Activision Unveils New Spyro Adventure
Activision has announced the worldwide debut of Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, a game built around transporting real-world toys into virtual worlds of adventure through a device called the “Portal of Power.” The toys, described as “toys with brains,” can come to life inside the game across multiple gaming platforms as well as on handheld devices, mobile devices and the web, retaining achievements and level-ups no matter where they are used.
Each Character Has Its Own Unique Powers
In addition to the collectible design and personalities of the toys themselves, each character has different powers and abilities that open up different experiences inside the game. Players can drop in and out of each level with as many different characters as they like, making each player’s experience unique.
Portal of Power
The Portal of Power serves as the gateway between the real world and the world of the characters in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.
Play With Friends
By placing two characters on the Portal of Power at once, players can team up for cooperative play or face off in player-versus-player battle arenas using their leveled-up characters.
Diverse Experiences on Diverse Devices
While the toys can be used with gaming consoles to play the disc-based game, different gaming experiences await on the mobile app and inside the Web World, each designed specifically for those platforms, resulting in a range of different gaming experiences built around one game.
To support the launch, Toys “R” Us is joining Activision in a global marketing partnership, with stores across the globe carrying several Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure exclusives this fall.
“These are more than action figures. They are inter-action figures,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “By pairing world-class character design, world-class video game design and world-class storytelling into one entertainment experience, we’ve given players a whole new genre that bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds. From the first time a kid picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword, toys have unlocked kids’ imaginations. And how often have you wanted to bring those toys to life, to see them become animated and take them on an adventure? Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure does just that.”
“We began discussing this concept with Activision and immediately knew merging the world of toys and video games together in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure would capture the imagination of a wide range of consumers, including kids, toy collectors and video game enthusiasts,” said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO of Toys”R”Us, Inc. “We believe this product line is among the most exciting and unique offerings that will be seen at Toy Fair this year, and we are excited to partner with Activision to bring Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure to Toys”R”Us stores this fall.”
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure represents a notable pivot for the Spyro character himself. Rather than starring in another traditional entry in his own long-running platformer series, Spyro becomes one face among a much larger roster of original characters, with the game built and published in-house by Activision through its internal studio Toys for Bob, a team with a long history working on earlier Spyro titles. That shift effectively launches a new, toy-driven franchise under the Skylanders name rather than continuing the numbered Spyro series players had known since the character’s debut on the original PlayStation.
The underlying idea leans on the Portal of Power reading data directly off each figure, meaning progress, unlocked upgrades and collected loot are stored on the toy itself rather than solely in a save file. That makes it possible to pick up a figure, bring it to a friend’s house or a different console entirely, and continue playing with the same leveled-up character. Combined with the plan to support consoles, handhelds and web browsers from the same line of toys, the announcement points to Activision treating the toy line itself as the constant across an otherwise varied set of gaming experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the Portal of Power?
It’s the physical accessory that connects the toy figures to the game itself, reading each character’s data the moment it’s placed on the device and bringing that character to life on screen. It’s also what allows two figures to be placed at once for cooperative or head-to-head play.
Does progress carry over if a figure is used on a different console?
Yes. Because achievements and level-ups are tied to the figure rather than a single save file, a character can be taken to a different platform, a handheld, or even the web version and keep everything it earned.
Is Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure a direct sequel in the main Spyro series?
Not in the traditional sense. Spyro headlines the roster, but the game introduces an entirely new cast of toy-based characters and a new format built around the Portal of Power, rather than continuing the numbered platforming series he previously starred in.
Can more than one person play at the same time?
Yes. Placing two characters on the Portal of Power at once enables cooperative play through levels, or player-versus-player battles in dedicated arenas using each player’s own leveled-up character.
Where can the Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure toys be purchased?
Toys “R” Us partnered with Activision as a global launch retailer, with stores carrying several exclusive figures tied to the game’s fall release.