Disney Infinity

Disney Interactive announced today a new project that will begin launching in June 2013. Disney Infinity seems to be Disney’s reaction to the Skylanders series, because that is almost exactly what it seems. You will be able to bring collectible Disney figurines into a virtual “toy box” world that will span pretty much every console available, including mobile.

John Pleasants, Co-President of Disney Interactive, says it is a “new interactive gaming platform.” He goes on to state, “Disney Infinity is not a single game.”

There will initially be 40 interactive pieces and 17 characters to collect, but additional pieces, sets, and characters will release over time. The Disney Infinity starter pack will be $74.99, and other play sets will be $34.99. You can also purchase three-packs of figures for $29.99, individual figures for $12.99, and power-disc packs for $4.99.

Another round of Disney Infinity details have emerged. Below you’ll find information covering pricing (starter pack, individual figures, and discs), specific tidbits about the Wii U version, and even a confirmation that there are plans for a sequel.

The new details are as follows:

- Won’t work without the special figures
- 17 initial characters
- A few of these will come packaged with the game
- Figures will cost $13 each
- $75 starter pack
- Features three playsets
- More characters and playsets throughout the year
- Buying add-on collectible toys unlocks more playable characters and brand new levels
- Power discs are RFID chips set in a small piece of plastic
- When a player stacks these up on the interface device, they might add specific new items into the Toy Box mode
- Other discs can augment game characters when you place them between the figure and the interface
- Wreck-It Ralph disc: more strength
- Power discs will be sold in blind packages
- $5 for two random discs
- Figures will be sold in Disney Stores and theme parks
- Not easy to convince John Lasseter to put every property into a single video game
- Blackburn’s first pitch to John Lasseter involved “all different kinds of toys… childish versions that didn’t articulate, full action figure versions, plushies and stuffed animals. When you put them all together, it looked really weird.”
- Lasseter didn’t like it, but he told Blackburn that if he could create one single toy line where Jack Sparrow and Sully the monster could stand next to each other and look like they were meant to be together, he could get behind the idea
- “He said he didn’t like it, but then he solved the problem for us.”
- Online and local multiplayer
- Playing through the various “playset” levels will let you unlock hundreds of new toys and parts to play with in Toy Box
- Can’t self-publish your creation in Toy Box
- Can invite a friend to join you online and test your game in real-time
- Before other players can save your level to their hard drives, it’s got to go through Disney
- Disney will solicit content and publish the best of the best
- Intended to keep the game safe for kids
- New characters and playsets will be included on the disc that players buy
- Won’t be playable until the toys are released later in the year
- iOS companion app will be released
- Each figure will come with a unique “web code” that will unlock that character in the PC and iOS versions of the game
- The team wants to add two-player split-screen for the Wii U version
- One player would use the GamePad, another would play through the TV
- Avalanche only just finished its engine since the Wii U just came out
- The team is currently putting in all features it can for the Wii U game
- Only has about a month of development time left to do so
- Plans are in the works for Infinity 2
- Disney is out to build a “platform”
- Disney can release Infinity levels and characters to promote them without necessarily having to create entirely new videogames for each of those properties