
Several years ago, Disney launched the Disney Infinity initiative, a long-term project that aimed to incorporate all kinds of different Disney characters and IP under one video game property. Later on, this also saw the inclusion of characters from the Marvel universe and the Star Wars universe, expanding the scope even further. Unfortunately, the toys-to-life concept began seeing diminishing returns late last year, and the writing was on the wall when it was announced that there would be no Disney Infinity 4.0 this year.
It's finally been confirmed that, effective immediately, Disney Infinity is no more. John Blackburn – the GM of Disney Infinity – wrote a farewell letter about the project, reiterating that after the content from Alice Through the Looking Glass and Finding Dory is released, Disney Infinity will be over. Evidently, this also means that the Rogue One Play Sets that were in the works will never see release. Moreover, it seems that this signals the end of Disney's direct involvement in video games. Though the company will still be licensing out IP, it will no longer be publishing games, and Avalanche Software – the developer of Disney Infinity – is being closed down, putting roughly 300 employees out of work.
What do you think? Will you miss Disney Infinity? Is the toys-to-life market finally nearing its end? Drop us a comment in the section below.
[source disneyinteractive.com, via gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 173
FFS Disney! Its ok to make millions instead of tens of millions...
I guess we have to thank ESPN >_<
I thought Infinity was cash cow for them. I'm really surprised by this.
That kind of sucks. I have a collection of 30+ figures. Maybe this will make them increase in price?
Rather upset here. I have all but like 3 figures and just ordered another this week... And this. Ugh.
@DarthNocturnal I would love remastered versions of those. Rescue Rangers, especially was awesome.
The only toys-to-life I've ever bought (minus my 25+ amiibo collection) was Skylanders Giants bundled with my Wii. Frankly, I'm surprised at the complete lack of support that Disney is going for; it could at least make more power discs or figures, if not an actual playset. Just killing it off isn't going to help matters.
Pretty shocking to find out that Amiibo was actually the better investment between the two.
They are just wasting a Rogue One playset... I wonder how much money they are throwing away by doing that...I'm sure it was almost ready since we are nearing E3.
I'm annoyed I won't be able to use my Star Wars figurines with any other DI playset...kinda regret spending 100 euros on it last year.
Woah
I've never been a fan of toys-to-life but it's still saddening to hear, especially considering so many people are now jobless. One can only wonder where the market is heading now.
How unfortunate. I was never drawn to Disney Infinity, but it always breaks my heart to see a studio close. Here's hoping everyone will have ample time to put a portfolio together and find a new place to use their talents.
Kind of a shame, but at the same time the game was kinda lacking. The toybox was only a fraction of what it could truly be and the playsets (from those I've played) we're too short.
If they did bring Mouseton and Duckburg to it, with all the relative characters and stories, I would have bought into it. It had potential, but it ended up being a "jack of all trades, master of none" case, imo. Shame for the employees, all the best to them.
Disney isn't publishing anything anymore? That's crazy. They could make a ton of money from Star Wars games alone.
I really wanted a Darkwing Duck figure.
Was really digging the latest game. This will be missed at my house. I wish they'd done something better than avengers for the second game. It felt like mismanagement to me. The first one sold to a different demographic.
Well, I can't say I'm a fan of Disney at all to be honest... but I'm shocked to see them pull out of their Toys-to-Life venture.
It leaves me wondering how well the whole industry is doing, including amiibo. I don't care much for amiibo either, though, but will be interested in seeing whether this helps Nintendo's market share - or is it telling that the market is truly dying. TBH - if there were money to be made I'm sure Disney would stick around.
RIP amiibo?
Sony closing Evolution, Microsoft closing Lionhead, Disney closing their AAA studio. The industry is clearly slimming down. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo closed Retro studio or Camelot.
While I'm not into Disney Infinity, as a Disney fan I find this shocking. It's always sad when a studio closes and puts that many out of work.
I never played Infinity, but I wish those who lost their job the best of luck. Also, whatever happened to that thing from a while ago where they asked which character people would like to see get a figure made out of? Has that ever come to fruition, or is it just getting canned? I think Mabel might've been in the running, with Darkwing Duck in second...also, Goofy was on the list, meaning that he never happened, which is stupid.
@amishpyrate Not necessarily...they're just going to let other companies deal with it (think EA handling Star Wars).
Kind of shocking news I guess, but good thing I mostly lost my interest in Disney after nearly everything went to 3D animation. (Yes, I'm one of those who preferred the more traditional 'hand-drawn' movies.)
I also don't really have any interest in Infinity or any of its figures, luckily, so.. y'know. Sorry for the fans of this game though.
gonna be a lot of Disney shaped plastic in land fill in the coming years. Considering the amount I see in CEX and Game second hand these things are not going to be worth much. None were ever considered rare to my knowledge. I feel sorry for Parents as some will have spent hundreds on what they thought would last longer then 3 years.
The whole toys to life genre seems to be going south though. There is only so far you can take it, and people seem to be noticing how little value there really is in the sets. Amiibos went from being hard to find to being on sale every time I look.
I think amiibo will at least stick around, if nothing else than for the collectable aspect. I mean, I want to get the Callie and Marie amiibo when they come out, but it looks like all they do is unlock a few songs.
Breaking News: Disney/Avalanche will not be bringing their Infinity franchise to NX! (failing to mention all other systems to be scandalous).
I just got into Infinity with 3.0 and Star Wars. I really enjoyed the Star Wars sets and the figures are charming. I'm quite shocked by this. I wonder if Nintendo's Amiibo line is crippling the other brands? I wonder how Skylanders is fairing? I may have to try and find the Marvel 2.0 before they become impossible to find or hideously overpriced.
Dollar General has been selling 2.0 figs for $5 and 3.0 for $8
It's a shame, the family has had tons of fun with it.
Like @AyeHaley I was expecting more Star Wars sets, so that's a bummer.
I think DI 2.0 helped kill interest, to be honest. It was pretty rushed and mediocre. A return to more ambition and quality came with 3.0 but the damage in momentum was done.
I was hoping that the delay of a 4.0 was more about focusing on quality for the next release like was done on 3.0. Instead...
So, I wonder what Nintendo and LEGO think of all this... will they want to fill the void? Or get out as quick as possible?
I guess having too many figures always available didn't pay off?!
Wow... I really feel for those laid off... Plus the people who bought countless figures for their children(and themselves). They could've at least let the Rogue One stuff be completed before doing this, because now die hard Star Wars fans will be really getting the shaft...
Maybe I can understand the infinity franchise if it's not selling but stepping away from game publishing all together?? I don't get! Lots of strong brands and IP they own. And They just posted a bunch of PS2 Star Wars games on ps4! Weird
@rjejr Maybe Nintendo's strategy is the better one. All the comparisons to how Disney Infinity has things on the shelves all the time and how Nintendo should get its act together to be like DI. Well... DI didn't get the balance right that's for sure.
@joey302 They will simply license their properties.
I don't think the Amiibo line will be affected right now. Their sales are through the roof and they haven't even create a game to justify sales. People use it for Smash Bros but mainly they are collectibles and they will keep them on the market for a while. Also, Nintendo hasn't blown it's IP load yet, either. Think of the sales if they release a Zelda line of amiibo? What about fringe characters like Daisy, WaLuigi, Shy Guy, Boo etc. Those are all going to sell like crazy. Nintendo is actually releasing their figures at a good pace and I will put zero money down....RIGHT NOW.....that the NX will have some type of external accessory that allows Amiibo data to be read by games.
@NintyFan I hope Nintendo makes an amiibo game like that, but now I question how they feel about it even transitioning to the NX at all. Will amiibo wane with the Wii U and 3DS?
Honestly, I don't think it should. Seems like a good way to have fun sort of special edition extras that ride the waves of game releases but also appeal to fans who just want to collect some favorite characters... It increases revenue in a (mostly) benign way. I think if it didn't increase profits it would have died earlier, knowing Nintendo.
Remember, Disney's decision here is also about the internal game studio as well. Nintendo is not going to drop game developing any time soon.
I can't say I'm that upset or surprised. I felt the first one gave decent value with toy box and 3 play sets included. It just got steadily worse after. 2 shipped with one play set which took about 45 min to beat; and 3 was basically an eshop game. Anything beyond toy box wasn't included. I mean we didn't even get the complete toy box there were add ons for that. It just struck me as Disney trying to milk every last cent out of the concept before it went the way of plastic guitars.
@aaronsullivan That's what made everyone want amiibo they were so out of stock, when they actually did come in people bought them out of fear of them going out stock again.
I mean its not like Nintendo purposely makes limited prints of their products...
That's unfortunate. I think it would be wise to watch Skylanders and Lego Dimensions a little more closely.
As for amiibo, that will be fine for now. They still haven't tapped into the potential of a Pokemon line of amiibo. Doesn't look like Sun/Moon are compatible with amiibo.
While this is news is rather sudden, I'm not shocked or surprised. In fact, I've always thought the "toys to life" thing was the video game equivalent of beanie babies: it'll be the hot, new thing for awhile and then it'll dissipate and you won't be able to hand the toys out for free to anyone simply because they'll have no value. What has surprised me, though, is I didn't think it would've lasted as long as it did. As for amiibo, those started as Iwata's knee-jerk reaction to passing on Activision. (Whoops! Haha!) But they'll be around for awhile if not forever simply due to the nostalgic factor they have and as cheap collectibles.
This deeply saddens me. I really liked Disney Infinity 3
And thus, we'll never experience the awesomeness of a Darkwing Duck figure...
Only 300 people were even devoloping them?! O_o
Wow! I hate that for all who have invested their money into the series. For Disney to just cut ties so quickly is wrong. There are way too many people that have bought into DI to leave them with nothing.
What? Geez I just started building up my collection too. While I didnt like the starwars route in 3.0 I enjoyed the disney and marvel figures. At least I got my Mulan (was hoping for Agent May).
Maybe we will finally get some Star Wars in Legos Dimensions now that would be AWESOME ., The Stars Wars Legos games were a favorite in our house excited for the new game . It's sad to hear about all those jobs lost hopefully they will transition well into new positions for other developers best of luck to them .
That leaves the door open for Star Wars/Marvel characters to appear in LEGO Dimensions
With a game design best described as "cash cow squared" (as in, videogame revenue x character revenue = $$$$$), I thought this was a perfect fit for Disney.
I guess not only I was wrong, but nothing can be taken for granted, either. At least, looking at the bright side - provided there is one in the first place - completing the collection is now a way more achievable goal, given the goalposts have stopped their movement.
@JarusPokemon yeah, preserve them well
I bought all the DI games, mainly because I wanted the Marvel/Star Wars characters, but my daughter liked playing Elsa and Anna. I was going to get her Zootopia characters next, maybe I still will when they go on sale. Best part about these games were playing the toybox and seeing other toyboxes that others uploaded online. I wonder how long online support will last.
Having so much variety in figures probably didn't help. Can't imagine being a parent looking at all stuff that was in the infinity section. I am sure some lines didn't sell well at all close to justifying production costs.
Maybe it's just local stores and I am totally wrong on this but even Skylanders wasn't pumping out as much crap.
That's sad, I really liked Disney Infinity. It might be a good time for Nintendo to pick up Avalanche employees to create some Amiibo compatible titles for Wii U, 3DS, Android, iOS, and NX though. It's not like they don't have good cross platform developing experience. Anything to continue bolstering Nintendo's cash cow Amiibo line would be a solid idea to keep investors happy too.
No wonder they aren't going to E3 this year.
Either way the idea of Disney worlds crossing over was nice. It was sadly ruined by the idea of locking content behind toys. Hopefully Disney let's loose and allows other people to make games for them.
P.S. MVC4 Disney. MAKE IT HAPPEN!
I'm starting to get worried, not because of Disney Infinity, but stepping aside from publishing games? does that mean no localization of Disney Magical World 2? or no chance of remake of the other illusion series?
@Moon Um, no. Amiibo has been extremely profitable for Nintendo. The reason Infinity isn't making enough money isn't because of the cost of producing figures, it's because Infinity is itself a massive video game that costs significant amounts of money to develop, and then update, and then develop more updates, and maintain the servers, etc. Amiibo costs Nintendo practically nothing because the platform doesn't rely on one massively-expensive single video game to justify buying all the figures. Nintendo throws in little bits of amiibo interactivity in a bunch of different games that are already being developed as stand-alone games, and it's all basically handled similarly to paid DLC, so there's very little cost in the software side of amiibo. Nintendo's greatest expense is just producing the figures, which they obviously sell at a healthy mark-up. Disney Infinity and amiibo are similar in the technology that makes the figures work, but they're very different platforms.
Never played the game, nor ever want to play it... but this is some pretty harsh news for both the fans and the workers that have lost their jobs...
Game was buggy, slow load times, and terribly expensive anyways. Also the 'limit' for items you could okace in sandbox mode was so small I question the use of 'infinity' as the game title because it was extremely limited
I liked the game, hated the buying of clutter to unlock things.
Well there goes the chance for goofy, Indiana Jones, and sora figures as well as 80s cartoons....
I'm honestly more bummed by the fact that 300 people will be losing their jobs rather than that DI is dead.
Doc Hudson: Good riddance.
@-DEMISE- someone gets it--bravo.
So sad that a studio is closed. Avalanche was a good studio. And after I just downloaded 3.0 on my PS4 last week... Better get all of my playsets.
It always sucks to see devs closed up and people out of job. I hope this at least allows us to see a resurgence of big-name 3D platformers that aren't tied to the toys-to-life model.
Will not miss.... I don't buy toys to play video games
This drop in consumer interest in toy-to-life products isn't just limited to Disney Infinity either. Intertoys, one of the largest toy store brands in the Netherlands, recently dropped the prices on all amiibo from €15,99 to €7,99. And while they advertise this as a discount on their website, the regular stores treat it like it's the regular price. This has also been the price for a few weeks now, so I think they dropped the price permanently. I honestly haven't checked the prices on Skylanders, Disney Infinity or Lego Dimensions, since I don't care about those series. And while other stores have been lowering prices (they go on bol.com, the largest online warehouse in the country, for 10-16 euros on average), this is the first huge price drop that I've seen. Clearly the consumer interest in these products is going down in general, even when you look past the relatively poor quality of the Disney Infinity titles compared to the Skylanders and amiibo-compatible games.
I sold my Disney Infinity 2.0 Wii U figures and game 2 months ago. There were just not a whole lot of contents and the player-made contents were not enough to keep my kids interested. They have much more fun with other Disney Interactive products like Brave and Tangled for Wii. It's sad to see the studio close and people lose jobs though....Disney could have used their skills to create other games that may have more contents. On the other hand, my kids are enjoying Disney characters in Kingdom Hearts for Android by Square Enix. They like it a lot more than Infinity, which is quite expensive with less contents... I think Infinity is more for people who like to explore open worlds even without a lot of contents. However the costs are just too high...Kingdom Hearts is free and supported by IAP..
Probably going to see the end of Lego Deminsions next, then Skylanders, then Amiibo. Nintendo should be able to milk special edition amiibos for a little while longer.
@RealPoketendoNL I agree. I had Skylanders bundled with my Wii U. It is a lot better in quality with more contents than Infinity. However, my kids are not so interested in those characters. If Infinity had the same quality as Skylanders with Disney characters it would probably have been more successful. But I guess it is too late now.
I was never interested in Disney Infinity, but this just shows how far the toys to life business has shrunk.
I had always had an interest in the series, but I never got around to getting it (same thing with Skylanders). Even if it's over, I might still try to pick up one of the versions for the Wii U on the cheap at some point (2.0 starts at $10 on Amazon).
To me the game was a glitchy mess. I had the 2.0 toy box and nothing seemed to work like it should. We don't play it and it's just sitting in its box.
Wow, this is sudden. Even though I never got into this series, I've always thought it was popular enough to keep the series going... feel bad for those who really enjoyed the series. At least the figures look nice, and will still look good on display. Also hope the employees find new work soon.
If Disney is stopping the toys-to-life gimmick, Activision and Skylanders might not be that far behind. Maybe even have a small chance of bringing the original Spyro back if Skylanders stops? Probably not, but hey, I can dream!
@ECM Yaayyyy, I know stuff!
@worldstraveller
That's what I was wondering because I've been waiting for information about Disney Magical World 2. Bandai Namco was the developer for the first one though, so I'm assuming Disney licensed it out and didn't develope it directly? But I really have no idea how developing works, so I'm just hoping.
I just got into the 3.0 set because of it being Star Wars. I admit that the gameplay is somewhat lacking but I started to really appreciate the concept, style and potential. I don't regret getting the Star Wars figures and will get the rest, too. I was planning on getting future Star Wars sets, too. They had me hooked after previously swearing off anything but amiibo.
On another note, Disney shuttering this group and previously shuttering LucasArts makes me frustrated and sad.
@amishpyrate no need, they'll just make a ton re-selling the old Star Wars games on Steam. Less work for them, or at least it is the way they do it.
You're leaving now. Its in your eyes. Theres no disguising it. It really comes as no surprise...
Farewell Disney Infinity. I was too busy with real video games anyway. Heres to you, noble 300. I'm sure you worked hard and had great benefits. Its a shame the magical Disney beast once again shows its disparaging colors.
I don't think Nintendo will feel the crunch of the fading toys-to-life model, since they aren't embracing it as much. But they have resorted to pallete-swaps, so I don't really know. If anything, Nintendo making them artificially short on supply is saving it.
It's too bad Infinity is on ice, since I had fun playing it with my sister and niece. The toybox had potential, but I felt it was hampered by either the tech, or a rushed development. It certainly had a different feel compared to LEGO Dimensions, which i'm currently playing. I guess in a few years getting the figures will be much easier and cheaper to get.
I can't believe Disney Infinity is shutting down its magic. I really enjoy Disney Infinity. It was relaxing to sit back and just do about anything. I really thought they were going to go beyond, but it seems "infinite" was an understatement.
This kinda shocks me a bit tbh. However, after having collected all DI figurines from the first game and once DI2 was released, amiibos were on the horizon and the two sequels just felt too similar to bother playing them as much as me and my cousin did the first one. Sure, I bought a figurine from 2.0 and 3.0 here and there but just for collecting reasons. What I always wanted from DI was a focus on classic characters and not just the modern ones but I do get Disney's reasoning for doing so, too. It's a sad day.
I'm not too worried about Avalanche. They used to be independent, hopefully, a new company will be born from the remains of the existing one. It might be a good opportunity to move to something a bit different.
@JarusPokemon
Probably if anything LOWER the price. Yeah, I'm bummed also, because I have all the installments.
I'm surprised but I don't care. I'm more surprised Disney couldn't make it work longer.
Surprising they are just stopping like that.. I know a few kids that will be sadden by this.
They love their Disney Infinity characters.
Sad. Just got 3.0 and a Star Wars play set this past week and have been blissfully playing it. While this announcement does nothing to diminish my fun, it is sad that the series will not continue and that the developers are now out of work.
Confused avalanche software with avalanche studios.
My heart goes out to those who lost their jobs because of this and their families. I hope they find another job soon.
@IceClimbers There has been nothing to signify Pokemon S&M will or won't be using amiibo. We still know next to nothing about the game.
This sucks for sure but the toys to life market had a chance to prove it could be awesome and failed in its potential in my opinion. Amiibo is our last hope and so far is also falling short.
Doesn't surprise me. It couldn't hold up sales-wise to Skylanders and the Amiibo. I wonder how Lego dimensions is holding...
Sucks for fans of Infinity, but this is great news for most gamers. Disney had so many great IP but only wanted to do super casual games. Now people can license out those IP!
The fact that Skylanders has outlasted Disney Infinity proves that quality gameplay beats out superior IPs in the end (plus the Skylanders figures don't look like deformed caricatures). Luckily, Nintendo games for the most part still have both.
Bad game.
What sort of Mickey Mouse outfit do these guys think they are?
I'm still mad at Disney for closing Junction point.
Disney Infinity = only as finite as your wallet.
Sucks a bit, but not surprising since the game part sucked. Not being able to freely use any character in the story modes totally ruined this for me.
So only bought the figures because they actually looks nice to have on the shelf.
I'm sorry for the ones that got fired,but I'm happy that this game failed.For me forcing people to buy figures to play a game is a legal scam(the same goes for Skylanders).Figures for videogames should only be optional,like amiibos.
Now watch as a skylanders inspired game is created with amiibo
It's true that the Toys to Life Market is saturated - I guess Parents must be fed up ALWAYS having to buy a new figure EVERY trip to the supermarket for Little Johnny and Little Penelope - however - this is where Nintendo have got it right! They have made their Amiibo TIMELESS! Even Launch day amiibos will be functional and have effects in games that will be released in the future. . They are also very collectible.
I will have to applaud Disney on the quality of their figures though - they are fascinating to look at on the shop rack - however they didn't make any Giant woolly Yoshis that are uber Kawaii. . . .
Damn that's harsh! you'd think they could overlook it since they make so much movie money!!
I guess in a small way Nintendo helped with this. Kids that once collected these Disney toys swapped to Amiibos.
Take note Nintendo, the Amiibos will go the same way by the end if next year. Almost all collectables have a short shelf life.
Then maybe Nintendo will get back to making games.
@bitleman No.
Don't do that.
Don't scare us like that.
Closing down either of those would be a horrifying thing, on a much bigger scale than DI shutting down...
@AyeHaley apparently there is like 130 million "charge" in cancelling DI
@zool There's no guarantee of that; Amiibo's, thanks to their no-strings-attached nature that lets them work across many games instead of just on one, lends them a bit more shelf life, because their uses are ever-changing and can be unique to nearly every game they are compatible with.
Also, Amiibos get Nintendo profit that can go right back into making games, and I doubt they're pulling their own first-party-game development teams out of their cozy office chairs to go glue together Amiibos in a factory somewhere, so they aren't affecting Nintendo's ability to make games.XD
Cant help but feel like the discussion went like this
exec 1: Disney infinity is making as much money as we'd like
exec 2: it is making money though
exec 1: yes but instead of spending all this money and doing all this work. Why don't we let lego pay us to do the work for us?
exec 2: so we literally do nothing and get money
meeting ends
@BulbasaurusRex I don't know the last skylanders tanked pretty hard, I wouldn't be surprised if there was talk about winding down the franchise before this news broke.
Skylanders (excluding the last one) are not bad games by any stretch. They are pretty quality experiences but my kids just wont touch skylanders, because they either don't recognise the characters (vs Disney, Lego or Amiibo) or they just don't like the designs for them.
I fully expect to see Disney and star wars characters for Dimensions now (don't see marvel on it just yet) and some Disney Lego games. lego toy story anyone?
This is not that shocking as there were reports that the series was doing poorly.
amiibo really are for the collector - I'm pretty sure that most Smash collectors haven't even used their figures in game, and maybe only for other titles where there's something a bit interesting like the other vehicles in Starfox Zero. So I guess the in game functionality is second to the collector aspect...
The central problem seems to be that the games are a vehicle for selling toys rather than vice-Vera. The amiibo model of making a game and the having a figure do something in it like unlock a skin may seem of little value, but it's clearly a better experience to make a good game and have figures as an add-on than to try to build a game around selling people figurines. I have some amiibo because they're cool-looking figures and they unlock some game content, but I don't feel hard done by if I'm not actually using them for anything, e.g., amiibos for Smash.
I tried a Skylanders game - swap force I think? My partner's kids were into them and it was just a generic brawler and had an end boss fight that wouldn't end. Can't say I was very impressed by it. The mechanics of upgrading characters was neat, but the game itself was uninspiring.
@mariovslink62 MVC4 will happen when Capcom will save Street Fighter 5. So never. Don't expect any other Capcom fighting game this gen.
Well it always sucks to hear of people getting made redundant !
Whether your flipping burgers, or pushing pens on the office, it's a pretty stressful time.
Feel bad for the 300, who were probably working their dream job shattered so abruptly.
It doesn't surprise me though, as Disney is a company which profits really do matter.
I would imagine this was doing alright, just not well enough.
That's enough for Disney to go, it's time to pull the plug on the project and move on.
Can't really say I've ever been a fan of Disney's games, maybe Mickey Mania being the exception on Snes, and Mickey Castle Of Illusion on Master System.
I would have thought it would be bettrer to repurpose the studio and make it an animation studio instead. They've got the team there ready, all Disney needed to do was negotiate new contracts with the staff who want to stay, or offer redundancy for those who don't.
@zool
"Then maybe Nintendo will get back to making games"
Pretty sure they didn't tell their own dev teams to stop making games to go chisel out the next amiibo mold. Pretty sure they contract that out to toy manufacturers, meaning amiibo never had any negative impact on them making games.
It will be interesting, when one day a similar news will be published about amiibo.
@amishpyrate They still do, licensing their IP to other studios to create games for them - most notably Star Wars Battlefront. I think it's a genius move - it's what they do with all their clothing and general merchandise anyway, and they profit bucket-loads. The Lego games will be heavily involved (more-so than ever), let me assure you.
Well this is another suprise. Besides some amiibos I spent a lot of money in Disney star wars figurines (and a few Marvel) for my kid and now they just cancel the project all of a sudden. It's a shame I won't use the figurines in other playsets.
Ouch.
So, now it's just Skylanders Vs. amiibo now. Hmm...
Could this be the start of the second videogame crash? Studios are closing down everywhere, profit margins are lowering for everyone...
This bummed me out last night. I really enjoyed Infinity. With just over 90 figures, no less.
Kinda bittersweet in a way. On one hand, no new content after June. On the other, I'll be saving quite a bit more money.
I guess the only thing I'm truly bummed about is that they never made Oswald a playable character...
@DarthNocturnal: Wouldn't mind Toy Story and Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow myself. Loved those games as a kid.
I hope amiibos are next to see a drop. This is a bad model for players, although awesome for profits. Being forced to buy toys in order to unlock exclusives in some games is NOT cool. The market will see a crash sooner or later as the lack of depth in such system among other problems will help it sink eventually.
Huh. First, I'm really surprised, because this is pretty much the most profitable thing that's been on a Nintendo console in a while.
On the other hand, thank god. I hated this concept with a passion. What an obnoxious way to suck money out of kids and parents. I'll admit I bought some of these, but they were on clearance at Target for literally $1.
I always thought the Disney Infinity games were "Okay". Nothing special, but not horrible either. Some of the play sets were actually fun to play, and some were boring and looked like they didn't even try. Overall, I thought the developer was really good in tackling something of this scale. I hope they reform into a new studio because I would love to see them work on a new game. Anyways, we were fully into the game when it first came out but we quickly grew apart from the series shortly after D.I.2 was released. We were tempted to pick up the Star Wars themed game and toys, but thankfully we never did. I'm surprised by the news but I'm not heartbroken.
I don't care for the whole Toys To Life fad, however, I can see how people who were collecting would be disappointed. I have a feeling that Lego entering the market made things too crowded. How many of these collectible video games can the market support?
@worldstraveller @pazuzu
Disney Magical World 1 and 2 were produced and published by Bandai Namco in Japan. The first one was published by Nintendo in the other regions. Whether or not that means Nintendo handled the translation too, I don't know, but I doubt Disney had anything to do with it, and I'm sure this news specifically won't affect the release of that game.
It's crazy to me how many people commenting would jump to conclusions so much just because one brand of whatever you call these isn't successful enough to continue, doesn't necessarily mean anything about the others. Least of all, Amiibos, considering how differently they're handled. Also, Nintendo is not the type of company to make rash decisions in reaction to what any other company is doing.
@Yosher "I mostly lost my interest in Disney after nearly everything went to 3D animation."
Me too. Thank God for anime.
@aaronsullivan "didn't get the balance right"
There were certainly a lot in stores, probably too many, but for me it's more the focus on Star Wars and some odd choices.
We have 5 GotG figures, and I thought we had them all, but my kid told me we are still missing 2, Rhondo and the bad guy. That was a great movie and I like the main figures, but did that 1 film really need 7? And Wreck it Ralph should have been a playset. I think that 1 set was the beginning of parents not liking how DI sets worked. Well that and Frozen not having a world either. And you know how I feel about those SW four, who I still don't know.
I am surprised, and kind of sad, to see it go. I thought Finding Dory might bring the game underwater, which would open up the game engine for Little Mermaid and a Captain Nemo world, even if they never got toys, but underwater sharks and giant squid. Not too many games do underwater.
Licensing might be the way to go though, back to normal games w/o toys. Normal Lego games are an obvious choice, and SW and Marvel games are going to happen whether the world wants them to or not. Not every movie needs a game.
As for the remaining toys-to-life, I'm not sure how this affects them.
Skylanders Superchargers must have bombed, I feel sure of that, vehicles just didn't fit snuggly into the world. I feel like they'll get back to basics at E3. But my kids may outgrown them anyway.
Lego D wasn't supposed to have a new game this year, just support. I looked at the original starter pack box in store - on sale at Target last week - and noticed the top had 5 waves, the last of which just came out this week. So they probably have an E3 unveil coming. (If it's a week before I still count that as E3.) I feel like they'll have another boxed game for $60, maybe $40, but no new portal, and then another 5 waves. So I don't think the DI news will affect them. (Not that it can at this late date anyway though they are probably happy to have more shelf space and less competition.) I feel that way in part b/c we own 6 LD packs but not the game. 2 Dr. Who, 4 more when Target had them 75% off, so I paid about $4 each for 4. B/c Lego. Who knows, maybe Disney already has a deal w/ them for SW and Marvel and that's why they shut down Avalanche? Lego are abut 100 years old, that game can go on forever, just stick chips in very Lego toy. $350 Mindstorm says the conjunction between Lego and tech has already begun. (Spent $349 to send my 11 yr old to "robot camp" this summer for a week.)
https://destinationscience.org/programs/robot-challenge-science-camp/
amiibo. Who knows. AC line is a flop, moreso than DI. Why more Splatoon skinned ones? Unless Spla2oon is announced for NX at E3. (I bought my wife squid girl for Mother's Day.) I still think they need a real game. Mario Minecraft U made me wishful for a Pokemon Snap on Delfino Island populated by amiibo. Still waiting on Subspace Emissary 2. And my Cloud and Bayonetta amiibo. Surely they will be unveiled at E3. The amiibo, not SE2.
Of course if NX doesn't work w/ amiibo, then they are done too.
Have I mentioned I'm not happy about no NX at E3?
Sorry, so long, I don't know how long, but it seems long.
If I see them super cheap, I still want to get the Nightmare Before Xmas figures, does anyone know how many there are? Would I need a specific version of Infinity if I wanted to play any specific content related to them?
@rjejr Why do people care so much about the NX? Can't they just enjoy their 3DSs and underappreciated Wii Us and all the awesome games available for them, and just forget about the NX until whenever it gets released?
@AyeHaley
What did you mean by the letters "FFS"?
As much as I like Disney, the market is crowded and the toys are everywhere, (all toys) they make up more than 25% of retail shelf space at EB Games, and even more at Toys R Us. I'll be happy when they phase out even more.
I never got into personally, but the star wars sets always interested me
@Mario500 I think that's "for fu**'s sake"
Well unless Ambiio is finished after the last D.I. content I'm done with Toys to Life. Sad but my wallet thanks them. But it would be tough to top Star Wars for content.
@GenoBeatsMallow No, no they can't.
But that's ok, I still dont' know who Geno is. I know he's somebody, but I don't know who.
Oh, and there is a reason to know about NX. And that reason, as most reasons are, is money. Dinero. Euros. People still gaming on last gen consoles - PS3, Xbox 360 and the soon-to-be last gen Wii U - want to know what NX is so they can decide what current gen console to buy. And the holidays are a time when a lot of people get new consoles. (You can google monthly console sales, Nov and Dec are always big.) So people have a choice this holiday, wait until March for NX, or buy a PS4 or X1. But it's really hard to make that choice if we don't know anything about NX or the games it is and isn't getting.
Had Nintendo simply said - "all will be revealed at E3" - I don't think people would care as much. But by saying "no NX at E3" it leaves people wondering just how much longer people are willing to wait. I am pretty sure Sony and Nitneod are happy, less competition this holiday. The rest of us, not so much.
Certainly a real shame, as the series was really good (especially the third game), the games toy box mode was incredibly fun. Hope the 300 staff soon find a job.
I miss the days when companies could care less about the welfare of their shareholders and mostly focused on making CUSTOMERS happy. I blame institutional shareholders.
Saddened by this news. I play video games with my almost four year old daughter once a week. Over the past month or two, we've gone to only playing Disney Infinity. We probably have 30 figures in the house (including four more that she'll open on her birthday later this week). Having said that, despite all the figures we have, she mostly plays as Elsa and makes me be Woody and freezes me to death over and over and/or carries me to a cliff and throws me off. I think we have enough content to last us for several years, and if the figures / play sets I'm most interested in come down in price, even better.
@GenoBeatsMallow @rjejr See, I am left wondering who is Mallow, because Geno (Evgeni Malkin) must of seriously embarrassed him on some legendary playoff game.
The problem I had with Disney Infinity, Skylanders, and even Amiibo is that they are toys the essentially did nothing outside of activate DLC. Why as a parent would I spend $15 on a figurine that cannot move and is stuck to a large base, when I can spend about the same to get either a 3.75" or 12" figure actually can be played with?
@Darknyht @rjejr
In case you're both serious, Geno and Mallow are two of the good guys in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for SNES, along with Mario, Yoshi, Princess Toadstool, and Bowser. Geno's a wooden doll come to life and Mallow's like a puffball from a land in the clouds.
@GenoBeatsMallow @rjejr
Personally, I don't buy anything besides Nintendo consoles, and I'd be fine with it if the NX didn't come out till the end of 2018, since I've got enough unplayed games to last me way longer than that!
@Nintendood Well I'm sure there are a lot of people who only buy Nintendo consoles, but not enough home consoles to justify 3rd parties making games for them.
@Darknyht As a parent of 2 sons I can happily tell you that my boys do play w/ DI, Skylanders and amiibo figures all the time. Just like when I was a boy I used to play with "action figures" all the time. My wife and I just display ours on a shelf, we're boring old people.
@rjejr not enough home consoles to justify 3rd parties making games for them.
I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but I'm guessing you're tryin to say that not enough 3rd parties want to make games for the Wii U - is that it? That's true for all the major companies? I know that quite a few indie developers would be happy to keep making games for it.
@Nintendood Super Mario RPG is one of those games that I have on Virtual Console (on Wii) but have yet to actually touch. I missed it when it originally came out, and I couldn't get past a few seconds of it when I tried it because the first gen 3D graphics made my eyes bleed.
Oh, how the mighty fall.
@Darknyht
I still think the graphics look great, and even if I didn't, that'd be a horrible reason for missing out on such an awesome game...
Are you being serious? If you were alive when it was released the first time, you must've been pretty young, since most older gamers have a much greater appreciation for good graphics on the SNES, especially ones that still look impressive today!
@Nintendood Well both Wii U and NX.
Yes, a lot of indies make games for Wii U, but compared to the constant flow of indie games to the PS4 I'd say it's a small fraction.
Journey
No Man's Sky
Rocket League
Some big indie games on the PS4. (Though NMS may not technically be "indie" anymore b/c I think Sony helped them out near the end.) What does Wii U get from indies, a dozen $1.49 games from that RCMDIAX guy? Hardly comparable.
If Nintneod consoles are going to get 3rd party support from big and small devs they are going to have to sell consoles to people who buy more than just Ninteodo consoles for life. I'm not sure Nintneod can be the #1 home console ever again, but they are still the #1 handheld, they need to work with that. And try for #2 for home, if they can be.
@rjejr
NMS on NX would be amazing, right? But this weird "PC and Sony" limitation makes me think Sony did something to earn that exclusivity as well.
Maybe that means more people will buy into Lego Dimensions now. I really enjoy Dimensions, and have every set that has been released, and can't wait to find out what the next round will be.
I knew that Toys to Life was saturated, but I really didn't think anyone would exit this year.
@rjejr
Is that really your attempt at making a point? You name the awful games from the absolute worst developer available, RCMDIAX, who still hasn't figured out how to turn the Caps Lock off when coming up with the titles for them? Not that you're much better, spelling Nintendo wrong every time you type it, like it's difficult. If you're not gonna be serious, what's the point?
@JaxonH I am on the side of the single player gamers who do not play on line or with Amiibos.
All this extra coding and testing must slow down game production and up the game price for the single game player.
@GenoBeatsMallow I know, right?
@Darknyht This is the kind of thing that makes your eyes bleed?!
@bitleman
Camelot isn't owned by Nintendo.
@Nintendood
Still beautiful to me! Thanks, just seein anything from that game puts me in a good mood.
@Darknyht
That's the back of Mallow, on the right in the bottom pic.
Eh whatever. It was my least favorite of the 3 by far. Hopefully this frees up marvel and sw for lego
@LemonSlice Even though I'm not THAT big into anime, still: Amen to that!
@GenoBeatsMallow Yes, that is my attempt at making a point, and if you don't believe me go look at a list of all indie games over the past 2 years on PS4 and Wii U. Though to really make it fair compare Wii U's first 2 years and PS4 first 2 years. However you like. Then find a metric you like - quality, quantity - whatever - and I'm fairly certain PS4 beats Wii U on the indie front. There is just a wider range and broader scope on PS4 than Wii U. Probably PS3 over the past 3 years as well. Shovel Knight is probably the best Wii U has had, and PS4 has that now as well.
I believe the original posters point was that Wii U gets a lot of indie 3rd party support, and my response was, "a lot" is relative, other consoles get more and better support.
@ggnorekthx I have to ask - I'm not to up on the lingo these days - ggnorekthx = good game, no rematch, ok, thanks ? Either that or a character in an HP Lovecraft novel?
I think NMS started out as a Sony exclusive b/c the devs wanted it to be a Sony exclusive. Then after their offices got flooded and the game took years longer than originally planned Sony stepped in to help out. That's not gospel, just my understanding from following the game.
Not a big surprise. Toys to life as a standalone platform is just another a fad designed to take advantage of Chinese slave wage labor and the hysterical side of consumerism. It will die just like every other toy fad before it.
@Darknyht So I guess you never played any early to midlife (or possibly not any) PS1 or Saturn games either, huh?
@Nintendood Yes, sir it is. The pre-rendered stuff didn't look right to me back when it came around the first time with DKC. But then, I had already transitioned to the PC by that point which was much better at it (but still rough in retrospect). Wish they had stayed with sprites, which both Square and Nintendo were much better at. The entire era of low polygon count characters floating over a grainy, pre-rendered background just looks silly to me now.
@PlywoodStick Actually played quite a few PS1 games, but that doesn't make them any easier to look at 16+ years later. It's the same thing with N64 games for me. It isn't that they are bad games (I love LoZ:OoT and enjoyed Mario 64 for example) it is just that era of graphics aged badly.
Another bit of gaming history I struggle with is best explained with Sierra's adventure games. They had some of the best sprite work in the business, but then went to FMV. So I can (and do) still play Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father (and other classics), I would be hard pressed to play it's sequel again.
@rjejr My son did likewise after breaking them off the base so that they could move around better. I honestly don't know why they didn't use more traditional action figures that could attach to the base (like the old GI Joe/Star Wars figures did).
If the price point wasn't so bad (and I know you can get them cheap with sales) and storage wasn't an issue, I probably would be more interested in Lego Dimensions.
So... which one will fall next:
Skylanders, Lego Dimensions or amiibos?
@Darknyht My kids have broken a few of them - wings, heads, light sabers - Darth Maul's broke off coming out of the plastic - but I try to look at it as they are kids toys, toys break. They never purposely took them off the bases though. We have't played with Lego Dimensions yet but I always assumed that was going to be a problem. My kids are older now though so while things may break, they usually keep them together well enough to be functional. We did have a Skylander not work out of the box once but I returned it for one that worked, no problem.
I still dont think toys-to-life is dead though, kids want toys. Mcdonalds Happy Meals toys are now 37 years old.
I feel bad for the 300 employees. But Infinity itself was executed poorly.
@jmbarnes101 It's only speculation but that was something I saw as well. My 2.0 Interior was buggy after a random glitch when my daughter added some random content in 2 player mode. Even with support we were never able to fix it and I couldnt link rooms ever again. The rest of the game and others in the series have been great. Would have been nice if they could have staggered content and done a two year cycle or something to properly debug. I'm sad to see the series go, I was excited for and had planned to buy the next iteration.
@Luffymcduck I would say Skylanders and Dimensions. Amiibo would sell regardless.
Death by amiibo!
This sucks. To the people who lost their jobs, I feel bad for all of them. I've only got the starter pack and was about to get more figures but this news was surprising to me. And also, I'm late better make a joke.
Amiibo.
@Darknyht
Wow, I'd have to think about killing myself if I knew how fun some of the games were and I never played many other highly-rated ones, because I was so blinded by my hatred for game graphics in the 90s, that I could never enjoy playing them again, or even try the ones that I missed! I'm getting depressed just trying to imagine how horrible it would be, being trapped in your mind.
@Nintendood
Hey check it out, I changed my avatar to a picture of Geno, and took Mallow outta my user name.
im a little disapointed i really like the second one
it was fun
That's what you get for not releasing a Darkwing Duck or Scrooge McDuck figure!
I really don't know how people can enjoy Amiibo and say it was a patch on Infinity. Amibbo doesn't do anything apart from unlocks a suit for a player or a power up they are good looking figures.
I really don't think Amiibo has anything to do with Infinity failing it all came down to the play sets being too short and not a lot to do after in the toy box. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the toy box for a short time but jesus it became so repetitive and just unplayable.
Nintendo have done the right thing just making them figures for kids and collectors to buy in the knowledge they are just figures. they will fail soon just like the others will. 10 years ago band games were big look what happened there the same wil happen here.
@rjejr
Finding Dory is still going to be released for DI 3.0 and I'm curious about it as well. I really thought 3.0 was fixing many of the previous issues, but too late, I guess. (Agreed about the choices for figures)
How do you know AC amiibo was a flop? I actually bought two of them (admittedly for cheap) without a game to use them with. The games were lackluster, especially "Festival" but is there some official source of sales you are seeing besides anecdotally in your one store? I mean stock has been better and there's always bound to be one figure or two that is overstocked.
As far as NX news goes, I don't think announcing before E3 makes sense as the other guys would have all E3 to make people forget. At E3 is also tough because it's just kryptonite to Nintendo now. E3 is waning and has developed a distinct flavor that doesn't align with what Nintendo often offers --Paper Mario isn't going to fly. Federation Force was bound to get some negative reaction but announced like it was at E3 and it gets piled on. The new Zelda fits in there pretty well, though.
After E3, Nintendo can set its own stage.
Not to say that waiting this long has been good with all the rampant speculation going on. I also have to question the Wii U is dead message long before its replacement has been revealed.
@aaronsullivan
So E3 is a horrible place for Ntineod to talk about NX games but a great place to spend 3 days talking about Zelda U? I do know what you are trying to say but when I put it like that it sounds like lose-lose anyway, may as well try to get some NX news out there.
Yes, my AC amiibo thoughts are all incidental. For almost a year Nintneod released amiibo and almost to a 1 they disappeared almost overnight. Then a few of the SM re-skins started to stick around for a few days at a time, then an entire line of AC amiibo just sit there on the stores shelves at Target, Best Buy and Gamestop, packed full. I don't go in those other stores too often but the ones at Target haven't budged and it's been months and months now.
I'm sure a quick perusal of the going price on eBay would confirm my beliefs. And while ti's true an over abundance of stock would have the same effect, do you really think they would have made that many AC amiibo, and always restock them at Target that often. Just doesn't seem likely.
They are practically giving away the AC amiibo at Amazon, $12.87 for the 3-pack. $6 for Resseti Tom Nook or Mabel. It's true all the amiibo have gone down a bit in price, save the really hard to find ones, but AC are cheap.
http://smile.amazon.com/Animal-Crossing-3-Pack-nintendo-wii-u/dp/B014KXMDXO/ref=pd_sim_63_64?ie=UTF8&dpID=51F8Ge0iULL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR160%2C160&refRID=0MB39T162925DHPZS8DT
You want any of them @Captain_Gonru $12 for 3 amiibo is pretty good.
I don't know why that link isn't working, trying again.
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B017NFIVVO?psc=1&smid=A17VF0QJV8ZWRE
#$$%$#@@ OK, last time for the $14 amiibo 3-pack
http://smile.amazon.com/Animal-Crossing-3-Pack-nintendo-wii-u/dp/B014KXMDXO/ref=pd_bxgy_63_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=00H11T6PP4Z8GH9PKTZT
@Captain_Gonru Nice Nitneod jab - I'm feeling the burn thru the monitor
NX - both Home and Away - have to have built in NFC readers. They just do. That's non-negotiable. Even if only 1 game used them, we're talking about a company that put a TVii button on the European Gamepads even though Europe never got TV. And I only ever used the camera for Tank! Tank! Tank!. What a waste of hardware resources. So NX will have a normal controller (hopefully more normal than the N64 atrocity) and NFC built in.
Sony built a Move bar into the PS4 controller and then dropped the camera. Though it will get used in PSVR games.
The toys to life market got too flooded to support the crazy profits it claims it can offer, I guess With Lego Dimensions out and Nintendo getting in on the action with Amiibo in the last couple of years, it was time for a Skylanders clone series to fall. And of course, Disney is the first. I'm not surprised. People say that Disney has "legendary" IP, but they hardly use them. Disney has only been making one-off movies for the last decade or so, and as a result, some of the best IP that they have right now only come for a single movie. Needless to say, with toys-to-life, a connected universe is a must, and with Disney movies being similar rather than connected to each other, toys-to-life for them didn't pan out. I'm just sad that so many jobs were lost on what is essentially a devaluation gimmick- companies say you need to buy one thing for an exorbitant price, and then they say you need to buy an extension or expansion to "enhance your user experience" or some other 3DS update changelog style BS for sometimes even more money. Oh, and did I mention it's marketed to kids that will beg parents to buy them this essential mini-market of profit that is a toys-to-life game/pack/whatever? Ultimately, the industry is pretty unethical because it pressures kids (who shouldn't be in charge of finances at all, really) to get their parents (aka force them) to buy a game/series of games that don't even have much content until you buy even more crap. Plus, it devalues the gaming market in general, because it encourages devs to make more of their content DLC or cost extra when it normally would just be included. I'm ok with Amiibo, because they're not tied to a specific game, they actually have excellent compatibility and they're (comparitively, not honestly) cheap, but stuff like Skylanders and Lego Dimensions make me sick. People are starting to figure out how much of a scam this whole toys-to-life industry is, too, so it's only a matter of time before some of the traditional toys-to-life companies begin to fall due simply to lack of demand. They need to get that consumers want games without content behind a direct paywall or ridiculous figures that have quadruple margins. Plain and simple.
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