Skylanders is a video game series created by a company called Toys for Bob and released by Activision. The games use collectible figurines that have a special technology called NFC. These figurines are used with a device called the "Portal of Power," which reads and writes information from a small chip at the bottom of each figure. This information includes the character the figure represents, as well as upgrades and stats for the game. The figures can keep their progress even when used in different games from the series.

Each Skylander is linked to one of ten elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Tech, Life, Undead, Light, and Dark. Skylanders with different elements have advantages in certain parts of the game and can access special areas called "Elemental Gates."

Plot

The games take place in the Skylands, a world of floating islands in the center of the universe that is often in danger from evil forces who want to take over and control all worlds. For many years, a group of heroes called the Skylanders has worked with the Portal Masters to protect Skylands from evil and keep the Core of Light safe. Spyro is one of the known Skylanders. Each Skylander is connected to a different element: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Light, Dark, Magic, Tech, and Undead. The Skylanders with the Dark and Light elements first appear in the game Skylanders: Trap Team after the Core of Light is fixed.

Before each game begins, the Skylanders are sent from their home world to Earth by a villain named Kaos. On Earth, they become frozen because there is no magic in the human world. In most games, they are mistaken for toys and sold in stores.

The player takes the role of a Portal Master, using the Portal of Power to send the Skylanders back home so they can fight against Kaos, a villain who appears in many games, and his army along with other villains.

Characters

There are 144 playable Skylanders. They are organized by the game in which they first appeared, with some characters belonging to special groups.

• Spyro (voiced by Josh Keaton in the first five games, Matthew Mercer in Skylanders: Imaginators) is a purple dragon of the Magic element and a legendary Core Skylander. He first appeared in the game series called Skylanders.
• Bash (voiced by Keith Silverstein) is a rock dragon of the Earth element.
• Boomer (voiced by Joey Camen) is a troll that throws dynamite and belongs to the Tech element.
• Camo (voiced by André Sogliuzzo) is a plant dragon of the Life element.
• Chop Chop (voiced by David Lodge) is an Arkeyan skeleton of the Undead element.
• Cynder (voiced by Tobie LaSalandra) is a violet dragon of the Undead element.
• Dino-Rang (voiced by Keith Silverstein) is a dinosaur that uses a boomerang and belongs to the Earth element.
• Double Trouble (voiced by Alex Ness) is a sorcerer wearing a tiki mask and part of the Magic element.
• Drill Sergeant (voiced by Thomas Bromhead) is an Arkeyan drill machine of the Tech element.
• Drobot (voiced by Alex Ness) is a dragon wearing a robotic suit and part of the Tech element.
• Eruptor (voiced by Keythe Farley) is a lava monster of the Fire element.
• Flameslinger (voiced by Keith Szarabajka) is an elf archer of the Fire element.
• Ghost Roaster (voiced by John Kassir) is a ghoul that eats ghosts and belongs to the Undead element.
• Gill Grunt (voiced by Darin De Paul) is a "gill-man" who uses a harpoon gun and is part of the Water element.
• Hex (voiced by Courtenay Taylor) is an undead elf of the Undead element.
• Ignitor (voiced by Dwight Schultz) is a fire spirit knight of the Fire element.
• Lightning Rod (voiced by Alex Ness) is a storm giant of the Air element.
• Prism Break (voiced by Peter Lurie) is a crystal rock golem of the Earth element.
• Slam Bam (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a four-armed yeti of the Water element.
• Sonic Boom (voiced by Lani Minella) is a griffin of the Air element.
• Stealth Elf (voiced by Audrey Wasilewski) is an elf ninja of the Life element.
• Stump Smash (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is an ent of the Life element with mallet-shaped hands.
• Sunburn (voiced by Troy Baker) is a dragon/phoenix hybrid of the Fire element.
• Terrafin (voiced by Joey Camen) is a dirt shark of the Earth element.
• Trigger Happy (voiced by Dave Wittenberg) is a gremlin who uses a gold gun and is part of the Tech element.
• Voodood (voiced by André Sogliuzzo) is an orc of the Magic element.
• Warnado (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a turtle of the Air element.
• Wham-Shell (voiced by Chris Parson) is a crab of the Water element.
• Whirlwind (voiced by Salli Saffioti) is a dragon/unicorn hybrid of the Air element.
• Wrecking Ball (voiced by Ryan Cooper) is a grub worm of the Magic element.
• Zap (voiced by Jeff Bergman) is a water dragon of the Water element who was raised by electric eels.
• Zook (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a bamabazooker of the Life element who uses a bamboo-made bazooka.

• Chill (voiced by Julie Nathanson) is an unspecified humanoid of the Water element.
• Flashwing (voiced by Tara Strong) is a crystal dragon of the Earth element.
• Fright Rider (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) is an undead elf jouster of the Undead element who rides a skeletal ostrich.
• Hot Dog (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is a fire dog of the Fire element.
• Jet-Vac (voiced by Greg Ellis) is a sky baron of the Air element who uses a powerful vacuum device.
• Pop Fizz (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait) is a gremlin alchemist of the Magic element who drinks a potion that makes him stronger.
• Shroomboom (voiced by Matthew Moy) is a one-eyed agaric mushroom of the Life element who uses a slingshot.
• Sprocket (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) is a goldling of the Tech element.

• Bumble Blast (voiced by David Sobolov) is an anthropomorphic beehive of the Life element.
• Countdown (voiced by Richard Tatum) is a walking bomb launcher of the Tech element.
• Dune Bug (voiced by Nolan North) is a rhinoceros beetle of the Magic element.
• Fryno (voiced by Robert Cait) is a fire rhinoceros of the Fire element.
• Grim Creeper (voiced by Lex Lang) is a ghost of the Undead element.
• Pop Thorn (voiced by Chris Edgerly) is a pufferthorn of the Air element.
• Punk Shock (voiced by Tara Platt) is an electric eel of the Water element.
• Rip Tide (voiced by Patrick Seitz) is a fish of the Water element.
• Roller Brawl (voiced by Cree Summer) is a vampire roller derby player of the Undead element.
• Scorp (voiced by Rino Romano) is a scorpion of the Earth element.
• Scratch (voiced by Kat Cressida) is a feathercat of the Air element.
• Slobber Tooth (voiced by Dave Fennoy) is a turtle dinosaur of the Earth element.
• Smolderdash (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is a fire spirit of the Fire element.
• Star Strike (voiced by Misty Lee) is an alien of the Magic element.
• Swap Force (voiced by…)

The Giants are Skylanders who are larger than other characters and use their great strength.

The SWAP Force are Skylanders who can exchange parts of their bodies with

Games

Spyro's Adventure is the first game in the series. It includes 32 Skylanders, with four characters for each of the eight elements. The Light and Dark elements were not added until the fourth game. In this game, the Skylanders work to restore the Core of Light, which was destroyed by Kaos. They collect the Eternal Sources of each element and other parts to complete their mission.

Giants is the second game in the series and follows Spyro's Adventure directly. It introduces a new team of Skylanders called the Giants, who are officially the first Skylanders larger than normal. The Giants are strong enough to lift and throw trees and rocks, and they can break walls that usually require bombs. They must stop Kaos after he reactivates the Arkeyan Conquertron and tries to take over Skylands by bringing back the Arkeyans.

Swap Force is the third game in the series. It takes place in a new area of Skylands called the Cloudbreak Islands. This game introduces a new group of Skylanders called the Swap Force, who can switch their top and bottom halves to combine abilities. Together, the Swap Force and other Skylanders fight to stop Kaos and his mother from harming the magic of the Elementals on Mount Cloudbreak.

Trap Team is the fourth game in the series. It adds two new elements, Light and Dark, and introduces a new group of Skylanders called the Trap Masters. These Skylanders use weapons made of Traptanium, the strongest material in Skylands. They were assigned to guard dangerous prisoners in Cloudcracker Prison until Kaos released them. This game includes a new trap mechanic, allowing players to trap enemies using shards of Traptanium from the prison. Trapped enemies can later be played as temporary characters. The Skylanders and their trapped foes work together to stop Kaos and the Doom Raiders.

SuperChargers is the fifth game in the series. It introduces a new group of Skylanders called the SuperChargers, who drive special vehicles on land, in the sky, and at sea. The Skylanders must stop Kaos and his Sky Eater, as well as The Darkness, which has its own plans. This game includes a multiplayer racing mode similar to Mario Kart, playable online or locally. SuperChargers was the last game released on tablets, the Wii, and the 3DS. It also received a separate racing-focused version called SuperChargers Racing for the Wii and 3DS. This game was the only main Skylanders title released digitally.

Imaginators is the sixth and final main game in the series. It was developed by Toys for Bob and released on October 13, 2016, in Australia and New Zealand; October 14, 2016, in Europe; and October 16, 2016, in North America. It was the only Skylanders game released for the Nintendo Switch. This game introduced two new types of Skylanders: the Imaginators and the Senseis. Imaginators are characters created by players with customizable looks and abilities. The Skylanders must stop Kaos, who uses Mind Magic with the help of Brain to create evil Skylanders called Doomlanders. Crash Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex appear as playable characters for the first time since 2010. Their figures were first available only in PlayStation 3 and 4 starter packs but were later sold separately.

In 2011, Activision released Skylanders Universe, an online browser game where players could explore Skylands, play mini-games, customize islands, and track their Skylanders collection. Players could connect their portals to computers to summon Skylanders, as in the main series. The service is no longer available.

Activision also made mobile versions of spin-off games, including Cloud Patrol, Battlegrounds, Lost Islands, Collection Vault, mobile versions of Trap Team and SuperChargers, Battlecast, and Ring of Heroes.

Development

Skylanders is a new version of the classic video game series Spyro the Dragon. After Activision merged with Vivendi Games and bought the rights to all the game's intellectual property, the Toys for Bob studio was asked to create a new Spyro game. Early ideas included a dark and violent version, but this was quickly abandoned because employees gave negative feedback. Instead, the team developed a new game that is fun for all ages and features toys that can interact with a digital world. The first Skylanders game cost Activision about $100 million, which is similar to the budget used for games like Call of Duty.

Version differences

The Skylanders game has been released on many different platforms, with various versions created by different developers. These versions have important differences in how they work and what features they include.

The Nintendo 3DS versions have unique stories and gameplay that focus more on jumping and climbing. They use a smaller portal that connects to the console’s infrared sensor. In the first two games, players had to "load" two figures and could switch between them anytime using the touch screen until a new figure was loaded. Starting with the game Swap Force, every figure scanned is saved permanently in the game. In Trap Team, villains are captured using the touch screen instead of real-life traps, which the 3DS portal cannot support.

The first two games were designed for the Nintendo Wii. Their HD versions are updated versions with slightly better graphics. However, starting with Swap Force, the games were made for HD consoles, and the Wii version had much simpler graphics. The game Superchargers on Wii and 3DS was a separate game called Superchargers Racing, which only included racing parts. The game Imaginators was not released on Wii or 3DS.

Usually, portals can be used with different platforms, but the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions need their own portals because of rules set by Microsoft.

The Nintendo Switch version of Imaginators does not use the Portal of Power. Instead, figures are scanned using the NFC feature on the game controller. Like the 3DS versions of earlier games, scanned figures are saved and can be switched through a menu. Traps are not supported in this version, and vehicles only unlock special treasure chests called Imaginite Chests.

Media

Cavan Scott wrote a series of books, starting with Skylanders: The Machine of Doom, which happens before the events of Spyro's Adventure. He later wrote Skylanders: The Mask of Power series, which also takes place before Spyro's Adventure. Another series, Skylanders: Book of Elements, focuses on two elements in each book. Shubrik Bros. wrote the first book, and Barry Hutchson wrote the second.

Two art books, Strata: The Art of Skylanders: Swap Force and Clutch: The Art of Skylanders: Superchargers, were created by Vicarious Visions. These books are only available through online sellers or charity events.

IDW Publishing made a comic series linked to the Skylanders franchise. The comics take place between the video games. The series was canceled to avoid conflicting with Skylanders Academy, which follows a different story version.

In 2016, Activision Blizzard Studios announced an animated television series based on Skylanders. The first season premiered on Netflix on October 28, 2016. The second season aired on October 6, 2017, and the third and final season began on September 28, 2018. On April 30, 2019, Skylanders Academy was canceled.

Activision has considered making a movie based on Skylanders. On May 6, 2014, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg stated that the company was interested in creating a film version of Skylanders.

Future

After the release of Imaginators, the franchise took a break, and people guessed there might be a seventh console game. However, future projects in the Skylanders universe were limited to a mobile game called Ring of Heroes, which shut down in 2022. The studios made other games that were not related to Skylanders until Activision Blizzard was bought by Microsoft in January 2022. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said Microsoft wanted to bring back some of the old studios' popular franchises, such as Guitar Hero and Skylanders.

Reception

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic. The game was nominated for two Toy Industry Association awards: "Game of the Year" and "Innovative Toy of the Year."

Skylanders: Giants received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic. However, the Nintendo 3DS version received "mixed or average" reviews. Overall, the reviews were slightly lower than those for the previous game, with the Nintendo 3DS version scoring the lowest in the series.

Skylanders: Swap Force received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic. The Nintendo 3DS version received "mixed or average" reviews. The Metacritic scores for this game were the highest and most positive in the series on most platforms.

Skylanders: Trap Team received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic. The iOS version received "universal acclaim." Although the Metacritic scores were slightly lower than those of the previous game on most platforms, the iOS version achieved the highest Metacritic score in the series.

Skylanders: SuperChargers received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic. The game was also nominated for two awards: Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2015 and Favorite Video Game at the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards. Despite its positive reception, Activision reported in February 2016 that the game did not meet sales expectations.

Skylanders: Imaginators received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic. The Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews. Despite the generally positive reception, the game sold only 66,000 copies during its launch month.

As of February 2015, the Skylanders series reached $3 billion in sales, with 175 million toys sold since 2011. This made the series one of the top 20 highest-selling video game franchises of all time. By June 2015, over 250 million toys had been sold. By 2016, over 300 million toys had been sold, and the franchise became the 11th biggest console franchise of all time.