{"id":49448,"date":"2013-01-16T09:06:01","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T07:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=49448"},"modified":"2013-01-16T09:09:49","modified_gmt":"2013-01-16T07:09:49","slug":"disney-infinity-takes-on-skylanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/business\/49448-disney-infinity-takes-on-skylanders","title":{"rendered":"Disney Infinity takes on Skylanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Captain Jack Sparrow driving Cinderella’s carriage? Mr. Incredible swinging the Queen of Hearts’ flamingo mallet? Sulley from “Monsters, Inc.” galloping around on Bullseye from “Toy Story”? Those are just a few of the silly scenarios that could become a virtual reality with “Disney Infinity,” a new endeavor from Disney combining a video game with a toy line.<\/p>\n

The Walt Disney Co. revealed plans Tuesday to launch what it’s billing as a new gaming platform that’s strikingly similar to Activision’s successful “Skylanders” franchise.<\/p>\n

“Infinity” will blend real-life toy figures depicting various Disney personalities with a sprawling virtual world where those same characters can do stuff like race cars, play games and construct buildings together, as well as go on adventures in their own realms.<\/p>\n

“Infinity” will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, PC, online and on tablets and smartphones. It’s being crafted by Disney-owned developer Avalanche Software, which created the 2010 game based on “Toy Story 3.” That game’s “toy box” mode served as inspiration for what eventually became “Infinity.”<\/p>\n

Akin to “Skylanders,” the plastic figures have the ability to store data and transmit characters’ histories through a reader. Also like “Skylanders,” the toys can work between consoles, meaning a Mr. Incredible figure can seamlessly go from a PS3 in your living room to the Wii in your friend’s basement.<\/p>\n

The game is essentially divided into two modes: “play sets,” featuring structured adventures where gamers can collect vehicles, scenery, gadgets and more; and the “toy box,” an unstructured open world where users’ imaginations can run wild, much like the games such as “Minecraft” and “LittleBigPlanet.” Both modes allow for gamers to play cooperatively or online together.<\/p>\n

“Infinity” serves as something of a homecoming for Disney’s very different heroes. While disparate Disney characters can sometimes be spotted together in theme parks, on ice or the merchandising world, they’re rarely united within any of Disney’s fictional domains.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

Disney Infinity screenshot<\/p><\/div>\n

Was there some uneasiness about not only aligning these diverse properties, but also giving up control of such beloved creations to users?<\/p>\n

“The truthful answer is yes,” said John Pleasants, co-president at Disney Interactive. “There was both apprehension and excitement. In the end, excitement and the potential for new opportunities won over. It wasn’t without a lot of conversations with a lot of stakeholders though.”<\/p>\n

Fictionally, the characters depicted in “Infinity” are not the actual characters themselves but the real-world toys come to life on screen. To that end, the figures all maintain the same toy-inspired style, more apparent in the scallywags from “Pirates of the Caribbean” than say the playthings from “Toy Story,” and the game’s graphics are equally toy-like.<\/p>\n

“Infinity” is set to debut in June, along with “Monsters University,” the 3-D sequel to the 2001 Disney-Pixar film “Monsters, Inc.”<\/p>\n

Despite the continued success of the Disney Co. as a whole, Disney’s interactive division, responsible for games like the console adventure “Epic Mickey” and the online virtual world “Club Penguin,” operated at a loss last year. If “Infinity” becomes as financially successful as “Skylanders,” it could provide a much needed boost to Disney Interactive.<\/p>\n

“We believe that 2013 is an important year for us,” said Pleasants. “This is the biggest initiative we’re investing in this year, and we hope it will have a positive impact on generating profit this year.”<\/p>\n