Skylanders embraces user-generated content with Skylanders Imaginators

The Toys-to-Life sphere is experiencing something of an upheaval right now. With sales of Skylanders down from last year, the amiibo craze cooling off a bit, Disney pulling out from the arena (and games) entirely, and perennial powerhouse Lego throwing their hat into the ring with Lego Dimensions. The competition for attention (and ever-valuable shelf space) is a harsher battle than ever, and as the originators of the genre, Activision and Toys for Bob are constantly looking for ways to innovate and keep the Skylanders game and toyline fresh.

In previous years, they’ve accomplished this by adding new gimmicks to the various collectible toys: swappable parts, vehicles, and even special traps players could buy and use to capture and assume control of enemy characters. But Imaginators takes Skylanders to a place the series has never ventured before: the realm of user creation. When Skylanders: Imaginators launches this October on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U, players will be able to create, save, and use a custom Skylander in the game for the first time ever.