New Spyro Boasts Cross-Platform Play Across Consoles, PC, Web, And Mobile

Activision Publishing announced that Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, which has a toy component, will feature cross-platform play across Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, mobile devices, Windows, and online. The concept of Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is that a sinister Portal Master has turned the purple dragon and dozens of other characters into toys. Activision didn't specify how, but kids who have acquired the real world figures will be able to see them come to life in the games. As they play through the game on different platforms, the "Skylanders interaction figures" remember skill upgrades and levels, allowing them to bring that character into other systems. The publisher claims this is the first title to feature cross-platform play across all these devices. Activision worked with Toys for Bob and XPEC Entertainment (Bounty Hounds) on the games, toys, and technology. For the story, the publisher worked with Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, the Academy Award-nominated writers of the original Toy Story film. Activision, which says the title will "[bring] the physical and virtual worlds of play together in a whole new way", has partnered with Toys R Us to promote the figures and games. "Imagine a kid taking his Skylanders toy and bringing it to life on his X-Box 360 one day, then bringing it to life on his friend's PS3 the next day, then bringing it to life inside his 3DS and playing it in the back of his parents' car the next day, then bringing it to life on the web the day after that, all the while, building his character's strength and powers across all of those platforms," says Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg.