Lego Takes On 'Skylanders' With New Collectible Toys-to-Life Game

Chris Morris
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Add Lego to the list of companies hoping to get a piece of the “toys-to-life” pie made famous by Skylanders and Disney Infinity.

Lego and Warner Bros. Interactive have teamed up to create Lego Dimensions, a video game that lets players “warp” real Lego toys into game worlds.

Due out Sept. 27, the game will take advantage of a wealth of franchises, including The Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, Back to the Future, and The Wizard of Oz. It will be playable on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

The Starter pack will cost $100 and ships with a limited number of characters — specifically Gandalf, Batman, and Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie — along with the Lego Toy Pad and a Lego Batmobile. Others characters will be available for purchase individually. Unlike other toys-to-life games, Dimensions will support up to seven characters, vehicles, or items on the portal at once. Fans can buy three different kinds of expansion sets: level packs ($29.99), team packs ($24.99), and fun packs ($14.99).

The video game portion is being developed by longtime Lego video game developer TT Games, which is also working on the upcoming Lego: Jurassic Park. But with Dimensions, the developer has to find a way to tie together a wealth of brands in a way that makes sense.

“When kids play with Lego bricks, they build beyond the singular brands, intermixing all of their favorite characters and universes, and we have come up with a way for players to experience that in games,” said Jon Burton from TT Games. “Now for the first time in a video game, Lego fans can play in the virtual world and in the real world — combining everything without restrictions. Imagine putting Lego Gollum from The Lord of the Rings behind the wheel of the Lego DeLorean Time Machine in New Ninjago City — the creative play is endless.”

Lego’s move into the lucrative toys-to-life space had been rumored for a while. Given the company’s success in both the toy and video game markets, it certainly makes sense.

It will be up against some stiff competition, however. According to Activision and the NPD Group, the Skylanders series has generated more than $3 billion in retail sales since its 2011 debut, selling 240 million toys en route to becoming the 15th-top-selling video game franchise of all time.

Disney Infinity, meanwhile, has helped reverse the fortunes of the long-struggling Disney Interactive division. Last year’s Marvel-themed version of the game outsold Skylanders, according to Disney, which cites NPD Data. (Activision disputes that claim.) Either way, last year’s Infinity saw franchise sales increase 16 percent in the holiday season.

Nintendo has also has seen great success with its Amiibo figurines. Since their launch late last year, the tiny Marios, Links, and Donkey Kongs have been purchased more than 3.5 million times. And, as with certain Skylanders toys, rare ones have become serious collector’s items.

Warner Bros. and Lego are planning to show off more of Dimensions during the E3 video game conference in June.

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