HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Video game companies are paying attention to the success that Activision’s struck with its Skylanders series. That’s the clear message behind Disney Interactive’s news today, as the House of Mouse’s video game arm showed of its upcoming Disney Infinity sandbox project — and revealed that it uses collectible figures to unlock different worlds and characters.
These new figures work similarly to Activision’s toy-infused Skylanders series; players save their game data on the toys, which they can take on the road (like to a friend’s home). The developer who walked me through a demo of Infinity repeatedly said the release date was June 18, roughly alongside the highly anticipated Monsters University film.
Disney took inspiration from the popular, stylish vinyl figurines available at its theme parks. It is not, however, use the same the technology as Skylanders despite the similar functionality. It developed this technology in-house.
The figures will retail for $12.99 each.
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