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Activision Hopes To Replicate Blizzard’s Hearthstone Success With Skylanders Battlecast
Put away the toys, because you won’t be using them for Skylanders Battlecast. Activision is turning to another genre that prints money for the next mobile installment: cards.
You won’t just be purchasing them digitally, though. This is a Skylanders game, of course. You’ll be getting physical cards that can be scanned into the game using a mobile device or tablet.
In addition to using the cards to play in single-player or online multiplayer matches, players will be able to use an augmented reality feature to watch two Skylanders battle it out. Players will also be able to interact with the characters, though specifics aren’t yet available. If you’re reminded of Sony’s Eye of Judgment, you’re not alone.
Activision has pulled together designers experienced in card game design and pro players to help create Skylanders Battlecast. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know how to play (outside of the little bit shown in the trailer above).
We have some time to learn, though. Activision plans to release the title in 2016 for iOS and Android.
Our Take
Activision has a pool of knowledge to call on from inside its own house. Blizzard has been immensely successful with Hearthstone, giving Activision every reason in the world to do this. It doesn’t canibalize the Hearthstone audience, but instead has every opportunity to learn from that game’s successes. Provided the card game behind the gimmick is good, Activision might have found a new way to tap into the Skylanders fan base without giving up its toys-to-life product.
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