Skylanders is a video game series created by a company called Toys for Bob and released by Activision. Players use special figures that can be collected and placed on a device called the "Portal of Power." This device uses technology to read information stored on a small chip inside each figure. The information includes which character the figure represents, as well as abilities and progress that can be used in different Skylanders games.

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 strengths in specific parts of the game and can open special areas called "Elemental Gates."

Plot

The games take place in the Skylands, a realm with floating islands at the center of the universe. This place is often threatened by evil forces who want to rule it and access 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 linked to a different element: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Light, Dark, Magic, Tech, and Undead. The dark and light element Skylanders first appear in Skylanders: Trap Team after the Core of Light is restored.

Before each game's story, Kaos, an enemy, sends the Skylanders to Earth. There, they freeze because Earth has no magic. In most games, they are mistaken for toys and sold in stores.

Players become Portal Masters who use the Portal of Power to send Skylanders back home. There, they fight Kaos, a main villain, and his army, along with other villains.

Characters

There are 144 playable Skylanders. They are organized by the game they first appeared in, with some 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 Skylanders franchise.
• 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 Fenhen) is a crocodile of the Water element.
• Squeak (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is a squeaking robot of the Tech element.
• Stink (voiced by Fred Tatasciore)

Games

Spyro's Adventure is the first game in the Skylanders series. It 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 collect the Eternal Sources of each element and other parts needed to complete this task.

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 ones. The Giants were created to stop the Arkeyans, a powerful group. They are strong enough to lift, throw, and destroy trees, rocks, and walls that usually require bombs. The Giants 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. A new group of Skylanders called the Swap Force is introduced. These Skylanders can swap their top and bottom halves to combine abilities. The Swap Force and other Skylanders work together to stop Kaos and his mother from damaging 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 releases them. Trap Team also includes a new trap mechanic. Players can trap enemies using Elemental Traps made from Traptanium shards. Trapped enemies can later be summoned 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. SuperChargers includes a multiplayer racing mode similar to Mario Kart, which can be played online or locally. This 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. SuperChargers is the only main Skylanders game to be 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. The 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 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 sold with PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 starter packs but later released as a separate set.

In 2011, Activision launched Skylanders Universe, an online browser game where players could explore Skylands, play mini-games, build islands, and track their Skylanders collection. Players could connect their portals to their computers to summon Skylanders, as in the main series. The game was later discontinued.

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 classic video game series Spyro the Dragon. After Activision combined with Vivendi Games and took over all the rights to the series, the Toys for Bob studio was asked to make a new Spyro game. Early ideas included a version with dark and violent themes, but this was quickly stopped because of negative feedback from inside the company. Instead, they chose to create a game that was friendly for all ages and focused on how toys could interact with a virtual 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 series has been released on many platforms, with different versions created by various developers. These versions have important differences in their features and gameplay.

The Nintendo 3DS versions of the first two games 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 toy figures and could switch between them at any time using the touch screen until a new figure was loaded. Starting with the Swap Force game, every scanned figure is permanently saved in the game. In the Trap Team game, 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, and their HD versions are copies of the original games with slightly better graphics. However, starting with Swap Force, the games were made for HD consoles, and the Wii version has much lower quality graphics. The Superchargers game on Wii and 3DS is a separate game called Superchargers Racing, which only includes the racing parts. The Imaginators game was not released on Wii or 3DS.

Although portals are usually used across different platforms, the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions require 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. Later, he 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 only available through online sellers or charity events, as they are exclusive to employees.

IDW Publishing made a comic series linked to the Skylanders franchise. This series takes place between the games. It was reportedly canceled to avoid conflicting with Skylanders Academy, which uses a different story version.

In 2016, Activision Blizzard Studios announced it would make an animated TV show based on Skylanders. The first season started on Netflix on October 28, 2016. The second season began on October 6, 2017, and the third and final season premiered on September 28, 2018. On April 30, 2019, it was announced that Skylanders Academy was canceled.

Activision has discussed the possibility of 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 franchise 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 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 popular franchises from the old studios, including Guitar Hero and Skylanders.

Reception

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. 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 for this game were slightly lower than those for the previous game, with the Nintendo 3DS version having 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 this 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." Although the Metacritic scores for this game were slightly lower than those for 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. 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.