According to the company, Skylanders figures have outsold all action-figure properties in the US and Europe in 2013 thus far. Additionally, Skylanders outpaced all toy properties in the U.K. year-to-date as of June 30, 2013.

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said:

“We began something very special with Skylanders, and the magic of bringing toys to life through a video game. But it’s not just about the game. We know the toys have to be just as creative and imaginative as the kids that play with them, and that’s why we’re so excited to bring even more innovations to this genre when Skylanders SWAP Force comes out in October.”

The Skylanders franchise has managed to generate over $1.5 billion in global retail sales as of July 31. Skylanders Giants has been the top-selling console and handheld game overall in dollars this year in North America and Europe.

Source: Activision PR

Project Phoenix dev explains why game isn’t coming to Nintendo systems, says their hardware isn’t “exciting”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 5 Comments

Project Phoenix is heading to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita, but it won’t be on any of Nintendo’s platforms. Given how pleased indies have been with the company, you have to wonder why this is so.

Director and producer Hiroaki Yura did provide an explanation when asked about the situation. Most of Yura’s words were very much critical – he said “not a lot of people” purchase Nintendo systems, indicated that there are “so many restrictions” in place, and stated that the company doesn’t accept indie games in Japan.

Yura ultimately said that even though Nintendo may have “interesting” hardware, is isn’t “exciting”.

Yakuza 1 & 2 HD sells under 2,000 units in debut week

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 1 Comment

Earlier today, Dengeki published its own chart covering Japanese sales for the previous the week. Yakuza 1 & 2 HD made its Wii U debut in the most-recent period covered, but didn’t manage to reach the top 50.

What does that mean? Well, the game that did place 50th on the list sold 1,878 copies. That means Yakuza 1 & 2 sold less than that – a monstrous disappointment, but not a surprising result.

Source

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U screenshot (8/15/13)

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U | 0 comments

smash_bros_for_wii_u_screenshot_august_15

The Wonderful 101 – blog post 15 now live

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Platinum Games has updated its Wonderful 101 blog with a fifteenth post. You can find it here. Today’s update covers Gearthjerk’s top forces.

Call of Duty: Ghosts – full multiplayer reveal event video

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Sonic Lost World has a new 360 degree “Tube Stage”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Sonic Lost World will introduce a new 360 degree “Tube Stage”, according to Sonic the Hedgehog series producer Takashi Iizuka. This is presumably the special stage types we’ve seen in previous Sonic titles, but taken to a new level.

Iizuka understands that some may have doubts about the gameplay mechanic, but he mentioned how people also questioned if Sonic itself could really be imagined in 3D.

In an interview with Famitsu, Iizuka stated:

“In 2011, we delivered a compilation of Sonic games from the past 20 years, called Sonic Generations. Next is Sonic Lost World, which will feature graphics that fit the game’s content, nice controllability, and a new 360 degree ‘Tube Stage’ that has yet to be seen. We are thinking of showing off a new Sonic that is different from everything before.”
“Yes, I believe some people may ask ‘Will you be able to show how fun Sonic can be using a 360 degree stage?’ just like how some asked ‘Will it really be possible to have it in 3D?’ which was the kind of question that helped in the creation of Sonic Adventure. I believe Sonic Lost World will deliver a new experience for everyone. It will also have data transfer between the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, so please look forward to it.”

Source