Skylanders is a video game series created by a company called Toys for Bob and released by Activision. The games use special figures that players can collect. These figures have a type of technology called NFC, which allows them to interact with a device called the "Portal of Power." The Portal of Power reads information stored on a tiny chip at the bottom of each figure. This information includes which character the figure represents, as well as upgrades and abilities that can be used in the game. The figures can keep their progress and abilities in all Skylanders games.

Each Skylander is connected to one of ten elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Tech, Life, Undead, Light, and Dark. Skylanders with different elements perform better in certain parts of the game. They can also open special areas called "Elemental Gates" that are hidden in the game.

Plot

The games take place in the Skylands, a world with floating islands at the center of the universe. This world is often in danger from evil forces that want to control it and take over other worlds. For many years, a group of heroes called the Skylanders has worked with the Portal Masters to protect the 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. Skylanders with the Dark and Light elements first appear in Skylanders: Trap Team when the Core of Light is restored.

Before each game begins, the Skylanders are sent away from their home world to Earth by a villain named Kaos. They become frozen because there is no magic in the human world. In most games, they are mistaken for toys in this frozen state, which causes them to be sold in toy stores.

The player takes the role of a Portal Master, using the Portal of Power to send the Skylanders back to their home world. There, they fight against Kaos, a villain who appears in many games, as well as his army and other villains.

Characters

There are 144 playable Skylanders. They are organized by the game they first appeared in, with some characters grouped into special teams.

• 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 original game series.
• Bash (voiced by Keith Silverstein) is a rock dragon of the Earth element.
• Boomer (voiced by Joey Camen) is a dynamite-throwing troll of 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 boomerang-wielding dinosaur of the Earth element.
• Double Trouble (voiced by Alex Ness) is a tiki-masked sorcerer 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 of the Tech element who wears a robotic suit.
• 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 skeletal ghost-eating ghoul of the Undead element.
• Gill Grunt (voiced by Darin De Paul) is a harpoon gun-wielding "gill-man" 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 gold gun-wielding gremlin 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 wields 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 wields a powerful vacuum device.
• Pop Fizz (voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait) is a gremlin alchemist of the Magic element who drinks a potion that turns him into a stronger form.
• Shroomboom (voiced by Matthew Moy) is a one-eyed agaric mushroom of the Life element who wields 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.
• Wind Up (voiced by Bob Bergen) is a wind-up toy robot of the Tech element.
• Zoo Lou (voiced by Gideon Emery) is a bear of the Life element.

• Bat Spin (voiced by Eliza Schneider) is a vampire of the Undead element.
• Blackout (voiced by Brian Bloom) is a black dragon of the Dark element.
• Blades (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) is a knight-armored dragon of the Air element.
• Cobra Cadabra (voiced by Sunil Malhotra) is a king cobra of the Magic element who travels in his own basket.
• Chopper (voiced by Dave B. Mitchell) is a small Tyrannosaurus of the Tech element who rides around in the Gyro-Dino-Exo-Suit.
• Déjà Vu (voiced by Betsy Foldes) is an unspecified humanoid of the Magic element.
• Echo (voiced by Kimberly Brooks) is a water dragon of the Water element with seahorse-like traits.
• Fist Bump (voiced by Travis Willingham) is a rock panda of the Earth element.
• Boom Jet (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is an unspecified sky surfer of the Air element.
• Doom Stone (voiced by …) is a character of the Earth element.

The Giants are

Games

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

Giants is the second game in the series and follows Spyro's Adventure directly. It introduces a new group of Skylanders called the Giants, who are the first Skylanders larger than others. The Giants are strong enough to lift, throw, and break trees, rocks, and walls that usually require bombs to destroy. Their mission is to 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 and takes place in a new area of Skylands called the Cloudbreak Islands. It 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 work to stop Kaos and his mother from disrupting the magic restoration process 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 found in Skylands. Their job is to guard dangerous prisoners in Cloudcracker Prison until Kaos frees them. The game also includes a new feature where players can trap enemies in Elemental Traps made from Traptanium. These trapped enemies can later be used as playable characters for a short time. The Skylanders and their trapped enemies team up 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. The 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. The Wii and 3DS versions had a separate game called SuperChargers Racing that focused only on racing. This game was also the only main Skylanders game released digitally.

Imaginators is the sixth and final main game in the series, created by Toys for Bob. It was 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. The game introduces two new types of Skylanders: the Imaginators and the Senseis. Imaginators are characters created by players with customizable appearances and abilities. The Skylanders must stop Kaos, who uses Mind Magic to create evil Skylanders called Doomlanders. Crash Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex appear as playable characters, their first video game appearances since 2010. Their figures were first sold only with PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 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, build their own islands, and track their Skylanders collection. Players could connect their portals to their computers to summon Skylanders, as in the main series. The service is no longer available.

Activision also released spin-off games on mobile devices, 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 popular video game series Spyro the Dragon. After Activision joined with Vivendi Games and bought the rights to all the game characters and stories, 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 stopped because people inside the company did not like it. Instead, they made a game that is fun for all ages and uses how toys 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 video game series has been released on many platforms, with different developers creating versions that have important differences.

The Nintendo 3DS versions have unique stories and gameplay that focus more on jumping and climbing. These versions use a smaller portal that connects to the console’s infrared sensor. In the first two games, players had to load two figures at the same time and could switch between them using the touch screen until a new figure was loaded. Starting with the Swap Force game, 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 does not support.

The first two games were made for the Nintendo Wii, and their HD versions had slightly better graphics. From Swap Force onward, the games were developed for HD consoles, and the Wii version had much lower quality graphics. The Superchargers game on Wii and 3DS was called Superchargers Racing and only included the racing parts. The Imaginators game was not released on Wii or 3DS.

Usually, portals can be used across platforms, but the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions require their own separate 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 NFC 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, and Vehicles only unlock special chests called Imaginite Chests.

Media

Cavan Scott wrote a series of books, starting with Skylanders: The Machine of Doom, which happens before the events in Spyro's Adventure. He later wrote Skylanders: The Mask of Power, another series that 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 in this series, 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 available only through online sellers or charity events, as they are exclusive to employees.

IDW Publishing made a comic series connected to the Skylanders franchise. The comic takes place between the games. It was reportedly cancelled to avoid conflicting with Skylanders Academy, which has its own official story.

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

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

Future

After the release of Imaginators, the game series took a break, and people guessed there might be a seventh game for consoles. However, future projects in the Skylanders universe were limited to a mobile game called Ring of Heroes, which stopped in 2022. The studios worked on other games not connected to Skylanders until Activision Blizzard was bought by Microsoft in January 2022. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said Microsoft wanted to bring back some popular game series from the studios, including Guitar Hero and Skylanders.

Reception

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

Skylanders: Giants received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic; the Nintendo 3DS version received "mixed or average" reviews. However, the overall reviews were slightly lower than the previous game, especially for the Nintendo 3DS version, which had the lowest Metacritic score in the series.

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

Skylanders: Trap Team received "generally favorable" reviews for most platforms according to Metacritic; the iOS version received "universal acclaim." Even though the scores were slightly lower than the previous game on most platforms, the iOS version had 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 for 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, making it one of the top 20 highest-selling video game franchises of all time. As of June 2015, over 250 million toys were sold. As of 2016, over 300 million toys had been sold, and the franchise became the 11th biggest console franchise of all time.