Disney Infinity NEXT: News & Thoughts for 2016

     Disney Infinity is such a great idea, it's finally good to see the developers beginning to listen to the fans.  The new Disney Infinity NEXT show they started on March 1st proves they are at least attempting to listen to us avid fans and supporters.

No 4.0 Edition, Four New Playets, and a Problem

     Right away we know the first 3 playsets will be Marvel Battlegrounds, Finding Dory, and Alice: Through the Looking Glass.  The last set is a guaranteed Star Wars set- maybe Rogue One, perhaps a even a Clone Wars or Rebels set.  We aren't sure.  Although a Rebels set with Hera and Chopper would be cool to go with all the other figures already out.

     Anyways...

     The first news I would like to really touch on is the big change of their choice not to release a 4.0 this year, but instead build upon version 3.0's foundation.  This is a grand choice, but I fear their decision to do so may be driven more by preventing data-miners from showing that the games are so damn short because they cram all the material onto the disc in advance and then release the keys (toys and playset pieces) to unlock the stuff later, rather than by generating a larger quantity of material.

     Honestly, every single person I talk to that plays this game absolutely hates the fact every playset is so short.  Ridiculously short.  They can be beaten within a few hours without a struggle.  Granted, they have added some replayability to the sets by allowing for missions to be played over and over- but...
  ...personally, I believe a much better remedy to the issue would be to follow LEGO Dimensions' suit (like all the non-Dimensions games even) and make one huge open world hub filled with randomly generating quests and occurrences.  Seriously, Infinity has nothing even remotely as fun and well created as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' open New York City area.  If Disney Infinity is truly listening to us like they say they are, this is a necessity to keep the competing toys-to-life games on the ropes.  The content needs to be there- much bigger areas with far more stuff in them.  The playsets feel really small and empty.

     Isn't Disney the place where imagination is supposed to thrive?  Where's the genius level design? Where's our secret levels (I'm thinking something as wonderful as Dark Souls' Painted World of Ariamis)?  We want a game that is fun with actual depth and plenty of room for exploration, not one sixth of a playset because 6 separate games needed to be smooshed onto a single disc with 30 figures.

Marvel Battlegrounds

     Most of my interest in the game is with the Marvel material.  It has a fair amount of issues, such as Green Goblin being shipped without the advertised glider in game, but it also has a lot of opportunity.  That opportunity should rightfully start with its 4 player addition.  Battlegrounds is set to be the first Infinity game with a 4 player option... BUT... it's 4 player co-op on a single screen and not online match making as pretty much every other game made is.
     Sorry Disney Infinity, but making Infinity an online match making game is going to be a must if you want to continue being the "number 1 toys-to-life game."  It's absurd this hasn't happened yet.  Nearly all games have this feature and by not having it, you are losing serious ground.  Not everyone has a pile of controllers, not everyone is able to play with a group and so on.  I read somewhere that the reason they haven't made Battlegrounds online is because then people would expect that to happen in the other toyboxes.  OBVIOUSLY!
     Dear Disney Infinity team, we aren't playing games from a decade ago, nowadays people expect online as a standard feature, especially as the playsets are so sparse to begin with.  Disney is a multi-billion dollar a year company, there should be plenty of budget to fix this (and all the other complaints we are all grumbling about).

     Another issue they have is the figures- Battlegrounds is getting not one, but TWO figures we already have.  To be fair, the Captain America has gotten some new moves and skin, but do we really need another Spider-Man?  No.  I'm genuinely upset that this may become a problem, where instead of new ones we'll get more copies and the like.
     On the bright side of that, "Even more new Marvel characters will be released this year."  (Video @ 9:41)  There's a really good chance we'll finally get a Scarlet Witch (although how that'll work with the Marvel v Fox disputes is beyond me, I mean I want some X-Men characters for sure, but Marvel seems like they are strangling them out of the market in every avenue they can.  Doctor Strange is highly likely as well with a film releasing this fall with possibly a couple toys from the movie.  I wouldn't doubt a Squirrel Girl at some point.  Marvel's been pushing the change of her "not being a mutant" pretty damn hard in the comics, so I'm thinking they've got some things in the works to cash in on (a cartoon?).
     I would like a Darkhawk or Ghost Rider figure myself.  Both of them have multiple in game extras, but no playable characters.  What a tease.  At least I'll be able to play as Ant-Man finally.

The Future

     In an interview with Venture Beat, Disney Infinity VP of Production John Vignocchi said, "At the end of the Battlegrounds section we'll drop an Easter Egg."  The whole article is worth a read, but I just wanted that snippet.  The hint is likely something being prepared for more Marvel related Infinity coming later in the year- Dr. Strange??? - but we'll have to wait until the end of Battlegrounds to see for sure.

     In the end, I hope over the next year the developers learn they definitely need to up their game in terms of content and so on.  Disney Infinity has all the foundations to be something so much more amazing than it is, but that's about all it has, the foundations.  We want and need to see that Disney does indeed have the imagination they claim and put it to use for all of us supporters.

     Sources [ Disney Infinity NEXT Ep. 1 ] [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney Infinity: Thoughts on the Cancellation

     This has not been a good year for Disney Infinity.  We originally started to see issues creeping in with the announcement that Marvel Battlegrounds play set would ship with a single figure, then we got the news that there wouldn't be a 4.0 release, but rather 3.0 would be getting updates to continue the Infinity line.  Later in March Disney Interactive said they'd be dropping out of this year's E3 without giving a reason.

     A journalist specializing in Disney, Ben Fritz of The Wall Street Journal, tweeted about the toys to life model costing the company $147 million and thus the decision to cut the Infinity line and focus on licensing.  This might be hugely surprising to some, but really, the model they followed with their particular line had some very large flaws.  I've long complained about the non-backwards compatibility which hampers future purchases- why would I want to keep buying them if I can't use my whole collection?!?  Plus their toys can only be "reset" twice ever, leaving you stuck with limited playstyle choices with some characters.  To be fair though the toys-to-life market has been said to be shrinking in 2016 (cite 1 & 2).

     Seriously, Disney owns both Marvel and Star Wars as properties.  They are a vast goldmine that truly got mishandled- and I'm saying that as a fan of Marvel, Star Wars, AND Disney Infinity.  There was so much focus on the toys, that the game content suffered horribly.  There simply was not enough game content.  It appeared that solid game content was sacrificed to fit many play sets on a singular disc to sell us a game and then force us to buy the costly toys to unlock the play.  If there was much more story content and a fun open world to play around in the problem wouldn't be too bad, but all the story modes were so damn short it was very hard not to complain.  I mean look at how huge the LEGO Marvel Superheroes' open world New York City is.  To make that example even better, the city is absolutely packed with stuff to do that is constantly occurring all over.

     In series 1, the Pirates of the Caribbean playset was short of length, but really well designed and fun.  In series 2 the Marvel's Avengers and Spider-Man play sets were, once again, far too short- but still fun.  Particularly the Spider-Man Mysterio levels, they are downright brilliantly designed.  Then series 3 hit, and do you think the creators listened to the complaints of players?  Nope.  All the play set story modes arrived and were ridiculously short once more.
     Making this worse is the fact that it was announced they'd have no online multiplayer, only couch co-op, once Marvel Battlegrounds was released.  Are you fucking kidding me?!?  This was really a monstrous mistake on their part.  Think of the multiplayer market for EVERY OTHER GAME now- all online because not everyone can play together physically.

     Personally, I think Disney Infinity was a grand idea, very poorly handled.  They needed to build a huge open world, add online co-op, and maybe sell the toys-to-life as smaller objects.  Or even make the toy cheaper- as in simply make them all cards or discs to trade around.  Infinity had tremendous potential and it was squandered to sell more toys instead of focusing on the actual game they made.  The games are fun, but there's so little actual game content that it suffered.  As an avid fan, my purchases have been reduced because the price to game content is too damn small.  Perhaps if the game was sold only as digital, with IAPs for the individual characters the value would be much more appealing- but I doubt they'll do that.  Unless another company picks up the closing Avalanche Studio and attempts to keep the game side of things in production.  It would be EXTREMELY unlikely, but it's always a possibility- I mean it IS Disney Infinity- the possibilities are endless, right?

     At least the licensing side looks all right.  Electronic Arts is creating multiple Star Wars games (including a Battlefront sequel), a 3rd person game from Titanfall developer Respawn.  Even Dead Space developer Visceral is cooking something up for the Star Wars universe.  Although there doesn't seem to be any non-Star Wars related games on the horizon which is a bit sad.

     For my older posts [ Disney Infinity ]

     Sources [ Infinity Inquirer ] [ One Angry Gamer ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds Playset Release Information & Thoughts

     The announcement of the release date isn't new, as the March 15th leak had happened already, but what is surprising about the Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds playset is the fact it only comes with a single figure (Captain America: The First Avenger) instead of the customary 2 or 3.

     What bothers me even more is it's a character that many players already have, albeit with a new skin and potentially some new moves.  One more issue is the fact that there are currently NO female figures for the set.  Where's Scarlet Witch?  Where's Captain Marvel?  Where's Wasp?  This set definitely needs a few female figures to balance out the roster.

     I suppose the good news is that ANY of the Marvel Infinity figures will work with the game, not limiting it to just the 3.0 group which is small to begin with.  It's also been stated that many of the 2.0 Marvel characters have been "retooled" to be of better use in Battlegrounds.  It is also a plus that the price is cheaper at $29.99 than before.  To pad this pack out they are offering a pre-order bonus from "Participating Retailers" (currently only Best Buy and the Disney Store) of any one of your choice of a Disney Infinity Marvel 2.0 figure.

     In addition to the figures listed as being part of the Battlegrounds wave (Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Vision) and the recent Ultron and Hulkbuster Iron Man, Disney is offering the Marvel's Avengers Figure Pack (consisting of Iron Man, Black Widow, and Thor from the 2.0 Playset) for $29.99.  To me this is just an added slap to the face that instead of more new figures, they're once again offering old figures- at least the Captain America will be a little new.

     John Vignocchi put out a statement about the release:

Marvel Battlegrounds is a four-player, arcade-style brawler that allows you to battle with up to three friends locally. You get to play in 12 levels across eight all-new arenas, including Knowhere and Wakanda. You’ll also be able to battle as any playable Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition): Marvel Super Heroes figure, making Marvel Battlegrounds the Play Set with the largest selection of playable characters.

You guys know that the Disney Infinity team is always listening to your feedback, and we make changes along the way based on what we hear from the community. Your feedback has led to one significant change in our Play Set configuration. We heard from you that you want more choice in how you expand your Disney Infinity collections, especially with the Play Sets. With this in mind, the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set Pack will come with the Play Set piece and one figure (Captain America – The First Avenger). Now it’s up to you to decide which other Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains you want to fight with in Marvel Battlegrounds from a selection of 25 characters and with more to join the roster soon!

     All right, not to sound too nit picky here, but there will be 26* total figures available for Marvel, and 28 if you count the Black suit Spider-Man (which is getting a single release after the PS Vita pack exclusive) and the new version of Cap as separate, so there's already more figures than they've mentioned.  So I want to know will there actually be more on the way that we've yet to see?  Especially because this round of Marvel figures is so sparse.  They always say there's some more to join coming, but what does that really mean?
     We want more individual figures, I mean if Battlegrounds is supposed to be such a game changer for Disney Infinity where's all the supporting figures like the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, or Captain Marvel?  And no, we don't want more duplicates or repaints.  Because I'm sure someone will suggest a War Machine that'll be essentially Iron Man with a gun, unless he's drastically different, it could rightfully be a costume disc.
     When it comese down to it, I'm wondering when we'll start getting major Marvel characters like Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Jessica Jones.  Where's our the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Agent Carter?  When will we get Squirrel Girl or Ghost Rider now that we've got his chain and bike as power discs?  I can understand the IP rights feud keeping out the mutant population, but seriously, where's all the rest of the Marvel Universe.  If battlegrounds is going to be this big thing, show us by giving us a huge selection of NEW figures to go with it.
     I don't know if I want to wait until Disney Infinity 4.0 for a Doctor Strange.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ] [ Inf. Inq. 2 ]

*Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Cap, Loki, Falcon
Iron Fist, Nick Fury, Spider-Man, Nova, Venom, Green Goblin
Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Yondu, Ronan
Ultron, Hulkbuster
Ant-Man, Black Panther, Vision

Disney INfinity 3.0: Star Wars Rebels Officially Announced

     The announcement:

     Disney Interactive and Lucasfilm today announced that some of the Star Wars™ characters from the popular animated TV series Star Wars Rebels™  are joining Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition. Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios will be joining other Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and Disney•Pixar characters in Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition’s Toy Box. Additionally, all characters are unlockable within each Star Wars™ Play Set.

     In an effort to thwart the evil plans of the Galactic Empire, these characters are key players in the fight against the forces of the dark side, providing a unique addition to the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition experience.

     The characters, from left to right are:

EZRA BRIDGER
Growing up on his own, Ezra Bridger relied on his street smarts – and subconscious Force abilities – to survive on Lothal. That changed when he met the Ghost crew; Ezra came to believe in their cause, and with the help of Kanan, began to learn the ways of the Jedi, using his custom Lightsaber to undermine the Empire and inspire the rebels. 

KANAN JARRUS
Jedi turned rebel fugitive, Kanan Jarrus leads his team in secret operations to help overthrow the Galactic Empire. He defends the innocent with his blaster and Lightsaber™ and guides his Padawan, Ezra, in the ways of the Force™. 

ZEB ORRELIOS
Zeb Orrelios is as strong a brawler as he is headstrong. He stands alongside his fellow rebels with his bo-rifle in hand, ready to take on the Imperial forces. 

SABINE WREN
Sabine Wren has explosive talents for art and demolitions alike, and she won’t hesitate to use them against the Empire. She can stealthily approach and sabotage the enemy or stand alongside her rebel allies to lend her twin blasters to the cause.

     The Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack, rated E10+ by the ESRB, will be available this fall for $64.99 and includes the Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Base, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker character figures, and a web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile devices.

    Star Wars Rebels Season Two premieres Saturday, June 20th (9:00.m. ET/PT) on Disney XD.

     A Play Set based on Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Inside Out and a Marvel Play Set featuring Hulkbuster, Ultron, and other Marvel characters will also be available. Additional Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition figures and Play Sets will be announced in the coming months.

     My thoughts:

     With E3 2015 right around the corner it's an interesting choice for Disney INfinity to release another batch of Star Wars characters for INfinity 3.0 right before the show.  Hey, I don't mind, as it's usually good news for us anyways, and this time it is the official announcement of the Star Wars Rebels group.  They had been mentioned in a leak about 2 weeks ago, so it isn't a huge surprise.

     I really hope they add the pair of Hera Syndulla and her cantankerous astromech C1-10P droid ("Chopper") to the mix, as the rest of the Rebels wouldn't seem to be whole without them.  Perhaps they'll be a small Play Set pack that has yet to be announced...

Disney INfinity Returns via TOYBOX Action Figures

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

     Last year was a bad year for Disney INfinity.  Small problems began began to emerge with the announcement that the Marvel Battlegrounds play set would ship with a single figure, then there was news that there would not be a 4.0 release, but rather 3.0 would be getting updates to continue the Infinity line.  In March Disney Interactive said they'd be dropping out of E3 without a reason giving, and then they officially announced in May of 2016 the video game series would be cancelled.

ENDLESS FUN

     It was a shock to fans, and there were a slew of problems that could've easily put off the toys-to-life game's closure- such as adding far more actual game content, more replayability, and even the simple feature of resetting a figure's data more than twice could've gone a long ways to it selling better.
     What the series did right, however, was in the art design.  The Disney INfinity design style was absolutely superb, and now fans of it are in for a treat.  Disney INfinity focused Youtube channel Infiniteer Adventures spotted an intriguing ad on the Disney Shop- showing that on November 3rd, Disney is releasing action figures that look exactly like they are ripped straight from the game's gorgeous designs.  Making the case even stronger, is the fact this toy series appears to be named directly after the specific Disney INfinity game feature called the TOYBOX as can be seen from the image above, featuring Rey and a Stormtrooper from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens playset.

     It's great to see that such wonderful toy designs are being salvaged for an even better use, bringing us articulated versions of the INfinity toys from Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar properties.  This also offers the opportunity for fans to potentially obtain some of the previously cancelled figures such as Spider-Gwen, or the truly stunning looking Doctor Strange toy.  This is some truly exciting news coming a year and a half after the closing of the game and someone was smart enough to have held on to the game's slogan and put it to great use- "Infinite Possibilities, Endless Fun-" and we can all be thankful for it.

     Related posts [ Disney INfinity ]   

     Source [ Infiniteer Adventures ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds: Local Multiplayer Only & Thoughts

     For as excited as I was for more Disney Infinity 3.0 stuff, this week has been an enormous letdown for news concerning the upcoming Marvel Battlegrounds playset.  First it was announced that the set would only come with a singular figure, Captain America (The First Avenger), and we know there are only currently 3 other figures slated (Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Vision- with no female figures at all) with mere rumor that more are on the way, and now we get the news that the set will be LOCAL MULTIPLAYER ONLY.

     The official site lists:

"Battle up to 3 opponents in the arena with 4-person local multiplayer"

   Honestly, if Marvel Battlegrounds is supposed to be a "game changer" for the Infinity brand, they really need to up their game- opening up online multiplayer is an absolute must.  To me this feels like they are currently selling us merely the face of a game.  Essentially we are getting a fancy box and no real content or true expansion to the brand.  Infinity is on the 3rd generation and there still isn't multiplayer offerings.  The story modes are meager at best in the playsets, the minigames are mundane, and they really aren't giving players anything new.  Battlegrounds may provide us with a fighting arena, but how many players don't have the option of playing in groups locally?

     Supporters have asked consistently for online play, and we got a broken, or at least rarely functioning, online play with "Flynn's Arcade"- leaving the bitter taste of horrible disappointment in our mouths.  What makes this even more questionable is the lack of a confirmation that their will even be AI opponents to play against.  It's generally assumed that will be the case, but it isn't stated anywhere.  Sadly, this might be the first time I am disgusted with how lacking a new playset appears to be.  Barely any new characters, no online support, and it was mentioned previously there will be no story mode.
     Disney is one of the biggest companies in the world, there is no reason they can't compete with other game companies in the video game arena.  This should be an area where they make the Lego Dimensions and Skylanders toys-to-life games look infantile.  They have the reasources to make something staggeringly big- I'm thinking toys-to-life in an Elder Scrolls sized game world.  instead we've been getting sparse gameplay and some mediocre extras.  Stuff I'd expect for mobile games, but nothing really console sized.
     Disney Infinity, coming from an avid supporter, the game needs a huge overhaul and it needs one quick.  This is a case where just the addition of online multiplayer would do wonders.  I recall Disney being all about imagination, so show us that creativity is truly valued, and give us a game worthy of our investment.

     Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds will be available March 15th.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney INfinity 3.0: Ant-Man INfinit-Teased!

     Ant-Man hits theaters today, a week ago he showed up in the mobile game Future Fight, and a bug-riddled start yesterday (many players, myself included, are unable to even load the game due to patch problems) over in the usually amazing Marvel Heroes 2015, and now Disney INfinity has teased his arrival in Disney INfinity 3.0.

     We might as well just assume he'll be playable, because- firstly- everyone else in the image is playable, and secondly- he's already in the game as a team-up disc.  The chances increase his odds of being playable when you take in to account the fact that Marvel still has 4 unannounced playable characters from their official playable character board. [ Pic and info about the board ]

     I've been thinking this was going to be the approach for some time, as I wrote back on June 6th:

     "Well, I thoroughly look forward to more of what is to come in the following months as we get closer to the release date.  Especially the Marvel: Age of Ultron related stuff, which the Disney Infinity team has been ultra secretive of.  We have gotten a lot of information on everything else except the Marvel group for Disney Infinity 3.0. 

     I'm actually wondering if they'll be having a bunch of Ant-Man themed stuff that just hasn't been announced yet, and maybe they're waiting for the movie to be released first.  They already have his character modeled and usable as a team up..."

     Well, I think this will be a great thing.  I want to see some levels where everything is humongous and you have to navigate the world as a tiny hero.  Much like the Super Mario Bros. in Giant Land.

     Disney INfinity 3.0 releases August 30th.

     Source [ Disney INfinity Official Twitter ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds Update & Captain America: The First Avenger

     The newest Disney Infinity 3.0 announcement has dropped.  Along with a new trailer, we get a new figure.  Kind of.

     Coming in March 2016, Marvel Battlegrounds will provide a new story as well as new dimensions of gameplay for the Disney Infinity Marvel players:

     "In the original storyline, Ultron teams up with Loki in an effort to steal Asgard’s immensely powerful Infinity Stone. To accomplish this, Ultron and Loki create robotic replicas of the famed Marvel Super Heroes and turn them against each other in an effort to distract them while they commit their crime. The Marvel Super Heroes duplicates battle each other in iconic environments such as a wrecked Brooklyn train yard, Wakanda and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Lunar Base, culminating in a universe-shaking battle against Ultron."

     Sadly the new 4 player co-op can't mask my disappointment the of the 4 officially known Marvel Infinity characters, 2 of the figures are just costume swaps and not really new.  Black suit Spider-Man and Cap are merely new costumes, while Hulkbuster Iron Man and Ultron are at least totally new characters.  Although they have yet to officially announce Ant-Man since their teaser months ago.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney Infinity: Cancelled Doctor Strange Figure

     After hearing the awful news back in early May that Disney Infinity was stopping production, along with all of Disney Games, and seeing this new Doctor Strange figure makes it sting just a bit more.

     Infiniteer Adventures has posted a video showing not just this amazing Doctor Strange, but also concept art for Jafar, Peter Pan, and a second Hulk figure.  The main figure is based on the upcoming Doctor Strange film, and the look of Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Dr. Stephen Strange.  And it is just wonderful how well they captured the look and feel of the character.

     A small part of me hopes some other company buys up the rights to somehow continue to produce these things.  But if someone does, I can only hope they focus more on the gameplay in the actual games, than the figures themselves.  That is, I believe, what really killed the sales and subsequently Disney Infinity, in the long run.  The games had no real substance, and no online play- which is a fundamental part of play in damn near every other game made.

     Currently, after hearing about the Marvel Ultimate Alliances being rated for the new consoles, and hearing that the new PS4 Spider-Man is indicative of what's to come- I'd like to guess we might be soon getting actual games that are large and fun to play.  Not a two hour campaign and 4 dinky mini-games.  The companies being licensed these games could have far more potential than the Infinity line would've- so despite my disappointment with Disney Infinity being shuttered, it might turn out to be a very huge blessing in disguise.

     And damn, does that Doctor Strange figure look awesome or what?

     Related posts [ Disney Infinity ]

     Source [ Infiniteer Adventures ] via [ Comic Book Resources ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Vignocchi Talks the Future of Infinity: An Unannounced Special Character in 1st Quarter 2016! (And an Unannounced Playset!)

     Disney Infinity's VP of Production John Vignocchi had an interview with Dis Kingdom's Abraham Larios Jr. with a bunch of interesting things about the future for 2016.

     To me the important things are-

     First- In addition to the Marvel Battlegrounds playset, we will see at least one more playset for sure.  Vignocchi was asked about his phrasing about playsets and, "When asked to clarify if he meant to say playsets as plural, JV said that the word Playsets with an “S” on there is on purpose and correct!"
     Furthermore, on the topic of Marvel Battlegrounds, no release date has been officially announced, and the Power Discs will be used in a much different fashion than they have been for the last few years.  They'll be used in "a unique way" which is quite intriguing to think about what they might be cooking up.  On top of that the playset itself will also play very differently than any of the previous sets have, and has been labelled a "game changer" for Disney Infinity while still in the Beta.

     And Second- Vignocchi mentioned while talking about the figure release slate, that Boba Fett has been pushed out from his originally expected release date in January, but still remains in the first quarter of 2016.  Nick and Judy from Zootopia will also be in that time period but then going on, "he mentioned that during quarter one, another special character that has not been announced or leaked yet."
     That's right, a character that hasn't been leaked or announced yet will be arriving in the first quarter 2016!  They have not confirmed if they'll be a Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars character.  We know that Ant-Man, Vision, and Black Panther have been leaked by Amazon, and there has been rumor and speculation that one other character might be coming some day, and I really hope that's who it is- Kim Possible.  Of course, we'll just have to wait and see.

     Peter Pan is still set for an August/September release and his final design is going to be revealed to the Toy Box Master Artist group by Avalanche Studios before being shown to the community later this year.  Captain EO is stuck in a kind of limbo.

     Darkwing Duck though, he is another story.  As Larios writes:

"Darkwing Duck on the other hand, seems may be closer to becoming a reality. JV told us about a conversation he had with John Blackburn this past week. He said he was having an argument with John Blackburn about a character for an upcoming project that JV was supporting inside of Disney Infinity. John then said to him that he rather do Darkwing Duck than that character he was proposing. JV said that John really put him back on his heels because in the midst of a heated argument about a character, he dangled one that is so close and personal to him as one that they could officially bring."

     That is a very loaded paragraph.  Darkwing Duck is very possible, but then so is the mystery character that was dangled in his face, which could be anyone.  What makes this so cool, is that it is one that Vicnocchi himself is psyched about, and by the sounds of it, he was genuinely surprised by not only the suggestion- but the likelihood of it actually officially happening.

 The future of Disney Infinity is looking good.

     Source [ Dis Kingdom ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Official Pic Leaked

     Lately I've been playing a LOT of Disney Infinity on the PS4, getting it loaded on my Android phone and obsessing over all the possibilities of what's to come.  I've seen over the last few months tons of rumors, art, and leaked information such as the Mulan character- but what has me the most captivated is the Star Wars rumors.  Obviously, as Star Wars is in a resurgence of popularity, Disney would most certainly like to capitalize on that with the Infinity game.  It would work just as well as the Marvel heavy 2.0 series so it makes sense both financially, and for sheer entertainment value.

     Now a German retailer has leaked not just a picture of the box set, but a rough date and price as well.  This particular set is the 3.0 starter playset with Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.  It should be of note that there are numerous other characters shown on the box, that will presumably become playable toys to purchase separately.  The retailer's website listed the release date as August 15 and price range as $67-79 with the set being released on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the Wii U.

     I recall hearing about the Star Wars hints late last year, and am extremely excited for this.  Not to mention the fact I've seen videos of Star Wars lightsabers and landspeeders popping up in the Infinity Toy Boxes already...
     Now we play the waiting game until Disney Interactive publishes an official announcement.

     One last thing, the official Disney Infinity Twitter account tweeted this gem in German, which translates into Yoda's highly recognizable speech pattern- "Patience you must have."  A sly and clever response to the leak!

Geduld du haben must

— Disney Infinity (@DisneyInfinity) April 30, 2015

Disney Interactive: 22% Drop Due to Low Infinity Sales

     With all the varying toys-to-life products available, Disney has been having a bit of trouble maintaining sales profits and engagement with the Infinity brand according to their earnings report.  Honestly, they are still making a lot of money, and in less than a month the Disney Infinity 3.0 will hit the market with Star Wars headlining the game, which will be a money-making juggernaut conveniently in time for Christmas.

     Over the last year, the sales have slowed, but that is to be expected.  At $15 per figure, the game can get very costly to even play as some favorite characters.  Personally, I believe finding a way to drop the price to $9.99 might improve those sales greatly.  Possibly make the figures smaller to compensate or something like that.  The figures are wonderful, but that cost is a preventative issue for many gamers.

     While the Infinity game has improved greatly from 1.0 to 2.0, the main core of the game has only been slightly improved.  The Toy Box is a very intriguing addition, but really, it isn't enough.  The Toy Box isn't the main attraction.  Every single person I've talked to about Disney Infinity has the same qualm- not enough story in the Playsets.  The content of levels and story to play through needs to be far greater than what has been already given.  Players want more Playsets, or at least longer ones including things like the large open-world New York of both the Avengers and Spider-Man Playsets.  In another aspect of that same problem, making the missions replayable without necessitating resetting the entire Playset, would help considerably.

     So what this comes down to is essentially cost versus content.  Lowering the cost will always be a good thing, and giving players more stuff to do is generally a good idea.  Fixing either one would certainly help sales, but altering both would definitely impact the players will to continue buying and playing.

     Disney Infinity 3.0 will release on Aug. 30th on pretty much every possible system imaginable.

     Source [ Game Informer ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Marvel Battlegrounds NEW Pics & Release Date

     Yesterday Amazon had listed for pre-order both the Nick and Judy Zootopia figures with a date of March 1st, and they also had the Marvel Battlegrounds playset and power disc pack listed as March 15th.  The downside is all their new Disney Infinity 3.0 listings have been taken down.

     The playset listing's info:

Evil forces scheme for world conquest as they pit Marvel’s greatest Super Heroes against each other! It’s an all out brawl in Marvel Battlegrounds! • Engage in 4-player combat and battle in 12 levels across 8 epic new arenas! • Customize your game with up to 6 Round Marvel Power Discs per match • Select Super Heroes and Villains from your ENTIRE collection of Marvel characters in Disney Infinity • Smash through floors, walls and tear down the environment as you battle to defeat your opponents • 28 characters to collect and more to come! Use Captain America’s shield to attack from a distance and increase the power of close quarters combat.

     In addition some of the mock-ups for the single figures have begun surfacing.  There's Black Panther, Ant-Man, VIsion, and Symbiote suit Spider-Man (for single release, as the only other ways to play him were with the costume disc or the Vita pack exclusive).  We've known about these from the leak back in October, so it really isn't news.  What is cool, however, is the tight lid they've kept about who the 2nd character for the playset will be.  So far there's only Captain America's new costume The First Avenger.  I hope it'll be Winter Soldier or Scarlet Witch.

     The, the power disc set for Marvel comes with what appears to be the Winter Casket from the Thor film, a symbol of the Nova core, a Darkhawk laser, and what I think is really cool- Ghost Rider's motorcycle.  So we'll have his chain whip and bike, but actual Ghost Rider figure?  Perhaps he'll be an unannounced surprise. 

     On a side note, art for Baloo from the Jungle Book has also been released and can be seen at this link [ Infinity Inq. Twitter ].  This new figure makes me wonder if the previously mentioned unannounced playset with be for the Jungle Book as a film tie-in of sorts.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney INfinity 3.0: 116 Total Figures by the End of 3.0's Run

     Today John Vignocchi, Vice President of Production for Disney Interactive, tweeted a nice response to this @DisneyCheats image:

     The image is a Disney Infinity logo ingeniously making a map of all the playable figures- both currently available and those to come.  Yes, all those Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars logos are unannounced figures to come according to Vignocchi himself (link @ the 5:10 mark):

     “In fact that figure wall has a whole bunch of open slots for characters we haven’t announced yet.  So it’s funny because everyone kept saying, ‘Are there any more Disney characters? Are there more Star Wars characters? Are there more Marvel characters?’ And if you’re here, you can actually see, yeah there are a TON of open slots for a ton of new characters. And we’re excited to reveal those over time.”  

     So if we are hearing this correctly- that means there are currently 9 Star Wars, 16 Disney, and 4 Marvel characters for Disney INfinity 3.0 that are all still unannounced.  A whopping 29 as yet unnamed playable characters!  It makes sense, no figures have been shown for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Ep. 7) and we know that has been mentioned as being a guaranteed playset.  Plus, Marvel has Ant-Man arriving in theaters next Friday which offers more possibilities.  And, of course, Disney/Pixar has about a billion movies to choose from for more playable characters.  The potential playable list here is great.  Let the speculation commence!

     This makes me super excited for Disney INfinity 3.0 to be arriving on August 30th!

     Source [ INfinity Inquirer ]

Disney TOYBOX Action Figures: Lineup, Price, and Packaging Revealed!

     About a week ago Disney Infinity fans received a small bit of good news.  The Disney Store teased the release of new action figures featuring the extremely distinct Infinity art design style.

     Now, it must be stated for clarity- these are NOT Disney Infinity extensions and don't have anything to do with the game- they are only action figures based on the art style.  The designs were taken from Infinity and re-engineered into a completely new toyline, with added articulation, and will be launched under the "Toybox" as an homage to the game, as was confirmed by former Disney Infinity VP of Production John Vignocchi on twitter.

     The launch lineup will include figures from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar franchises.  There will be Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie from the Toy Story films as the Pixar Toybox figures, Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man from the Marvel Toybox, and lastly, Rey, Kylo Ren, and a First Order Stormtrooper from The Force Awakens in the Star Wars Toybox.
     They all look amazing and have great packaging, and I really hope they continue the Toybox line with many more to come.

     The figures will be available EXCLUSIVELY on ShopDisney for $12.95 each on Nov. 3rd.

     Source [ Jason Inquires ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: D23 2015 Reveals: Marvel Battlegrounds, Star Wars' Finn & Rey, and More

     With the D23 Interactive Presentation landing a mere 2 weeks before the release of Disney INfinity 3.0, we were sure to get some news about it.  Fans in attendance got a nice look at what's to come, a nice surprise, and lots of informational excitement.

Rey & Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.*

     The announcements:

Marvel:

• The Marvel Playset is titled "Marvel Battlegrounds."  It is set to arrive in the spring of 2016 and will include the first 4 player local co-op for DI.

Disney:

• Two figures and a Power Disc will be available for the upcoming film Zootopia.  There will be a Nick Wilde (a fox) and Judy Hopps (a bunny) figure (see pic below).  No information was available for the Power Disc.
• The upcoming Disney/Pixar film The Good Dinosaur will also get a figure and a Power Disc pack.  The figure will be Spot the human, and the pack will include 4 of the dinosaurs (Arlo, Butch, Nash, and Ramsey) featured in the film.
• During the Disney Resort's Toy Box Summit, a group of Toy Box Artists got together and helped select a Disney Classic character for 3.0.  The figure chosen was Peter Pan and he'll be released roughly a year from now as "The Toy Box Artists Choice."

Star Wars:

• The first two Episode VII: The Force Awakens characters were revealed by the actors in person for the accompanying Playset.  They were Daisy Ridley's Rey and John Boyega's Finn.  
• A limited edition set of "Light FX" figures will be released featuring the lightsaber wielding characters' sabers actually lighting up when on the base.  They will be the same toy and in-game play, it's just that their sabers now actually light up.  (Currently the known toys with this feature are: Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kanan Jarrus, and Yoda.) 

Extra Goodies:

• There have already been 5 Playsets announced, with "more on the way."
• Visitor's of Walt Disney World will receive a Magic Band, that if placed on the base will unlock a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse that is featured at many of the parks.
• Disney Cruise Line users will also receive exclusive content, including a cruise line toy box ship piece.
• The Disney INfinity 3.0's ultimate unlock will be Sora's Keyblade from the Square-Enix game Kingdom Hearts.  The ultimate unlock is a small bonus for players that unlock all the figures in the Hall of Heroes area.  Previous unlock's were a Lightsaber in 1.0, and Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder for 2.0.
• All guests that attended got an exclusive Kingdom Hearts Costume Power Disc for Mickey Mouse with the costume of King Mickey, as well as a Mickey figure. 

Nick & Judy from Zootopia.

     Sources [ Disney INfinity ] [ INfinity Inquirer ]

     *Finn & Rey pic was originally from Game Informer, but I cleaned it up.

Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars Rebels Leak

     With the massive resurgence of Star Wars and the wonderful world of Disney INfinity there are no shortage of leaks and new information arriving daily as we inch towards the fall release of 3.0.  This time, it's reported that the same retailer that leaked the base set for Disney INfinity 3.0- and they've leaked the names of 4 more characters that will be playable.

     The 4 characters named are all from the television show Star Wars Rebels.  It's said that Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios, and Sabine Wren will all be individually listed as purchasable.  It makes sense, but I find it odd that both Hera Syndulla and her cantankerous astromech C1-10P droid ("Chopper") are missing.  Which further makes me wonder if there may be an older Ahsoka Tano costume Power Disc.  Anyways, it shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone that the Rebels characters would be added with the show being so popular.

     So far we know the Playsets that are listed are Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic, Rise Against the Empire, and The Force Awakens.  One set for each of the trilogies.  So presumably the Rebels characters will be playable in at least the Twilight set.

     Disney Infinity 3.0 is rumored to be released on August 15th.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney Infinity 3.0 Leak: Some Figures and Information

     It looks as if some of the upcoming packages and figures have been spilled out onto the web.  This isn't from an official Disney announcement, although rumors and pics of the Tron figures have been out there for quite a while, but the new wave has some interesting characters.  Olaf from Frozen, Sam and Quorra from Tron Legacy, Mulan (YES!), and even a couple characters from Pixar's upcoming film Inside Out.

     We finally have some fairly concrete proof of the Disney Infinity 3.0 lineup.  Out of respect for the series I'm only posting a part of the pic of the box, and not the whole images.  Disney Infinity's support team has been very quick and nice to me and I would like to keep it that way.

     Of course the first thing I noticed on the back of the Mulan package is the fact that like 2.0, series 3.0 will be incompatible with previous versions.  However, this fact won't be too bad if they make 3.0 able to play the older figures and playsets.  I would like more continued play with my old stuff, and not being able to play the Pirates of the Caribbean set on 2.0 is a large complaint.

     In addition I've been seeing tons of pics and hints of Disney focusing on Star Wars as the base series, where 2.0 had a Marvel theme.  I've seen potential figures, and tons of in game hints such as the iconic Star Wars lightsabers and landspeeders showing up in the Toybox games.  I just want to see many more playsets with campaigns and stories to play through.

     Anyways, speculation is that the series 3.0 products will be available with plenty of time for the upcoming Star Wars movie The Force Awakens to capitalize on sales well before Christmas.  Hopefully it'll be long before that though.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ] 

          [ EDIT: Disney Interactive has asked that Infinity Inquirer pull the article. ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Vision Leaked!

     Someone over at Amazon has accidentally leaked some of the future Marvel characters for Disney Infinity 3.0.  We are getting Vision, Black Panther, and Ant-Man.  And they all look amazing.  I see there are a bunch of 2.0 figures as well as the Black Spider-Man and the new Captain America that is to be packed with the Marvel Battlegrounds Infinity playset.

     Normally I don't like to do this, but as a huge fan of both Marvel and Disney Infinity, this is something I would want to see.  I mean, really, I've been complaining about how we aren't getting much in the way of Marvel figures announced, and then this happens.  A lucky day indeed.

     On a side note, is this looks a lot like some serious build up for the first part of the Captain America: Civil War movie.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]

Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Playset & Figures Revealed and Release Date Announced

    The Disney Infinity team has finally released Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens' list of related merchandise, and it looks good.  I just hope Finn plays like Luke Skywalker, with a blaster and a lightsaber.

     "In Star Wars: The Force Awakens Play Set, players will travel to a galaxy far, far away alongside new heroes and old friends in search for a much-needed ally. Playable characters include Finn, a soldier on a path to adventure and danger, and Rey, a true survivor who is resourceful and capable. Both will join Poe Dameron, the trusted pilot of the Resistance who uses his expert flying skills to travel the galaxy, and Kylo Ren, an enforcer for the First Order who terrorizes the galaxy with devious acts."

     Star Wars: The Force Awakens Playset (Includes Finn and Rey figures):

Return to a galaxy far, far away alongside new heroes and old friends as they search for a much needed ally. 

     Finn: 

A soldier on a path to adventure and danger. 

     Rey:

A true survivor who is resourceful and capable.

     Poe Dameron: 

Trusted pilot of the Resistance uses his expert flying skills to travel the galaxy.

     Kylo Ren:

Enforcer for the First Order terrorizes the galaxy with devious acts.

     Force Awakens Power Disc Pack (Includes 4 Power Discs):

FINN’S STORMTROOPER COSTUME
POE’S RESISTANCE JACKET
RESISTANCE TACTICAL STRIKE
QUAD JUMPER

     Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars: The Force Awakens playset and figures will be available on December 18th.

     Source [ Infinity Inquirer ]