As Activision expands its popular Skylanders franchise more fully onto mobile devices this week, the company has applied a physical-digital hybrid model to Skylanders: Battlegrounds.
The iOS game sells at retail for $49.99, where it comes with a Portal of Power wireless device, three Skylanders toys and a redemption code to download the game from the App Store.
The game will also be available from tomorrow directly from the App Store as a standalone app.
The game launches this week as part of Activision's rolling out of its own mobile social game network called Activate, aimed at providing online features and services in its mobile games, such as cloud storage for Skylanders toys and save games.
I like the idea of social communities for various games. But at the same time, with every company launching their own social platform things just get confusing. Why would I bother using the EA / Activision / Ubisoft / Nintendo social sites when I can just visit steam, or facebook and have a social location for all games.
Well, Facebook doesn't have cloud storage for Skylanders toys and save games, just as an example. While the media tends to refer to these as things like "mobile social game networks", they tend to provide gaming and even product-specific features that don't really apply to Facebook.
Plus, no one wants to be dependent on another company for the services they provide unless it's extremely cost-effective to do so.
"But at the same time, with every company launching their own social platform things just get confusing."
I agree. Everyone is making a social network and its' just scattering people all over. There needs to be away to integrate or have them talk to each other. I understand Matts point that no company wants to rely on or become dependent on another, but there should be a way for them to interact with each other---similar to email---everyone has their own email provider preference--but in the end everyone can still communicate with each other.
I agree and yet Nintendo's Miiverse is trying to do different gamey things. LIke being able to post a message after completing a level in SMB Wii U and then having your friends see it when they play that level with your Mii next to it. I'm up for stuff like that.
Yeah lets hope this drives the price of apps up, its crazy right now. Unless your at the top of the top you are not going to sell enough units even after being featured for a week by apple.
Plus, no one wants to be dependent on another company for the services they provide unless it's extremely cost-effective to do so.
I agree. Everyone is making a social network and its' just scattering people all over. There needs to be away to integrate or have them talk to each other. I understand Matts point that no company wants to rely on or become dependent on another, but there should be a way for them to interact with each other---similar to email---everyone has their own email provider preference--but in the end everyone can still communicate with each other.