Learn about how Infinity’s Power Discs affect characters, skills, and the world you make and break. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
Disney Infinity: Power Discs – Trailer
Tag Archives: Disney Infinity
Detailed Run Down of Disney Infinity Cars Collectables
By Andy Robertson, Contributor
Detailed look at design, materials and continuity of the recently announced Cars playset for Disney Infinity. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Is Activision Blizzard Afraid of Disney?
By Rick Munarriz, Munarriz, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
One of last year’s best-selling video game franchises is a popular markdown this week.
Activision Blizzard stumbled on a sleeper hit in Skylanders last year. Skylanders Spyro’s Adventures was the industry’s hottest seller through the first half of 2012. Combining actual action figures that engage in video game battles once docked on a console-connected portal, the leading video game publisher succeeded in winning over young gamers that seemed to have given up on following their older siblings and parents into diehard gaming.
Now we’re seeing Skylanders Giants starter pack — a platform that rolled out late last year with larger figures for $75 — being aggressively discounted.
Sifting through Sunday’s circulars, here are some pretty nifty deals I came across.
- Best Buy is marking the starter pack down to $55, and buyers get a free lunchbox.
- The starter pack made the front page of Target‘s circular with a mind-blowing $40 price.
- Toys “R” Us is offering a $25 gift card with any Skylanders purchase of $80 or more, and it’s also marking down additional figurines by 50%.
- Not to be outdone, Amazon.com is matching Target’s rock-bottom price.
Popular video games do get popular as they age, but it’s not a coincidence that we’re seeing a wave of discounts. Retailers just began taking preorders for a similar Disney gaming experience.
Disney Infinity won’t hit the market until this summer, but it’s easy to see why Activision Blizzard is getting aggressive. It’s a similar format where physical figures are docked to enter Disney’s virtual realm.
We’re not talking about Daisy Duck and Mickey Mouse, here. Disney Infinity‘s starter pack includes pirate Jack Sparrow, Monsters‘s Sully, and Pixar superhero Mr. Incredible. The family entertainment giant knows its audience, so it’s building this franchise on its more recent characters that appeal to young gamers.
This will be a threat to Activision Blizzard, but the gaming giant caught a break. Disney Infinity was supposed to hit the market by the end of June, but now the release date has been bumped to mid-August. The $75 preorder price also gives Activision Blizzard time to build out its installed base of Skylanders players at a lower price point.
Things will get interesting soon. One winner will naturally be GameStop . At a time when digital gaming is gnawing away at the retailer’s growth, along comes a new platform that requires physical purchases. Best Buy will also naturally benefit from games where starter packs and low-priced additional figures will bring in repeat traffic to its meandering stores. Losers here may include traditional toy makers, as Skylanders and Infinity characters eat into the conventional playthings market.
Forget the battle between Skylanders figures and Disney characters. The real fight here will be between the two franchises.
Goofy about Disney
It’s easy to forget that Walt Disney is more than just the House of Mouse. True, Disney amusement parks around the world hosted more than 121 million guests in 2011. But from its vast catalog of characters to its …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Disney Infinity Now Available For Pre-Order
Since I’m currently at Disney World, news that Disney Infinity sets, figures, and Power Disc packs are available for pre-order seems fitting enough. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Naomi's Daily Fix Headlines: 3.14.2013
An iPhone case you’ll want to own if not for the soul purpose of making everyone think you’re Iron Man. Note: No one will actually think you’re Iron Man. A game featuring a certain one-eyed monster gets delayed and two major franchises announce what’s in store for their up-coming DLC. Those are today’s headlines. Also, pie. Today is national Pi (3.14159) Day!
The new vault hunter may not be fully revealed until PAX East, but you can get a sneak peek now in this new trailer.
A federal jury has found powerhouse publisher and developer Nintendo guilty of infringement upon an inventor’s 3D display technology patent with the Nintendo 3DS.
Disney Infinity has been delayed by a month, meaning the game will now be available in North America from August 18 and in Europe from August 20.
Retailers Influence Strategic 'Disney Infinity' Delay To August
By Jason Evangelho, Contributor
In a move Disney Interactive’s John Pleasants insists is not related to development problems, the release of Disney Infinity has been pushed back to August 18 of this year. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Toys R Us CEO Talks Exclusive Disney Infinity Figures
By Andy Robertson, Contributor
CEO of Toys R Us talks exclusive Disney Infinity figures and ongoing support of the toys-to-life genre as a major way of boosting the ailing video-game retail market. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Dow Faces Headwinds That Even Wall Street Can't Deny
By Jessica Alling, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Sixteen points. All the Dow Jones Industrial Average needed yesterday was 16 measly points to reach its all-time high. But just like its close calls before, investors backed off when it got too close for comfort. And today, the first day of $85 billion in spending cuts due to the government‘s inability to reach a resolution to the shudder-inducing sequestration, the Dow may have a steeper hill to climb in order to reach the record summit.
On top of the spending cuts, investors have been faced with some disappointing economic news as well. Personal income fell in January by 3.6%, the most in two decades. Savings was up 2.6% in December due to increased special dividends and other payouts, which helped offset the drop in income. Consumer spending inched up by 0.2% in January, but the money generally went toward fuel bills in the home and in the car. In Europe, new unemployment figures show an increase to 11.9% in January, an all-time record for the eurozone.
Despite the downer news from Washington today, the Dow has some winners that may help it at least stay flat in trading.
Boeing , a huge government contractor, is remaining afloat this morning. Up 0.44% just before 11:30 a.m. ET, the aircraft manufacturer may be getting closer to a solution for its 787 Dreamliner fleet’s battery issues. The company has been taking steps to convince its Japanese customers of the craft’s safety, and it seems to be paying off — the president of Boeing’s largest 787 customer, ANA, has said he believes that the company has made great strides to resolve the issue and he has confidence that the aircraft will be operational once the battery is functional. In the meantime, Boeing is cutting back on contract workers at a second Dreamliner facility to save costs while the fleet is grounded. But there is good news for the company: It has just inked a deal with Air Lease for 10 777’s.
Disney is also up this morning, despite news that the company may have a proxy fight on its hands. After CEO Robert Iger was announced as chairman of the company’s board last year, some large institutional investors have made their displeasure known. The company had a long history of independent board leadership, and the investors are worried about transparency. Elsewhere, Disney’s new venture with Nintendo, Disney Infinity for Wii U, has just debuted new figurines that will enhance the in-game play. Disney is apparently in talks with Toys R Us for exclusive distribution rights for the figurines. And next week should be a big one for the media side of Disney, as its Wizard of Oz prequel, The Great and Powerful Oz, is set to be released on March 8.
The biggest winner so far this morning is Bank of America , up by 2.58% earlier this morning. The bank has been up and down this week, as usual, but a few …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Disney Exec John Lasseter Goes To Infinity And Beyond (Q&A)
Disney will be going head-to-head with Activision in a cross-platform battle between the Skylanders toys and games, which have crossed the $1 billion mark, and Disney Infinity, the contender that has huge Disney and Pixar franchises in its corner. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Disney Infinity Getting Cars Playset
Disney has revealed that the fourth playset available for the upcoming Disney Infinity will be based on the movie Cars.
Characters from the movie that are confirmed to be part of the set are Lightning McQueen, Mater, Holley Shiftwell and Francesco Bernoulli.
Buying the newly announced group of toys will introduce players to the world of Radiator Springs, where you’ll be able to race, perform tricks in a stunt park, and customise the town. It’ll also allow you to add the Cars cast to your Toy Box where they can interact with characters from the other sets, as well as unlock tools to the Play Set that’ll enable you to create your own tracks.
The other three sets previously announced are based on The Incredibles, Monsters University and Pirates of the Caribbean. While we know the game is due out June 18, there’s still no word on how much the toys will cost. Our advice? Start saving now.
Disney Shutters 'Epic Mickey' Studio Junction Point
By Jason Evangelho, Contributor While the ambitious Disney Infinity looks poised for global success, the house of mouse continues its move away from console-specific game development today with the closure of Junction Point.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
A Closer Look at Disney Infinity
When Disney Infinity was first announced a few weeks ago, I couldn’t decide whether it was a childhood dream come true or a terrifyingly efficient money-spinner. To be totally honest, it’s both – it’s going to make a ridiculous amount of money, but Disney Infinity is not a cynical or exploitative exercise. It’s creative, playful, and preserves the soul of the cherished characters and places that it brings to life.
When you look at how kids play with their toys, they’re born genre alchemists. Spider-Man can fight against Creepers from Minecraft; Hulk and Barbie can drive around in the Batmobile together; Iron Man and Buzz Lightyear can form a crime-fighting superteam in space. Disney Infinity taps right into this impulse, harnessing the imagination in a way that licensed kids’ games seldom bother to do.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
Explaining Disney Infinity
Gameplay footage and close-up shots of Disney Infinity‘s figures.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
Five Lessons In Success From Disney's $40 Million CEO
By Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes Staff Last year, Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger earned a 20% pay hike boosting his compensation to $40.2 million. Under Iger’s leadership, Disney has been on a tear. The stock is up 38% over the last 12 months to an all-time high of $54 per share. Valuable brands like Pixar, Marvel and LucasFilm are now part of the Disney fold. And the company is innovating on all fronts with the new Disney Infinity video game and a magic bracelet coming soon to Disney parks that should make visits easier and more fun (albeit with a big privacy sacrifice).
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
IGN UK Podcast #169: Exploitative Tat
Welcome to the IGN UK podcast, and to the return of Stuart Reid, who’s been away from the podcast for a while (he’s been busy finishing his collection of original Beanie Babies).
And strangely coinciding with the return of Stu is a discussion of what’s acceptable to use in the marketing material for a game. You may have seen the frankly tacky Dead Island: Riptide collector’s edition earlier in the week. Stay classy, guys. But we thought it was an interesting debate. Would it have caused so much fuss if it was use in the promotional material for a movie?
We also get around to talking about Disney Infinity, Jurassic Park 4, and new Pokemon. If you can’t wait for it to hit iTunes, join Alex, Daniel, Keza and Stu by downloading the podcast now:
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Movies
Disney Infinity: A Revealing Interview with John Pleasants of Disney Interactive
By Jason Evangelho, Contributor Following the Disney Infinity press event in Hollywood, I sat down t with John Pleasants to discuss the game, the tantalizing possibilities Marvel and Star Wars bring to the table, the overarching involvement of the Walt Disney Company.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Disney Infinity Pricing Revealed
If the first thing you thought when you saw Disney Infinity unveiled earlier this week was “that looks expensive,” you’re not alone. Disney has now released full pricing details for the starter pack that will be available at launch, as well as the figures and play sets.
The starter pack includes three figures: Jack Sparrow, Sulley, and Mr Incredible. It also includes Monsters Inc, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Incredibles play sets, which translate to levels in the game. There’s also an Infinity Base, the NFC device that translates the bits of plastic into the game. It will retail at $75 in the US and £64.99 in the UK (it’s slightly cheaper on Wii and 3DS at £54.99 in the UK).
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
John Lasseter Relaxes Cross-Brand Rules For Disney Infinity
By Andy Robertson, Contributor John Lasseter relaxes a lifelong disdain of crossing the franchise streams, as Disney Infinity reminds him of getting lost in childhood play.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Disney Infinity: Character Art and Screenshots
By Jason Evangelho, Contributor Figurine and character art, plus a few screenshots from Disney Infinity
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Disney Infinity Insider Interview with Studio Founder John Blackburn
By Andy Robertson, Contributor John Blackburn of Avalanche Software steers us through the Disney Infinity news from today’s Hollywood announcement and shows off his new Disney toy collection.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest