Toys to Life Games: What Went Wrong?
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- Опубліковано 16 бер 2024
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If you remember the days when the video game section started to look more like a toy store, then you were probably a gamer during the toys to life craze of the 2010s. Toys to life games took over the gaming world seemingly overnight with Skylanders, Disney Infinity, Amiibo, LEGO Dimensions, and Starlink: Battle for Atlus. And then they were gone just as fast as they appeared. It was a fall off so drastic and sudden, that it almost seems impossible. Let’s take a look back at the history of the toy to life genre to see what went wrong. - Ігри
Disney infinity almost made me file for bankruptcy
LOL that was me with Amiibo
That was me with Skylanders
That was me with angry birds
Me with Lego dimensions
Me with Disney infinity too!
It's crazy that skins in games are now 2x more expensive than a skylander or disney Infinity character
Ikr?? And people used to complain about the costs of these figures!! At least back then we were actually buying physical things…
$7 Amiibo: too expensive
$15 skin: YES
Man, when Disney Infinity folded I remember their toys going such a deep discount. I never played the game but I loved having Venom on my desk. I always liked the art style.
They really were such great figures
Always wanted to buy the Pirates of Caribbean ones, but they always came with other random Pixar characters...
As someone who plays skylanders sometimes still, I think their downfall was releasing everything so quick, like a game a year
I completely agree! Especially once all the other competitors also started releasing games, it got so overwhelming
Trap Team's extra predatory methods weren't helping much either
Toy's to life is such an important genre to me and my years of playing video games. I played Skylanders with my mum in the Hospital's gaming room and it was the first time I played an Xbox. The first game that was mine on the Wii was Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions was a game I'd play with my best friend whenever I was at his house.
I played Skylanders with my mom too :’)
I think part of the problem was that it was real-life pay-to-play. Every time someone wanted to play as a new character they couldn't just select them from the character screen, instead you had to buy an upwards of 20 dollar figurine to get the full functionality of the game. Skylanders was pretty insidious about this, locking dozens of collectables behind having a specific skylander type on hand at any given type.
DLC is one thing. I don't like paying 5 dollars for a single character in guilty gear, but at least once I hit "Purchase" I immediately get access to the character. But imagine if you wanted to unlock Baiken and you had to either A. Wait four days to a week depending on shipping, or B. cart yourself to wal-mart in order to pick up your new character.
For the new kids just getting into the series it's fine; "Hey new toys" and all that. But when you're on the third/fourth game and you have to buy ANOTHER 60-some dollar starter set that includes a portal with the newest gimmick, be it traps or imaginator crystals or Giants or whatever, and you have to buy three or four new skylanders to interact with all the new stuff they put in this time around, well I could see why eventually it would stop selling as well.
Facts. You summed it up really well
Yes however u do get a figure that can be put on the shelf for display eta. In addition, figures now are only for display only yet people don’t complain about their cost. Skylanders can be used both in game and display
Skylanders I think it was the gimmick of the game not being carried on. Giants were useful (I guess) for the giants game that's it, no giants were ever needed past that. Never felt rewarded for having those gen two or three skylanders in Gen 4, five, and six, trap to team to superchargers is what killed me going crazy for my kids. The trapped villains not carrying over in a significant fashion was just to pricey..
It was a weird a place as a parent for me but that is where the financial lane came for me.
Disney infinity loved the art style to and bought a couple figures but outside the story packs wasn't "demographic" friendly and the kiddos didn't like the story packs because of the character locks.
Lego dimensions my kids loved but I think Zack nailed that one on the head more or less the content packs was of content my kids didn't care about and if they did there was already a Lego stand alone game of that content that was bigger and better....looking at you Lego batman
@@karalas Yeah, as someone who has the OG Skylanders figures and only stopped after Trap Team, I'm actually glad I my brother and I dropped off. It's one of those moments where I somewhat understood why my mom hated Skylanders with a passion. Long story short, my parents' divorce was messy, and mom couldn't really afford us stuff like games due to our financial situation, so dad decided to use this as an opportunity to be the "fun dad" and get us whatever games we wanted. Even then, in hindsight I wouldn't be surprised if dad himself was like "what the fuck, why are they 15 bucks a pop?" While I do not like how mom flat out dismissed me and my brothers' enjoyment of the game being the reason why we got those models and chalking it all up to dad wanting to spite her, I will admit that being more financially aware now.... those models were a fucking money sink.
I still need to take that garbage bag of Disney Infinity and Skylanders Figures to a local gaming shop to sell them. Dimensions was kind of the last Toys to Life game we ever got, and even then, we never really finished that game, and those are the only figures we are NOT getting rid of because they're Lego.
I think for Disney Infinity's problem, they only got their footing on game three. Even then, the lack of story pack backwards compatibility, the inability to play characters on other story worlds that weren't from that story, and the fact the main world was just so.... BORING is what killed it. I mean as someone who has downloaded the online maps other players made, it got boring really quick. Those tiny little sidekicks were just dull. The fact that we didn't even really get NPC counterparts of the player models, which would have led to some cool interactions, is so disappointing.
It feels like Disney Crossover Games are so.... needlessly limited. I mean the one game I can think of that actually feels somewhat close to a proper crossover game where you could interact with the characters is Dreamlight Valley. Even then, you don't really truly interact with them outside of activities and quests as well as them following you around. Do I want an old-Bioware like game where you could have deep conversations with characters and actually CONNECT with them? Hell yeah! That would be so cool. Yet it seems like the closest we'll ever get is Character AI, and that's depending on if the bots are even good.
I was like 12 when Giants came out. I still remember my dad was SUPER into collecting the rare toys and I remember me, my two brothers, and dad stood in line at Target at 7am prior to opening to make sure we got Scarlett Ninjini! Toys to Life was such a weird & fun time in gaming!
W Dad
As a poor kid… i remember the commercials for these 😂
Ye, I never played a bonus level, and never had a rare skin or anything. I didn’t even have the fourth game.
@@dagtheking5739 musta been nice 😑💰 white people
@@dagtheking5739 white people 😑💰
To this day I can't believe we got a Portal 2 lego set! I was, am and always will be a fan of Portal. I even got the set.
Disney Infinity,Lego Dimensions,and SkyLanders ruled my childhood!
I watched this whole thing not seeing the sub count, expected like at least 100k for the quality. Great work
Wow thank you!! I appreciate that
Angry birds telepods
This is absolutely amazing keep up the great work can’t wait to see more 🔥!
Man I wish I would have had a better memory of the peak of skylanders because I was 2 months old when skylanders first released and I only started playing skylanders in trap team when I was 3 so my memory is hazy
Everything is always on point. Can't get enough!
Fantastic video bro, like others have been saying I was expecting a way bigger sub count!
Amazing video man!!!!! Nice job, keep it up!!!!
love ur video keep up the good work!
Loved the vid! 🔥🔥
*Lego Dimensions:* You only needed 1 character per priority, from Story Pack character to the comparably best of Adventure Pack. Also overpriced.
*Disney Infinity:* 90% false advertising, possibilities were actually finite, and characters were practically the same 3 archtypes, so buying anyone outside of the Starter Pack was completely pointless.
*Skylanders:* Superchargers unlockables were randomized and no longer character-dependent, causing shelfwarming and further saturation no thanks to the other 2
Lego dimensions is my all time favourite game and it’s so sad that it had to be cancelled. Such love and care went into every single franchise that I couldn’t help but love it (at least in year 1 of release. Year 2 definitely took a dip in quality). Swing my all time favourite franchise in Scooby Doo get its own level and open world with dozens of references in a LEGO game of all things was amazing. Lego dimensions Scooby Doo even has a unique headpiece which was totally not necessary considering the regular LEGO Scooby Doo sets were releasing around that time. I also think the portal gimick worked best for this franchise as all the puzzles revolve around moving characters around and I think they’re some of the best puzzles in the Lego game franchise. While it was ultimately far too pricy in the end, Lego dimensions will always hold a special place in my heart and I always enjoy returning to it for another playthrough
Too bad it barely runs at times on the Wii U version
I remember my dad buying me and my brothers the Wii skylanders bundle that came with the console it was our first console and created a lot of childhood memories
I remember on Christmas when I was little, I got an xbox 360 and disney Infinity 3.0 and a bunch of figures. I mean, like 30 or 40 of them best day of my life
Great video! You’ve earned my sub!!
I remember by the end of Disney Infinity my local Toys R Us was selling the portal for $5 and figures for like $2 so I got a bunch of the figures for so cheap
I remember getting Disney infinity for Christmas when I was 7 in 2013 for my Wii U and I had a blast with the game!
I’m definitely glad the toys to life games failed (infinity, lego dimensions and skylanders). They were fun but If I’m gonna play a game where I have to pay for characters I’ll just play siege.
I miss the amiibo section 😭😭😭
SAME
Jeez, this just unlocked memories
I remember getting Disney Infinity for Christmas one year with my brother. We got an Iron Man and a Thor figure. We played the hell outta that game and had so much fun. It sucks to see what happened to such a good game
I grabbed a couple Disney figures, but in recent years I’ve bought several Lego Dimensions sets and figures. got the full line of Adventure Time, wicked witch of the west, the mini TARDIS, deLorean, Ecto-1, mystery machine, and idk what else.
Toys to life games overstayed their welcome and oversaturated themselves by releasing too many figures, and raising the prices on them didn’t help out much at all as well.
i feel like the Toys to Life genre is (one of) the best video game ideas a person could think of. i hope it gets revived one day
As a millennial who was addicted to webkinz it's lack of acknowledgment in this video is upsetting
I remember playing Skylanders at my Grandmothers house. Then playing Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions in mine!
15:18 lego dimensions is the best toys to life game and is the most ambitious crossover in history it was also good for getting minifigs
With Lego, the starter pack includes 3 characters who already had Lego sets and Lego games. Majority of the other characters did not have Lego sets or a Lego game.
So to get an exclusive minifig (that wasn't normally in Lego sets) you'd have to buy other packs.
I wanted the Doctor Who packs more than I wanted the game.
Later on I ended up getting a huge bundle with the game and half of the characters and after playing it I can say it is one of the best Lego games out there in terms of being a Lego game. Each world is lovingly crafted with many references and Easter Eggs to the source material that world is based on.
The Lego Sonic level is considered one of the best Sonic games.
The Doctor Who level is basically perfection.
The Portal level actually feels like Portal and will be the closest thing we get to Portal 3.
These ARE some of the best levels in Lego games, hidden behind a NFC paywall.
(In my opinion) If it weren't for Disney Infinity we MAY have gotten some Disney Lego properties in Dimensions. Lego Darth Vader packs would sell more than Lego Sloth lets be honest.
I’m still going hard in the amiibo craze. A lot of people say they’re about to die because most new games don’t have them, however the Power-Up Bands at Nintendo World give me hope they’ll be here for the next console.
I’m glad I watched the commercials and gameplay footage for free
I really enjoyed Skylanders Superchargers it was one of my favorite games on the Wiiu, I still have the character toys but I lost the vehicles a long time ago
I'm at this point praying for a fully digital version of Dimensions like the Disney Infinity Gold editions
really good video bro
I remember Skylanders toys being everywhere, I played the game a little with my dad when I was young and I think he bought a few figurines
A very interesting event regarding the Toy-to-Life era was the collaboration between Skylanders and Nintendo. For the Wii U version of Skylanders Super Chargers, they made what is essentially a fusion between a Skylander figure and an Amiibo Figure. Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser, they made a guest appearance for the game. You could have the figure be placed on the portal and work like any other Skylander. But they added a switch that allowed you to use the figure as an Amiibo as well. So a two for one deal.
I recorded a section talking about this but it felt too long winded so I ended up cutting it. Went back and forth about including it, because I agree with you, it’s super interesting. Thanks for watching!
When I was a kid, I was heavily into Skylanders. I did my hardest to collect them all(and did collect all of the first game Skylanders). Honestly though, the yearly released burned me out. Once I collected all of the first series, I basically lost interest in collecting the rest. And then by the third game, was just bored.
I also remember getting Disney infinity. I enjoyed it at first and enjoyed seeing all the player creations. But honestly, I don’t know why Disney went hard on focusing on the brands they owned. Once they focused on Star Wars and marvel, it just didn’t really feel Disney to me
One of the big problems was the rate of release. I remember collecting every Disney Infinity 1.0 figure when it came out back in the day. When 2.0 dropped, I just couldn’t do it anymore
The other problem is the physical space. I’m something of a collector, but I can’t rationalize keeping a bunch of figures and the base for a game I don’t play anymore around. Now that all three Disney Infinity games are on Steam with every character unlocked, I have genuinely no use for them and the second-hand prices aren’t great, so it’s hard to even sell them all
I still have some Skylander toys. I appreciate the memory lane video.
as someone that liked Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Amiibo (and gets super into collecting things) I remember shelling out for all of them for years. the amount of money I spent that I could have had now is how I imagine bitcoin people feel when they say they sold like 10 years ago before it was big
12:49 *OBJECTION* amibo festival is a really good game with hours of fun I was a Timmy and Tommy main here and it is criminally underrated
good video dawg you deserve more subs
I appreciate that 👊 the channel has been growing a lot recently so that’s all I can ask for!
I never could figure out how to actually play Disney infinity. The huge focus on toy box mode, ironically made the game feel empty
I remembered playing Disney infinity during the 3.0 era.
Like I still have the figures.
I purchased all the original skylanders, as well as the ones from giants. I remember going to Toys R Us and a few malls to get some of them, but once middle school hit, I sold them all to gamestop for $254 so I could buy a ps4. I have so much nostalgia with those first two games.
Though I didn’t play Starlink, I watched the cutscenes and even if the StarFox content wasn’t much, they definitely nailed it. They looked so good it convinced me that if the game franchise didn’t work now, it has the characters and story for a great animated series.
As the kid who rarely got new toys, so was stuck with the three that came with the game, I’m so glad this trend died out.
It was a good concept, but I think it died as quick as it did because people got tired of paying for dlc so that you could access more of the full game that you already paid for
Lego dimensions my childhood
At 6:20, this is actually false as well. With Skylanders, there were sets called Adventure Packs that when placed on the portal unlocked new levels that were just side stories places outside of the main one. Spyros adventure had 4 of these, and while they weren’t required to reach 100%, what was required were the elemental gates. Elemental gates where in each level, and they required a skylander matching of the matching element to enter, IE you needed an earth skylander to enter an earth gate. These gates had a lot of the collectables hidden behind them such as chests or hats and were required to fully 3-star a level. Since the starter pack only came with 3 skylanders, you would need to buy at least 5 more, each with a different element to fully unlock what was there.
I would like to see a remaster of Lego dimensions and skylanders but not have to buy the toys
I'm not sure if we should still even consider Amiibo a toys-to-life product. Sure, you can still use them for that, but I don't think many people actually end up using their Amiibos. I think they just like collecting them.
Also, you did mention Guitar Hero and Fortnite... I think Fortnite Festival could revive those types of rhythm games (at least going into full swing after instrument support is added), as its been a while since the last Guitar Hero/Rock Band, so the fatigue has long passed. Maybe something similar could happen with toys-to-life as well, seeing as it's been a while since any of those too
Before even watching, extreme oversaturation of the market and the amount of collectibles and junk needed burned out people.
I didnt even have the games. I just really wanted dark spyro for whatever reason 😅
I still love Amiibo and have found as many opportunities as I could to collect ones of characters and franchises I really care about. I’m still looking for the likes of Palutena and Wild and even want to get some like TOTK Zelda and Ganondorf someday. Even back then, I felt Nintendo did the toys to life concept best for only using them for bonuses and side modes and not trying to make their own equivalent of Skylanders (heck they flat out collaborated with them in 2015). Though yeah, there isn’t as much buzz around them as there previously was aside from Smash Bros.
Aside from that the idea of toys being mandatory to play a game didn’t sit well with even back then and I am not surprised that everything that could go wrong with them did. Darn shame.
What about lego dimensions will there will be a digital version of lego dimensions from year 1 to year 2 wave 1 to wave 9 to story level team and fun pack will it be there but only digital?
Pay to play, I don’t wanna pay for a game and have to pay to have a experience
I miss the charm that Toys to Life had. I'm glad Nintendo's still in the game as the victor as they're the only brand I ever bought, but they aren't producing as much as they were back then, potentially hinting at them slowly dying down on production.
Though then again, they have been restocking some old 'miibs lately - I recently got the Smash versions of Luigi and Bowser, finally completing my Smash amiibo collection after 9 years. So relieving, yet surreal to finally finish what I've started doing for nearly a decade.
lego dimensions is my first and it was because of lego Sonic
Doesn't surprise me it failed. People hate buying dlc enough as is. Now you want us to go to the actual store just to buy content that should've already been in the game.
great video
At least we have Tonies now 😂
I thought the first toy to game was UB Funkeys back in like 2007? It was pretty popular when I was a kid.
We went from having 12 dollar toys that we could use in games, to now paying 20 just to change a skin in a game
The problem games with toys that you can't make more stories with the toys have been done.
The ironic thing now is that people are gladly paying 20$ and beyond for cosmetics im willing to bet if the toys to life genre game back again it will sell out like crazy especially if its a crossover game like Disney infinity but that's the thing isn't it it requires effort and cost vs digital content with two halfassed skins can make back the money
All they had to do was look at the stuffed Teletubbies that could connect to your tv from the 90's. It wasn't going to work.
I’m sure most people looks back in these games with fond memories, however I look back and see how much my mother loved and cared for me and my brothers. Struggling to make ends meet and yet still letting us look through the massive the bin of 2nd skylanders at the local cex/GAME. Man, I was an ungrateful piece of shit and this video genuinely brought tears to my eyes and made me phone my mum to let her know how much i appreciate everything she did for me. ❤
I remember playing Skylanders swapforce
15:16 And now we have Lego Horizon
Very nice video, however i feel you skip over two, maybe more, toys to life games pre 2010. These are the UB Funkeys and the Webkinz franchises, and I hope to see them included in a future video
My 1st console was ps3, and with that i got skylanders with my 1st skylander was crusher, my 1st fav
5:29 I was so confused that like the first time I played it I instantly got rid of it since skylanders was way better
My personal favorite part of Disney infinity is the Marvel Battlegrounds addition to 3.0.
I really enjoyed Starlink on the Switch
Hopefully skylanders will return this year or next year toys for bob is now indie and At the end of the skylanders Giants 10th anniversary video 2022 they said something right around the corner 2 years from now it’s 2024 hopefully they finally announce a new skylanders game but it could be just the 10th anniversary of trap team we can still hope
Great video, but why didn’t u mention Angry Birds Telepods?
For me it was just too much money to keep up with 1 of the series (disney infinity unfortunately) a kid Trying to drag a parent to a shop for a character that i didn’t know if they had a world cube or not at the time, just to buy it and only play in a mode i didn't really use, looking back i would've enjoyed lego or disney infinity 3 much more where theres more stuff im into
It was fking dumb and expensive. that era was jam packed with some pretty solid games, 3DS, everyone still pretty pissed about concept of DLCs. definitely not going to buy into but i felt like amiibos were more (hectic but) promising.
I would love a new Skylanders game. It doesn't even need a gimmick or anything, hell they could probably remake Spyro's Adventure and have it sell really well (until people realize how broken it is because finishing games before release is a sin in the gaming industry for some reason).
Lego Dimensions still needs a 2016 update, seriously, Idk about you but they were really exprnsive and then i couldn't do part if the game because 1. It needed and update and to this day I haven't updated it and 2. I need to buy a character I didn't want to get to complete a ceetain part of the game... I also consider this game Portal 2.5 and LEGO's Crisis on infinite earths
Nice vid
Games that work with toys just are good in Eua
In Brazil any product of that type probably cost a ¼ mouthly payment
Remind me to come back on may 26th 2026
Surprised Warhammer hasn’t gotten in on this yet
Why no mentions of earlier online toys to life games :( like webkinz or build a bear world
My lil brother still has all the skylanders! Like holy fuck some are still in the box it was insane!!
Same thing that goes with skylanders and Disney infinity 1.0 2.0 3.0 too?
Great Value Drew Gooden
yeah no skylanders absolutely took over my childhood when it came out everyone and their mother were talking about it
i still have a bucket full of my skylanders. they worth anything?😅
I miss Skylanders 😭