Skylanders Imaginators Gamescom Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS UNLEASHES KAOS AT GAMESCOM 2016

All-New Crash Bandicoot Level Reveals Dr. Neo Cortex, Crash Bandicoot’s Archnemesis, as Skylander Guest Star

Videogame Supervillains Kaos and Dr. Neo Cortex Arrive as Fully-Playable
 Skylanders Senseis Toys This Fall! Free Kaos Toy with Pre-Order and
Purchase of Starter Pack!

Santa Monica, Calif. –  Aug. 17, 2016 – Portal Masters be on the lookout this October! Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is bringing more content and characters to Skylanders® Imaginators– the game lets fans unleash their imaginations like never before in a Skylanders game. Starting today, the villains of Skylands are taking over Gamescom and revealing an all-new dedicated Crash Bandicoot® level, Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands, to fans. Leading the charge is Skylands’ most notorious villain Kaos, who along with the help of new guest star Skylander, Dr. Neo Cortex are sure to add more fun to players’ imagination-to-life gameplay experience. Both supervillains are joining the lineup of Skylanders Sensei characters as fully-playable toys in Skylanders Imaginators, and Kaos will available for free to fans who pre-order and purchase a Skylanders Imaginators starter pack.
“From the moment we received the first fan art, we knew Skylanders was unique in its ability to fuel kids’ imaginations. With Skylanders Imaginators’ powerful character creation tools, we can’t wait to see what amazing Skylanders our fans will bring to life,” said Paul Reiche, president and co-founder, Toys For Bob. “Now fans can create more characters than there are stars in the known universe. These Imaginators join a strong lineup of Sensei characters which include fan-favorite villains, now reformed and fighting for good!”

In North America, fans who pre-order and purchase the Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack will receive a playable Kaos Sensei toy for free while supplies last between October 16 – 22, 2016.

With Kaos having discovered the power of Mind Magic to create Doomlanders, one of his first creations was none other than a clone of himself!  Figuring that no one in the universe, including the Skylanders, could ever stand up to more than one Kaos, he unleashed his clone in his quest to take over Skylands.  But to Kaos’ surprise, the clone – also being Kaos – wanted victory for himself!  As a result, he fights against his creator, in turn helping the Skylanders in their endeavor to defeat the real Kaos!

At Gamescom, Skylanders Imaginators will introduce fans to the return of Dr. Neo Cortex as a Sensei Skylander and reveal an all-new level, Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands, that’s steeped in nostalgic Crash Bandicoot® gameplay. The level includes special Crash Zones that bring back the classic massive boulder chases from the original games. And, as with any Skylanders level, there are secrets and hidden areas all along the way.  In paying homage to this iconic character on his 20th anniversary, the level is packed with TNT boxes, crabs, hazards, temple ruins, Wumpa Fruit, exploding crates and many more elements from the original Crash. But it all takes place in the Skylands - which means a new twist of Skylanders combat and action brought into the world of the Wumpa Islands.

"You can’t have Crash Bandicoot as a guest star Skylander without his arch-nemesis,
Dr. Neo Cortex,” said Jen Oneal, studio head, Vicarious Visions. “We approached the level as a way for us to bring the best parts of Skylanders and the best parts of Crash together into one epic adventure. Players are going to enjoy how we’ve honored the heritage of traditional Crash games in the musically-themed, TNT crate-filled level. For fans of Crash this is going to feel like going back to the old world of Crash Bandicoot -- but in gorgeous 1080p.”

In the game, a “Synchronization Celebration” has aligned the world of Skylands with the Wumpa Islands. Upon arriving, Spyro and Mags discover that Dr. Neo Cortex (voiced by Lex Lang) has created a terrible machine to harness the rhythmic power of the island’s celebration for his newest evil scheme! When the machine goes awry, something occurs that throws the whole party out of sync. Crash (voiced by Jess Harnell) must team up with the Skylanders and his old enemy Neo Cortex to restore the celebration before the Wumpa Islands are syncopated right out of existence!

The Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands level will be available to players who purchase the Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack featuring Crash Bandicoot for PlayStation consoles at launch. The level will also be available to all platforms via purchase of the Skylanders Imaginators Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands Adventure Pack this holiday for the suggested retail price of $29.99. The Skylanders Imaginators Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands Adventure pack also will include Crash Bandicoot and Dr. Neo Cortex as fully playable toys.
Last but not least, Portal Masters will soon be able to collect Imaginite Mystery Chests.  These chests will unlock new creation pieces, such as gear, weapons, and parts for players’ Imaginator characters.

Skylanders Imaginators empowers players to unleash their imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylander. Portal Masters will enjoy the immense possibilities  available in the game -- including appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more -- to create the wildest Skylanders imaginable. Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders from previous games and will launch on October 16, 2016 in North America. The Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack will be available for the suggested retail price of $74.99.

About the Skylanders® Franchise
The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders® franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys1 since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro’s Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore® characters to the collection of interaction figures. Skylanders® SWAP Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern – swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids’ console game globally1. Skylanders® SuperChargers launched on September 20, 2015 and expanded upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life for the first time.
About Activision Publishing
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, http://www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Skylanders SuperChargers Online Co-Op, Online Racing, Racing Adventure Packs, and New Screenshots

Skylanders SuperChargers Gamescom Notes

(These are the Notes I compile from Press Releases and Insider Info to Make the Video)

Adventure Mode

Racing Mode

Adventure Mode

-Single Player Adventure Mode

-Local Co-Op Adventure Mode

 -Online Co-Op Adventure Mode

Racing Mode

-Land, Sea, and Sky

-Time Trials

Three Lap Races

Compete for #1 Spot on Leaderboard

Skylanders SuperChargers Racing

Dedicated Racing Combat Game

New Tracks for Wii and 3DS

Nintendo Wii

-Splitscreen Multiplayer

-No Online

Nintendo 3DS

-Local Multiplayer

-Online with up to 4 Players

All SuperChargers Starter Packs come with 6 Dynamic Race Tracks

-2 Land, 2 Sea, and 2 Sky

-Diverse Locations, Hidden Routes, Power-Ups, Boosts, Hazards

-Up to 50 Different and Exciting Gameplay Experiences (what?)

-Voice Chat available with friends for an added layer of excitement

Skylanders SuperChargers Racing Action Packs $34.99

-1 Land, 1 Sea, and 1 Sky

--Includes SuperCharger, Signature Vehicle, and a Villain Trophy

--Villain Trophy Unlocks 2 New Tracks and New Modes

---Super Villain Cup, Boss Pursuit, and Mirror Cup

----12 Boss Villains Total, 4 in Each of the 3 Packs (Land, Sea, and Sky)

-----Defeat the Villain and gain the ability to race as them

-----Store Boss Villains on Trophy to Play at Friend’s House

Skylanders SuperChargers Gamescom Online Racing and Co-op Reveal

READY, SET, GO -- SKYLANDERS® SUPERCHARGERS DELIVERS

RACING AND ONLINE MULTIPLAYER

Skylanders Charges into Gamescom with

Exciting Announcements and Franchise Firsts

COLOGNE, Germany - August 5, 2015 - Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), continues to blaze the toys-to-life trail with Skylanders franchise firsts, racing and online multiplayer gameplay on console in Skylanders® SuperChargers, developed by Vicarious Visions. Whether fans prefer co-operative play in Adventure Mode or competitive multiplayer with up to four players in Racing Mode, Skylanders SuperChargers' online gaming is fueled with adrenaline-pumping action right out of the box. 

Skylanders' all-new Racing Mode, playable in Land, Sea and Sky environments, features supercharged racing combat, layering in even more depth and excitement to the game's online multiplayer component.  The high-octane mode is further amplified with all-new time trials, which include three-lap races that take friendly competition up a notch as players battle for the best time score on the leaderboard.  All Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs will come loaded with six dynamic race tracks - two each for Land, Sea and Sky. With hidden routes, power-ups, and diverse locations, Racing Mode offers completely new ways to enjoy the game. Whether played in offline split-screen or online multiplayer, gamers can choose the best route to finish a race, trying to avoid attacks along the way as they navigate through dynamic environments. Voice-chat is available with friends for an added layer of excitement.

Skylanders SuperChargers delivers more ways to play than ever before:

• Single-player Adventure Mode
• Online and local co-operative Adventure Mode
• Local 2-player head-to-head racing in split screen
• Online competitive racing with up to 4 players

"Skylanders fans told us they wanted to go head-to-head in online multiplayer with their friends and family, and we delivered. Skylanders SuperChargers enables gamers to race against friends all over the world and brings an exciting new expansion to the Skylanders gameplay experience," said John Coyne, senior vice president of consumer marketing, Activision Publishing, Inc.  "We continue to be firmly committed to driving Skylanders' spirit for providing originality, innovation, creativity and fun with each game."

Skylanders SuperChargers continues to rev its engine with the addition ofSkylanders SuperChargers Racing Action Packs at launch and beyond. These optional expansion packs, one each for Land, Sea and Sky, unlock even more thrilling racing content for Portal Masters. Each pack comes loaded with three special toys, including a SuperCharger, its signature vehicle and a villain trophy. The villain trophy unlocks two new tracks and new modes, including SuperVillain Cup, Boss Pursuit and Mirror Cup. There are 12 boss villains across all three packs, with four in each pack, which players can defeat and play as. Fans can then store these boss villains on their villain trophy toy to play at a friend's house.

Fans can augment their SuperCharger experience with a complementary, dedicated racing combat game -- Skylanders SuperChargers Racing -- for the Wii™ system and Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system. All-new tracks, augmented with power-ups, boosts, hazards and more, offer up to 50 different and exciting gameplay experiences. On Nintendo 3DS, gamers can go head-to-head with competitive multiplayer via local play or online with up to four players. Iconic Nintendo character Bowser™ and his Sky vehicle, Clown Cruiser are available in theSkylanders SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for Wii and Nintendo 3DS and can also be played on the Wii U™ system.   The Supercharged character not only works in Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, but also as amiibo in compatible Nintendo games, so players can store their saved data in both modes with a simple twist of the figure's base.

About Skylanders SuperChargers

Skylanders SuperChargers expands upon the franchise's signature gameplay to introduce a brand-new play pattern to fans, vehicles-to-life.  For the first time ever, kids can explore and navigate the mountainous terrains, deep sea environments and big blue skies of Skylands like never before by going behind the wheel of powerful, tricked-out land, sea and sky vehicles - bringing them from physical world into the digital world in a high octane action-adventure videogame. The game offers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures featuring combat, puzzles, mini games, activities and platforming -- all set within a variety of new compelling environments. Skylanders SuperChargers has 20 land, sea and sky vehicles that are fun to play in the game and in the real world. There is also a new class of heroes -- 20 SuperCharger toys that feature all-new powerful attacks and moves, upgrades and personalities. The game supports all 300+ Skylander toys from previous games.

Skylanders SuperChargers will be available on September 25 in Europe andSeptember 20 in North America on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation® 4 system, PlayStation® 3 system and Nintendo's Wii U™ system. Additionally, the completeSkylanders SuperChargers experience will be available on iPad®(1).  SkylandersSuperChargers Racing will be available on September 25 in Europe and September 20 in North America for Wii™ and Nintendo 3DS.

About the Skylanders® Franchise

The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million action figures(2) since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro's Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012,Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore® characters to the collection of interaction figures.  Skylanders® SWAP Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern - swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids' console game globally(2).

About Activision Publishing

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

Skylanders Trap Team New Character Reveals: Head Rush, Bushwhack, Kaboom and More

Thanks to Gamescom we are getting a look at several new characters in Skylanders Trap Team.

Skylanders Trap Team New Character Reveals:

Head Rush, Bushwhack, Kaboom, Gill Grunt, Brawl & Chain, Brawlrus, & Masker Mind

On the Trap Master side we have:

Head Rush (aka That Viking Chick), Earth Element
Bushwhack (aka That Acorn Guy), Life Element
Kaboom, Fire Element

Somewhere in the middle we have Series 4 Gill Grunt.

Series 4 Tidal Wave Gill Grunt Gameplay with Wow Pow

On the opposite side we have a few new villains:

Brawl & Chain, Water
Brawlrus, Tech
Masker Mind, Undead

I will get the gameplay clips up after work...

If you are looking for information on the new Skylanders Minis, check this link out:
http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014/08/skylanders-minis-revealed-full-roster.html

Skylanders Minis Revealed: Full Roster and Gameplay

Flashback to E3 and I was able to ask directly what the deal was with MiniJini being on the Trap Team logo.  The official response was well rehearsed and something along the lines of, "She just fit the space," or "We like to show off all of our past offerings."  It was very clear that there was much more significance to her presence than the brass was able or willing to let on at the time, and we now know why...

Skylander Minis have officially been unveiled!

Skylanders Minis Character Roster

"Sixteen of the smallest but surprisingly powerful Skylanders are now joining the fight against Skylands’ most nefarious villains.  Diminutive in stature but mighty in battle, Skylanders Minis will deliver a full Skylanders wallop as completely playable characters with upgrades and abilities, just like any other Skylanders, including the ability to trap villains."

If you are thinking, "Wait, you mean Sidekicks, right?" you would be partially right.  These are the same size and shape as your tried-and-true Sidekicks, but they are Minis!  If it helps, think of them as "Mini Skylanders."  If you are trying to process it, think of the Sidekick, but factor in a lot of training.  What sets the "Minis" apart is their ability to use attacks just like their full-sized counterparts!

Here is a quick snyopsis:

"The Skylander Mini’s started off as regular "Sidekicks," assisting the Skylanders on many exciting adventures. And what they lacked in size they more than made up for in courage. Ultimately determined to become full-fledged heroes, they trained at the Skylands Academy - honing their powers and skills until they were ready. Now, they stand side by side with their full grown counterparts, ready to defend Skylands against Kaos and his evil minions."

Pretty cool, huh?  So for all of us that speculated they must be significant enough to have a role in the game, we were correct.  In the gameplay clip below you can see just how they mirror their full size friends:

Skylanders Minis Gameplay
Mini Jini, Spry, Drobit, Trigger Snappy, and Hijinx

Skylanders SWAP Force New Previews: Boom Jet, Grilla Drilla, Slobber Tooth, and Zoo Lou

One of the best things about Gamescom taking place a few weeks after E3 and closer to the big Fall launch dates is the new info.

Activision and Vicarious Visions' big Skylanders title SWAP Force was once again prominently featured for everyone to check out.  While not being there means we can't ask questions, check out the figures in person, or enjoy more of the gameplay, it does mean that we get new information!

This time around it looks like the strategy was to reveal some info on 2 Swappers and 2 of the New, Core Characters.  That broke down to a showcase of Boom Jet and Grilla Drilla for SWAP Force Skylanders and Slobber Tooth and Zoo Lou for our SWAP Force Newlanders.

Let's take a look at each...Also note you can scroll down to see the character bios, official artwork, final toy pose, and screenshots!

Boom Jet Preview

Grilla Drilla Preview

Slobber Tooth Preview

Zoo Lou Preview

Boom Jet
Air Element
Rocket Ability
"Bomb's Away"

No matter what Boom Jet did, he always had to be the best.  He could be seen day and night above his home in the Billowy Cloudplains gunning his engines and performing daredevil maneuvers as he trained to become the best sky surfer in all of Skylands.  Unfortunately, Boom Jet never had a chance to compete for the championship because a day came that changed his life forever.  The Darkness had come.  And with his town on the verge of being completely consumed by the ominous evil force, Boom Jet took action.  Using his incredible flying skills, he raced from house to house, rescuing all of the citizens and carrying them to safety… just before The Darkness destroyed his homeland.  It was then he realized the protection of Skylands was more important than personal glory, so he sought out Master Eon to offer his services to the Skylanders.

Boom Jet

Boom Drilla (Boom Jet + Grilla Drilla)

Boom Zone (Boom Jet + Blast Zone)

GRILLA DRILLA

Life Element

Dig Ability

“If There's a Drill, There's a Way!”

In the distant jungles of what was once the sprawling subterranean city of the Drilla Empire, Grilla Drilla served among the guards for the Drilla King.  Every seven years, the king would select the bravest and strongest guard to become their leader.  It was during the last selection ceremony that a troll mining operation broke through the ground above them and quickly snatched the king, wanting to know the location of the famed Drilla Diamond.  Having never ventured above ground, Grilla Drilla risked everything to defeat the trolls and rescue the Drilla King.  In return for his bravery, Grilla was selected as the new leader.  But he instead decided to join the Skylanders, where he could protect even more residents of Skylands.

Slobber Tooth

Earth Element

“Clobber and Slobber!”

Having been asleep for thousands of years, Slobber Tooth was awakened by the fiery eruption of two volcanic islands crashing together.  Immediately sought out by Kaos to become one of his minions, Slobber Tooth was promised great power.  But the gruff and headstrong fighter chose to follow his own path instead.  For this, Kaos attacked his ancient petrified homeland.  As the only one who could protect his hibernating race, Slobber Tooth fought tooth and tail against Kaos and his minions, ultimately driving them away.  For his heroism, Master Eon asked Slobber Tooth to join the Skylanders, where he could continue defending Skylands against the evil Kaos.

Zoo Lou

Life Element

“Nature Calls!”

Descended from a long line of shamans, Zoo Lou traveled far and wide to the Seven Strange Strongholds – ancient, mysterious sites of great wonder in Skylands – where he studied the wisdom and fighting styles of the Seven Strange Mages.  After many years of traveling and studying, Zoo Lou returned to find an army of trolls had invaded his sacred homeland to mine its natural magic resources.  Zoo Lou’s warrior heart burned with fury.  And having now mastered the enchanted art of communicating with nature and summoning animals, he unleashed his great mojo – attacking the trolls and single handedly freeing his lands once again.  It was this heroic feat that caught the eye of Double Trouble, who then brought Zoo Lou to Master Eon and the Skylanders.