darkSpyro

Ummmm you might want to read this
http://www.skylandersinquirer....-booth-e3-year/

i hope sky 6 is announced before then.

Let the doomsaying commence!

Like I posed on that page: GOOD, I hope there will be no E3 exclusive (did not mind the chase ones) but the last 2 in-game ones where a nightmare for collectors. That said I will miss there E3 presence.

Daaaaaang. Oh well. Man, at this point, who knows when we will get info on Sky 6. Seems Acti doesn't have much faith in the brand anymore.

"Disney Infinity also will not have a booth at E3 this year."

Tbfh this worries me.

Activision is one of many big players that are simply pulling out of E3. E3 has been dying for years now - PAX, for better or worse, is the main gaming expo anymore.

Well, at least Infinity is giving briefings and keeping their customers informed. Case in point. Today. Small reveal and they plan on doing it regularly. Skylanders used to do it, but it went from big reveal, to small reveal, to nothing at all... it seems.

Again, I don't care either way. Infinity laid it's cards on the table, so it's only right they don't have a booth. It's Skylanders that's still gonna try and sell everyone on YET another starter pack while the competition promises you won't need a new starter this year, thus saving their customers money.

Quote: GameMaster78

Well, at least Infinity is giving briefings and keeping their customers informed. Case in point. Today. Small reveal and they plan on doing it regularly. Skylanders used to do it, but it went from big reveal, to small reveal, to nothing at all... it seems.

Again, I don't care either way. Infinity laid it's cards on the table, so it's only right they don't have a booth. It's Skylanders that's still gonna try and sell everyone on YET another starter pack while the competition promises you won't need a new starter this year, thus saving their customers money.

Also those new figures need internet to use them. For Parents this will be confusing as to why the new characters do not work. That's a advantage Skylanders has over DI and LD.

Quote: GameMaster78

It's Skylanders that's still gonna try and sell everyone on YET another starter pack while the competition promises you won't need a new starter this year, thus saving their customers money.

No one had to buy a new Starter Pack this year?

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: GameMaster78

It's Skylanders that's still gonna try and sell everyone on YET another starter pack while the competition promises you won't need a new starter this year, thus saving their customers money.

No one had to buy a new Starter Pack this year?

Yes but you had to buy a new game, Disney infinity is giving a free update that adds all the new figures and levels. No starter pack or (digital starter) required, only an internet connection.

Tbh I expect they're doing something crazy. Watch them go all out with this game. Hopefully they realize that the franchise is dying, toys to life had its nice run, but now people are forgetting about it. They now need to get people into it again.

I'm quite watchful if Skylanders turned into something dumber or anything other else. What's the mystery about Activision plans as it's going off the pattern?

Is Activision finally delaying a game?

They sais they're annoucing a new one this year, so turn down the pitchforks. Though, they did the same to Battlecast, and it just stopped appearing despite being playable where it soft launched.

This is just odd overall. The companies phasing out of E3 were the ones that people on the streams react negatively to hard. Acti is a bit of a mehfest, but nobody hates them as much as Microsoft's presentations or Ubi(who already took the toys to their own sandbox).

No Toy Fair and no E3... I wonder if we're reading too much into the article, and they're follwoinf the other guys' examples and FINALLY having a spinoff year instead?

I don't think this means anything significant, similar to their decision not to announce new games at toy fair/e3 a while back.

I agree with others that I don't think this is anything to be worried about. Point being they already have said there is a Skylander game coming this year.
As for brands sake however I think the next game HAS to be good and can't be another mixed opinion skylander entry.

Well, this isn't that bad.

Actually it might even mean we are getting the announcement even sooner since Activision will "still have a presence" at the event, will probably have playable demos there and I sincerely doubt they would reveal it after E3.

I wouldn't mind a spin-off really but not after SuperChargers.
No, what I need this year is the proper Skylanders experience the fifth game didn't give me.
Next year they can do whatever they want but I personally want a real Skylanders experience as soon as possible.

activision just put all the superchargers on a fire sale, now they cant afford a e3 booth by the look of it.

no more good times for you activision....

Doom and gloom, feels over facts, as long as you get to do baseless criticism.

Where can I even begin picking that apart? Maybe Gamestop doing the sale and not Acti? Maybe the fact that no Skylanders booth doesn't mean that Activision isn't going? Maybe the sheer lack of understanding none of those are related?

i see you still live in your own bubble, thats nothing new.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

i see you still live in your own bubble, thats nothing new.

Shes right. Were making assumptions, this might not be bad at all.

I wonder how fun it is to come to a forum only to write replies that basically repeat the same negative thoughts over and over.

well some of us are not on prozac, when it comes to this game series and choose to face the reality... let me quote gamemaster87, he just says it as it is when it comes to activision, the truth. i agree 100% with him.

Quote:

Well, what did they expect? Horrible show of customer loyalty and appreciation, horrible release of product, not releasing all products as intended, and removing gameplay aspects from games while making collections feel useless.

Heck they don't even do press conferences anymore, and now it's the only TTL franchise that will ask us for a starter pack every year, seeing as Infinity announced today you don't need to buy a 4.0 starter this year, when they held their little live stream today.

I honestly don't think Acti cares and it will reflect as more customers flock to the competition or elsewhere altogether.

Well, just because they won't have a booth, that doesn't mean they won't have anything regarding the game. Like you know how some people get behind-the-scenes access, and they even said they plan on having demos.

And in terms of actually revealing the game, they usually do that at least a couple months before E3, so I think it's safe to say we'll have info on it either way.

If I live in a bubble, CMB must live in the alternate world where Activision Store sells skylanders and they're making a sale to raise funds for the only game announcing event that exists there.

But I'm used to assuming for the sake of it. If they announce it before E3, they won't need a booth, just demos or a trailer or something. They've been keeping a tight grip on info for SC even before release, who knows if they won't do like Ubisoft and start their own thing for some ego stroking.

Quote: skylandersspyro

Also those new figures need internet to use them. For Parents this will be confusing as to why the new characters do not work. That's a advantage Skylanders has over DI and LD.

Disney Infinity is not available for console that do not integrate updates seamlessly. They don't have to worry about Wii or 3DS users. Updates on the rest of the consoles and PC are as simple as connecting them to the Internet. It's time we stopped letting the tiny percentage of people that refuse to pay for Internet drive the car.

You are REALLY stretching if you think that is an advantage to be anchored by older technology.

They integrate now though, someday those servers will close - could be in a decase or even less. Yeah, we have faulty Nightfall as well, but it was a mistake, they didn't plan an update for a physical figure to work.
But of course, it's not TTL exclusive, digital games losing functionality and disappearing from history because they need servers to work started happening already.
(I'm not going 'omg digital games are evil', I'm not speaking of stuff you download once and just miss out on patches, I mean dead MMOs, etc)

Quote: Bifrost

They integrate now though, someday those servers will close - could be in a decase or even less. Yeah, we have faulty Nightfall as well, but it was a mistake, they didn't plan an update for a physical figure to work.
But of course, it's not TTL exclusive, digital games losing functionality and disappearing from history because they need servers to work started happening already.
(I'm not going 'omg digital games are evil', I'm not speaking of stuff you download once and just miss out on patches, I mean dead MMOs, etc)

It will be a long, long time until that happens - and almost everyone will be long past caring. They just shut down the PSP storefront yesterday - but patches and already purchased games are still fully accessible and will be indefinitely. One could even point out that the RFID chips in figures will give out before the server support disappears.

MMOs are different. They are sold as a service you pay for each month. When the user base decreases to the point of not justifying the servers anymore, they do shut down - like Asheron's Call.

Oh, patches(And with it content patches) are acessible? Didn't know that. Well, as long as the basics are kept I guess it's somewhat fine - you'll still be able to play most of the game with most of its functions, even if multiplayer can't be helped.

Let's just say that this means that E3 not Skylanders is dying.

Quote: ninja9351

Let's just say that this means that E3 not Skylanders is dying.

...How so, exactly?

Correct, CMB. I say it like it is. Problem with people in the world is they try to walk on eggshells and we're quick to defend bad choices from big corporations. This brand decides to alienate it's customers with the whole trap debacle, so it's a sign of what's to come.

I don't expect this years game to be anything to write home about. That's my opinion and some will say it will be good. I will never defend or have shades over my eyes when I witness bad business. It's just a sign of the things to come. Bad business can be many things. Poor handling of releases, not communicating with your customers. No hyping newest product. Not valuing past purchases, etc.

It's whatever though. Whatever happens happens. It is what it is.

Maybe they will spend more time on the game this year to make the sales go up again. Honestly I think this year we will get something totally unexpected because no one really has any ideas what the new gimmick could be.

But something's guaranteed; you two will agree no matter how many straws are getting grasped.

Is not being on E3 going to affect things? We can't know until it happens. Are there issues with Acti for them to skip? Could be, could be not and just another odd decision for no good reason, could just be following the leader on DI but not having much of an excuse themselves. Defalting every happening to 'Activision is ruining the series' doesn't make you sound right, just extremely repetitive. I complain about Guha Bala ego stroking over Superchargers with the same words every time but you guys are no different.

I gotta say as much as I'm disappointed with activision (and yes there is alot to be disappointed about)...I think there going to blow everyone's socks off with the next game..with cartoons and other great things on the horizon...Just remember it's easy to point out the flaws of the games...but look at all the fun you have had up till now...just hold on a little longer..I have faith!

Quote: Bifrost

But something's guaranteed; you two will agree no matter how many straws are getting grasped.

Is not being on E3 going to affect things? We can't know until it happens. Are there issues with Acti for them to skip? Could be, could be not and just another odd decision for no good reason, could just be following the leader on DI but not having much of an excuse themselves. Defalting every happening to 'Activision is ruining the series' doesn't make you sound right, just extremely repetitive. I complain about Guha Bala ego stroking over Superchargers with the same words every time but you guys are no different.

here we go again....

Well, I don't see it as a big deal to be honest, neither as a negative meaning towards skylanders. I think is has to do with E3 becoming less popular, and that's all. DI won't have it neither and I don't see anybody saying is gonna die anytime soon.

I've had the chance to work at expos at my country and the prices of stands are ridicously high, is not a decision to be taken lightly and tbh (as a business student myself) I don't see it as a good investment, as there is a fair amount of resources to be invested and the return is quite uncertain. If they are keeping the funds to focus on other advertising strategies, development itself or even related stuff ( production of the CGI series, etc) I can see the logic of it, and would probably take a similar decision if I was to be the financial manager.

Bethesda never had a E3 conference until last year, yet they delivered one of the most popular games of all time (Skyrim, fallout ,etc). Building an awesome game is, indeed, a powerful marketing tool in itself.

TFB is perfectly able to deliver a good, solid and enjoyable game, and that's already half of the marketing strategy you need.

Competition in the TTL genre is a long term race, you gotta hold your breath at times to be able to sprint when necessary.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Bifrost

But something's guaranteed; you two will agree no matter how many straws are getting grasped.

Is not being on E3 going to affect things? We can't know until it happens. Are there issues with Acti for them to skip? Could be, could be not and just another odd decision for no good reason, could just be following the leader on DI but not having much of an excuse themselves. Defalting every happening to 'Activision is ruining the series' doesn't make you sound right, just extremely repetitive. I complain about Guha Bala ego stroking over Superchargers with the same words every time but you guys are no different.

here we go again....

Not entirely sure what point you're trying to get across with that video...

But I honestly have no idea why you and GameMaster are saying this is a "bad business decision". I mean, it's not like the game won't be at E3, again, they specifically said they'll have demos. It could also be that E3 simply denied them a booth. There are plenty of games that don't get shown off at E3 and yet they do just fine.

Could you have these responses in text form, please? It's lagging enough as it is with so many embeds.

Oh yeah, angelg, quality of an expo is also a factor. There's this Brazil Games Show here which had Skylanders booths until Swap Force. Come 2014, Acti just has COD and Destiny, and Devolver manages to have more game stands than them. I was upset at that and several other companies with one or two games on display until I found out more than half the con's space were used for a bookstore that overprices to the ends of earth despite having horrible stock and tourneys for DOTA2 and LOL. You can imagine the crowd, and yeah if I was Acti I'd downsize as much as possible because it just isn't worth it; the majority is going there for MOBAs and sales.
That's not to say it must be E3's case, I just mean even the country's biggest con can stop being worth it if they're not following your target audience.

Quote: Bifrost

Could you have these responses in text form, please? It's lagging enough as it is with so many embeds.

Oh yeah, angelg, quality of an expo is also a factor. There's this Brazil Games Show here which had Skylanders booths until Swap Force. Come 2014, Acti just has COD and Destiny, and Devolver manages to have more game stands than them. I was upset at them until I found out more than half the con's space were used for a bookstore that overprices to the ends of earth despite having horrible stock and tourneys for DOTA2 and LOL. You can imagine the crowd, and yeah if I was Acti I'd downsize as much as possible because it just isn't worth it; the majority is going there for MOBAs and sales.

That's exactly my feeling: is not worth it. I feel there are other ways in which resources can be used more efficiently.

I try to remember how I used to be as a kid, and definitely E3 was not my reference point for my christmas letter to Santa. Indeed, tv shows, adverts on kid's primetime, good games or even the cereal's art had more power over my wishes than these expos.

There are dozens of examples of businesses incredibly succesful which make very little to none promotion (zara, primark, anyone?), so this doesn't worry me at all, in fact, I see it as something positive, as Activision may have realized that they will not able to reach DI characters popularity with traidtional promotion as this would a Goliath vs David duel. What they can do, though, is bring in attention by other means (skylanders tv show for instance) and even go a step ahead in the cross over hinted in SSC.

One thing or another, I'm sure Activision has an ace up the sleeve.

Eh, that can only mean we can expect more surprises. The less we know, the more suspense! Come on guys, think positive about this!

Oh don't get me wrong. The game will most likely be at e3, but that's not saying much. Indie games will be at e3, too. However, Acti is trying to compete against brands that don't alienate their customers, give information on upcoming releases without having to wait until e3, always release things on schedule, don't NOT release all products intended to be released, and now don't ask you to buy a starter pack this year.

So, you'd figure since Disney Infinity NEXT will air more often than Acti airs anything Skylanders related hinting at the future, Acti would do the same. NOPE! They'll just show his years game the same way every other game is shown, behind closed doors and only for 3 days until the show ends.

Meanwhile, John Viggawhateverhisnameis will air a new Disney Infinity Next and also give a hint at what will be shown in the next episode. They hold ballots to try and help popular characters get released and they value past collections, unlike past Skylanders in the past two games. Heck, even past play set items unlock toys for Toy Box, instead of acting like a vanity item that can be broken once a day.

That's called staying in touch with customers somehow, someway and guess what, they're reaping the rewards of that, by being number 1 in the TTL category. Hard work and customer loyalty and trust is well fitting of being number 1. Laziness, however, gets you nowhere.

So Skylanders went from something special, to sake as every other game. Only befitting of a three day showing at a show closed to the public.

Edit: oh and in alienating customers by handing out free products intended for release (yawn traps) to some and not all, I'm sure some will be quick to say "b-b-b-but, port strike. Not Actis fault." That's the lamest crap I've heard. A port strike would affect most products inbound, but guess what? I never had a problem during that time, getting new Infinity figures day and date of release.

"B-b-but, they can't start up old toys when new toys need to be made." Lame again. If this brand cared about loyalty to its customers, it would do whatever in its power to make sure those who want to complete their collections, had the chance. These traps could be manufactured for a short period, allowing those who care to get some, to get some. They could make them as preorder incentives for whatever Sky 6 ends up being (hopefully a good game). There is no excuses, seeing as their repair department still has some. Speaking of which, when people call foul over it, they will shut down the conversation by ignoring you. Customer loyalty? Such a good show of it.

I will say this. And this shows what Acti is pulling when it comes to consumer confidence. I had gotten these three traps locally. I paid over 100 each to someone I assume got them from overseas. They ended up not working. Without going too far into the story, I can say that I threw them away, seeing as their website doesn't state needing to return them like figures need to be returned. I call a week after throwing them away. They say I can't get any without sending them back, yet people were calling and getting them for free, and mine needed actual replacing. I contact Acitivision Support. Was told the same thing. I say "well if people can call and get them for free, why can't I get my broke ones replaced without mailing them back?" Guess what? I was ignored.

I got all kinds of pictures showing my lines of communication with Activision on the matter. They shut me down by ignoring me, instead of facing the situation they created.

Quote: GameMaster78

I will say this. And this shows what Acti is pulling when it comes to consumer confidence. I had gotten these three traps locally. I paid over 100 each to someone I assume got them from overseas. They ended up not working. Without going too far into the story, I can say that I threw them away, seeing as their website doesn't state needing to return them like figures need to be returned. I call a week after throwing them away. They say I can't get any without sending them back, yet people were calling and getting them for free, and mine needed actual replacing. I contact Acitivision Support. Was told the same thing. I say "well if people can call and get them for free, why can't I get my broke ones replaced without mailing them back?" Guess what? I was ignored.

They ignored you because your story is so farfetched...

Not releasing Yawn traps is a tiny drop in the bucket. Very few fans collect all the figures, even less collected traps. Most fans that are the bread and butter probably didn't even realize they existed beyond the complaining here. Take whatever complaints you have as a collector, then throw them out the window - because you are a tiny sliver of the fans.

Actual complaints are the games not really wowing people anymore. People deciding they have spent enough on the plastic figures and what it gets them. Prices went up without an increase in quality or value. People that really pushed this game off the ground when it new are aging out of it. Several good quality competitors. And yes, release strategy is a factor as well - but not from our perspective. There is no hype of upcoming things because Activision is so darn silent about it, no one can really look forward to when stuff will come out. Kids need time to plan out birthdays/etc., and not knowing when something comes out or where you can get it makes it hard to put it on their birthday list.

For example, my youngest has a birthday coming up on the 18th. He loves Infinity and Dimensions and I know that on the 15th, there will be new stuff he will like that I can pre-order and get in time. If he liked Skylanders - then could I plan to get him Thrillipede and Buzzwing by then? Nope. Maybe I can get it. Maybe not. That's an issue. Skylanders is the only TTL game that makes this all a mystery, and for what? Cheaper shipping?

gamemaster gamemaster. Always putting DI and LD on a godlike status.

Quote: defpally

Actual complaints are the games not really wowing people anymore. People deciding they have spent enough on the plastic figures and what it gets them. Prices went up without an increase in quality or value. People that really pushed this game off the ground when it new are aging out of it. Several good quality competitors. And yes, release strategy is a factor as well - but not from our perspective. There is no hype of upcoming things because Activision is so darn silent about it, no one can really look forward to when stuff will come out. Kids need time to plan out birthdays/etc., and not knowing when something comes out or where you can get it makes it hard to put it on their birthday list.

Can we frame and sticky this? This is a well thought-out statement, not filled with drama and hyperbole, that accurately sums up what is going on with the franchise.

You *can* be critical of the franchise without looking like a ****, and you don't have to look like a **** in order to not be a "blind fanboy".

Thank you, defpally, for the sanity you bring to the forums. :D

fyi, Swap Force on the verge of 6 million. SC has yet to crack 2 million. I think it's safe to say people are "over" skylanders. Trap Team has recovered nicely and is at least at 4million+ territory. SF to TT was 30% less, and SC to date is 50% less than TT sales. Nice downward slope, Activision.

From my perspective, not enough replay value. You can't expect a 15 hour game to generate constant toy sales when you deliver less. I think defpally nailed it for the "general population". Even though I have 300+ skylanders, I only factor in the "new guys" to the current game---and they generate too many even for just the game they are designed for. I expect sub 1 million sales on the next game if they dial it in.

Quote: TakeYourLemons

fyi, Swap Force on the verge of 6 million. SC has yet to crack 2 million. I think it's safe to say people are "over" skylanders. Trap Team has recovered nicely and is at least at 4million+ territory. SF to TT was 30% less, and SC to date is 50% less than TT sales. Nice downward slope, Activision.

These numbers seem believable, but I didn't think Activision had released any updated Skylanders sales figures of late. Have they? Is there any indication if these numbers include digital downloads?