SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) – The population of Skylands will be booming come fall.
Activision is introducing the option for “Skylanders” players to create their own characters in the series’ fifth installment, which is set to debut Oct. 16. The toys-to-life franchise mimics real-world figures in the virtual video game world of Skylands.
“Skylanders Imaginators” will add 10 crystal-shaped toys to the lineup that can be used to assemble heroes from scratch by picking their body parts, wardrobes, voices, superpowers and other attributes on-screen. The various crystals each represent the different elements found across the Skylands, such as air, water and light.
From animal heads to armored suits, “Skylanders” associate producer Lou Studdert said there are about 18 sextillion – and growing – possible aesthetic combinations of Imaginators.
“We don’t just want to make the same game,” said Studdert. “We’re making sure that every year that we’re innovating and pushing forward. As weird as it sounds, kids now expect their action figures to come to life in a video game. They didn’t five years ago.”