Disney’s surprisingly robust Infinity game is getting another boost this year with the rollout of Disney Infinity 3.0, expected to launch this Fall. Joining the ever expanding cast of Disney characters and Marvel superheroes will be Disney’s latest blockbuster acquisition, Star Wars.
The timing couldn’t have been more deliberate. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is releasing theatrically in December and it only makes sense for Disney to time the updated version of Infinity with the potentially biggest film of the year.
I love the light heartedness of the Infinity games. Let’s be honest, the best part about these games isn’t the isolated adventures that take place in each character’s personal world, it’s the Toy Box. Dozens of characters from a plethora of different films, playing together in a world entirely of your own making. That’s what it was like to play with toys as a kid and that is the magic that Disney has captured in Infinity.
Star Wars characters that have already been confirmed included prequel characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Yoda and Ahsoka Tano (from the Clone Wars series) as well as original series characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Chewbacca and Darth Vader. Both the prequels and the original trilogy will have their own starter sets, complete with characters, playsets and power discs. The Force Awakens and its attached sequels will begin seeing the Infinity treatment in the winter.
Several other figures have been outed as well including new Mickey and Minnie figures, Mulan, Olaf (Frozen), Sam Flynn and Quorra (Tron: Legacy), Iron Man Hulkbuster, Ultron and the cast of Pixar’s summer film, Inside Out.
Disney is also shaking things up for owners of 2.0 systems by expanding the functionality of that base. Previously, 2.0 characters were incompatible with the 1.0 base and the assumption was that a new 3.0 base would be released as well. Disney has clarified this stating the 2.0 base will accept 3.0 figures. The 3.0 base will, of course, accept all figures.
Another nice addition is that Star Wars characters can jump between the prequels, original trilogy and the new films without as many restrictions. Characters have always been cordoned off into their own worlds when it came to playsets but last year’s Marvel sets were restrictive by not allowing heroes and villains to jump into each others worlds.
Disney is being very aggressive and proactive with their toys-to-life program by constantly adding new figures as well as providing software updates and community challenges for Toy Box creators. I haven’t been keeping up a lot with their offerings but just looking at Disney Infinity’s official YouTube channel and their creation tools and challenges are surprisingly robust.
Feeling the pressure of Lego Dimensions and the eventual new entry into the Skylanders franchise probably pushed Disney into really standing behind Infinity, which was already a fantastic product on its own. Maybe a certain Japanese console maker can pay attention to what these three games are doing in the toys-to-life space.
Theory Flaw 