In a move that reinforces the popularity of mobile devices for gaming, Activision Publishing is bringing its newest Skylanders game to tablets.
Skylanders Trap Team is the latest installment of the US$1.5 billion Skylanders franchise. It’s set to launch on iPad, Kindle Fire and Android tablets this October, on the same day as the console version launch.
Similar to Activision’s prior releases Skylanders Giants and Spyro’s Adventure, Trap Team plays with the physical-digital toy divide. In a reverse of Activision’s “toys-to-life” play pattern, it lets users pull characters out of the game. Kids find the villains of Skylands on their tablets and then bring the baddies into their living rooms by capturing them in traps.
Along with tapping into the physical-digital play trend, the game follows kids’ increasing use of tablets for gaming. Kids can play the game on tablets using a controller (similar to a console experience) or through touch controls native to tablets. Just like the console version of the game, all 175 existing Skylanders toys will be compatible and playable across all platforms.
The Skylanders Trap Team Starter Pack for tablets will hit shelves on October 5 in North America. It’s slated for launch in Europe on October 10 and in Australia on October 2. Along with the tablet platforms, the game will be available on video game consoles including Xbox One and Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, and Wii and Wii U systems.
The Skylanders franchise was the top-selling kids videogame of 2013, according to The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track and Activision Blizzard internal estimates. Activision Publishing pioneered the toys-to-life category in 2011, following the launch of Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. Since debuting the Skylanders franchise, Activision has seen strong sales of its digital-physical video games.