to sell (as a new game/starter pack). Sure they have a few new characters from pixar/marvel/star wars but they don't have a big new selling point. And I have to agree with the people above, Skylanders actually innovates, and comes up with new gameplay (not to mention the plot) where as even though Disney Infinity may make gameplay improvements, their biggest selling points are other franchises.

The current word right now is there will not be a 4.0 this year. They are adding via DLC and new Story Packs that aren't in the game yet. Peter Pan is one of them that is due out in the August/September timeframe (when a new version would normally come out). It will be for 3.0.

But, there are still many themes they could use. Mickey Mouse theme (Goofy, Pluto, etc.). Indiana Jones. More Star Wars. Pixar. Classic movies (full story packs for Lion King, Aladdin, Little Mermaid). Duck tales. Rescue Rangers. Darkwing Duck (oh yes, this please). They have an endless supply of themes to use. Did you know they are rebooting Pete's Dragon this year? Finding Nemo is getting a sequel this summer. Jungle Book has a live action version as well this year. Captain America 3 and Doctor Strange also this year. Star Wars is also getting a spin off movie this December.

Quote: defpally

Quote: henryszuch

I just don't see how Infinity 4.0 is going to sell (as a new game/starter pack). Sure they have a few new characters from pixar/marvel/star wars but they don't have a big new selling point. And I have to agree with the people above, Skylanders actually innovates, and comes up with new gameplay (not to mention the plot) where as even though Disney Infinity may make gameplay improvements, their biggest selling points are other franchises.

The current word right now is there will not be a 4.0 this year. They are adding via DLC and new Story Packs that aren't in the game yet. Peter Pan is one of them that is due out in the August/September timeframe (when a new version would normally come out). It will be for 3.0.

But, there are still many themes they could use. Mickey Mouse theme (Goofy, Pluto, etc.). Indiana Jones. More Star Wars. Pixar. Classic movies (full story packs for Lion King, Aladdin, Little Mermaid). Duck tales. Rescue Rangers. Darkwing Duck (oh yes, this please). They have an endless supply of themes to use. Did you know they are rebooting Pete's Dragon this year? Finding Nemo is getting a sequel this summer. Jungle Book has a live action version as well this year. Captain America 3 and Doctor Strange also this year. Star Wars is also getting a spin off movie this December.

While I do agree not having a Disney Infinity 4.0 is a good idea and having play sets via DLC may increase the longevity of Disney's Toys to Life franchise, DLC is not for everybody. I own a Wii U deluxe edition and I got my copy of Trap Team for it via download code (free with purchase of Trap Team Wii). Between that download and the multitude of DLC updates which come with pretty much every game (I also have all the Mario Kart DLC w/new tracks), my hard drive barely has any free space on it. While I do understand hardcore gamers have additional drives for space, DLC for simpler gamers such as myself is getting out of hand...I don't want to have to buy any add-ons for additional space and I'm sure your novice and young gamers playing Skylanders & Disney Infinity don't want to bother with that either. What's the point of buying games on disc anymore if you need to download massive files of patches and updates before you even get an opportunity to play your game? I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels DLC and it's use of hard drive space is getting out of hand.

I think that is exactly the route Disney Infinity should go.
They have thousands of world famous franchises and they should take full advantage of that but none of them will justify another full fledged game.

Regarding DLCs and digital updates I partially agree.
It's true they might end up taking away a lot of space but I'm pretty sure updates in general aren't as big as sold separately digital DLCs, usually because developers can work directly on the game everyone has, making it ready to receive the new features for free.

I'm pretty sure TtL's DLCs will always be part digital (free updates) and part or completely physical (figures and playsets) and that's a thing we are already used to.
Maybe Disney's plannings were already soo well thought that they already have everything they need for the next 3 years or more on the disc without needing any single upgrade.
I think it's not a possibility to exclude.

Quote: defpally

Quote: angelg

What I mean is that Disney relys heavily of the popularity of it's characters rather than of the quality of their games. Sure, is legit to do that, they own the rights and they use them, but imagine for a moment Disney Inifnity was a game witohut the "disney" name on it and without any popular characters... would it be the first option for TTL fans? I doubt it. Not saying DI is a bad game, caz it is a very good one, but SSC is better imo.

If we strip both games of their "popular" stuff (spyro, skymiibos for skylanders and nearly eveything for disney) who would win on the sales competition?

Activision has a lot of merit here, they create something from zero, and while it's financial and promotional power is far from Disney's, we can still see their toys alongside Star wars on the shelves. That says a lot about Skylanders.

Then you haven't played it lately, which is what I was saying. The game greatly improved this year - to the point of it being a good game, not just a good Disney/Star Wars game. And, Infinity has the Toy Box which is great if you like to make stuff and it is much easier to use that now as well. So, I think in a generic face off Infinity would win due to the Toy Box. SSC does fighting, but not as well as Diablo. It does driving, but not as well as Mario Kart.

But who cares, they have their licenses, and being able to play Iron Man/etc. in worlds you create is fantastic. You can usually only play figures in their own plaset, but that also changed this year, any Star Wars toy works in any Star Wars playset, you just have to find an easily located token. They also have other game set (Toy Box Takeover, etc/) that let you use any figure in a storyline playset - my son and I played that with Hulkbuster and Luke Skywalker and it actually rivaled the fun of Skylanders.

Saying Infinity is good isn't a dig at Skylanders unless you are a fanboy.

I do own Disney Inifnity 3.0. but only the starter pack. I do see DI is a good game as I mentioned before, I'm not putting up criticism just for the sake of doing so, but I enjoy more Skylanders overall, especially with the last release. Believe me, I wouldn't have any problem to admit DI was a better game if i truly believe it. As I said earlier, they have to rely on other aspects different from the characters in order to have some appeal on the audiences, that's why we always see more innovation on Skylanders series and not on Disney's. I don't see the story od Disney's playsets are as well written and implemented as SSC did, neither I see that lovely level design of Skylander's, not to mention the battle gameplay seems more fluid and precise in Activision's franchise.

Sadly (or fortunately) the feeling of wielding a light saber or flying with Thor's hammer proves to be something very appealing, regardless of the quality of the implementation.

Activision can't just pull off a 4000 million dollars check to buy great works, neither have they dozens of years on their backs of promotional work, omovies, shows, tv channel and amusements parks to sustain their products. Activision only has the quality of their games and the innovatin they may brought up with each release. Sure, these may not be everyone's cup of tea, but at least there's an appreciable effort which goes beyond the characters.

Is true there are also improvements on DI apart from "adding star wars" just for the sake of adding it (apart from the ones you mentioned the graphics are better and the scenarios don't feel that empty anymore), but I do see a bigger step with each Skylander release than with Disney's. One huge advancement for Disney would be to be able to play as any character in any world, like an avenger at tatooine. I'm also looking forward to be able to play as lesser known characters like terrence (quite ironic I say this).

I also believe there are certain aspects where DI performs better: flight mechanics and the quality of the figures (I know people will disagree here), something which Activision should really put an eye on. But considering all the aspects, I would still prefer Skylander.

We have all grown up with Disney characters, there's a lot of love for these and this may influence the judgement of their products.

While I think DI is an ok game, It really needs to work on it's story mode and side missions after a while it just feels too samey. Now I don't think skylanders is perfect but it's side offerings are more enjoyable and with that being said there is still plenty of room for improvement. I do think skylanders does the characters better though (not counting reposes). Most of disneys characters move sets are very similar.

I would've also disagree. It's selling because of Star Wars, that's it.
Tbh, every where I go I see less LD on the shelves more than DI or SSC because not only do you have a t2l game, but actual stuff you can build and rebuild. Also, with DI and Skylanders, you need a new portal with each game. LD eliminated that, plus Legos are quite popular despite the high cost for them. Beginning of the year, Lego introduced a new line of products that follow Legend of Chima and Ninjago in originality...Nexo Knights. It's medieval combined with science, magic vs. technology. The villains use magic while the heroes use technology to battle each other.
Lego could even add these as future packs to LD.
There's no limit to what LD could do.
Plus...on 1/26, the new Lego Marvel's Avengers game comes out, with enough DLC to put the playable characters' list to over 200

Lego Dimensions isn't that bad if you just pay attention to sales. You can score the starter for like half off, and I've been stocking up on the fun packs from Best Buy for $6 each (with GCU) to give to the kids down the road.

And if you think Infinity is selling just because Star Wars, that was true, early on - but now people have played the game, and realized it is significantly better this year. I was playing the prequels adventure set and the Toy Box Takeover set with my son and surprised at how much fun we were having.

I actually agree with defpally that DI 3.0 is really good this year. They improved it quite a lot, I couldn't get into 2.0 because it was just so buggy (especially on the Wii U) and boring, but 3.0 fixed every issue I had, when I play it, I actually feel like I'm having fun and not like I'm about to fall asleep, which is quite an improvement. Also, you don't need a new base for it if you buy the digital version for $20.

Infinity has Star Wars,
They should be at the point where they can just print their own money

Star Wars has a multi generational fan base . Hard to compete with that. Do you know how much easier it is to nag daddykins to overpay for a brand name franchise product if he loved it as a kiddy .

Heck i am sure some daddy,s did not even wait but grabbed it and shoved it down lil bobby,s throat , who was actually wanting to beg for a skylander .

I wouldn't consider it "shoving it down their throats". It really isn't hard to spark an interest in Star Wars with young boys, especially with the new excellent movie. My youngest isn't too into Star Wars yet, but he likes figures and he loves playing Luke Skywalker that has both a blaster and a lightsaber. He likes games where you can wander around and do what you want, the open world Infinity playsets really appeal to him - having a forced path like in Skylanders with well defined goals turns him off. He also really likes the addition of ships in 3.0, being able to hop in a Snow Speeder and fly around is really fun for him.

Another thing that really improved this year is options where character selection isn't as limited. Any of the Star Wars playsets can use any of the Star Wars figures, though ones that aren't directly involved in the story you have to find a token. In 2.0, the few cases where this was true you had to find 10 hard to find tokens, this year the token only take one, are easy to find and out in the open. Then you have the Toy Box Takeover, and inexpensive expansion where you can use any figure in a quality playset story with some unique features (like sidekicks). They also have the Marvel Battlegrounds coming out that you can use any Marvel figure and it adds four player battle mode (a very missed mode in Skylanders) - you can pre-order (*gasp*) that right now at Best Buy for $20, it comes with a new Captain America and they give you deal for a free additional 2.0 Marvel figure. After GCU, that's $16 for two figures and an expansion set.