Skylanders

This is the first edition of the Skylanders franchise. There are 32 Skylanders in the game, and each has one of eight elements assigned to them, which allows them to open element-specific gates that are found throughout the game.

Giants is the second installment in the Skylanders series set as a direct sequel to Spyro's Adventure. It introduces a new team of Skylanders called the Giants, massive creatures who were the first Skylanders assembled to stop the reign of Arkeyans. Unlike the other Skylanders, the Giants can lift, throw, and destroy trees and rocks as well. The players use the Giants when Kaos has found a way to reactivate the Arkeyan Conquertron.

Swap Force is the third installment in the franchise. Taking place in another part of Skylands called the Cloudbreak Islands, the player takes control of a new group of Skylanders called the Swap Force who hold the ability to swap top and bottom halves and abilities. Together, the Swap Force and the Skylanders fight Kaos and his mother.

Trap Team is the fourth installment in the franchise. It introduces the Trap mechanic, which allows players to trap in-game enemies in element-specific Elemental Traps which are shards of trap crystals called Traptainium. The trapped enemies can then be summoned as playable characters for a limited time, except in the main hub, where they can be played for an unlimited amount of time. They also introduced two new elements, those being the Light and Dark elements.

SuperChargers is the fifth installment in the series. It introduces a new group of Skylanders called the SuperChargers who pilot special vehicles that allow the Skylanders to create rifts to travel through like portals. Two characters exclusive to the Nintendo console versions are Mario franchise characters Donkey Kong and Bowser as Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser, along with their respective vehicles, the Barrel Blaster and Clown Cruiser. The characters, but not their vehicles, which were made exclusively for the game, also function as amiibo figures. The Wii version of the game is titled Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing and does not have adventure segments from the Wii U and PS3 versions. The Nintendo 3DS version also carries that same name and likewise focuses on the racing elements only. This was the last game to be released on tablets.

A sixth game was released on October 16, 2016 in North America, October 14, 2016 in Europe, and October 13, 2016 in Australia and New Zealand.[5] In June 2016, Activision announced that the game would be titled Skylanders Imaginators, which allows players to create and customize their own Skylanders called Imaginators. The title was developed by Toys for Bob.[6] Crash Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex are guest stars as playable characters in the game, marking their first appearance in a video game since Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 in 2010.[7] The figures for both were initially exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 starter packs (although they are playable on all consoles), but were released later on as a stand-alone double pack. Crash and Cortex appear as part of the Sensei Skylanders whose job is to train the Imaginators.

The version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure developed by Toys for Bob was designed for the Nintendo Wii and an HD version was retrofitted for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. This is why many features that utilise motion controls, such as shaking open treasure chests and aiming cannons feel more intuitive with a Wii remote than with the console versions' joysticks. It is also why Skylanders possess only 3 abilities; a Wii Remote and Nunchuk only share 6 buttons, excluding the D-pad, -, + and home button. Since the (1) and (2) buttons are awkward to reach, this leaves only four available buttons: three buttons for abilities and one button for interaction. This explains Toys for Bob's reluctance to include jumping mechanics in the first 2 franchise entries.

The Nintendo Wii version features a 'New Game Plus' option, which allows players to bypass most of the game's cutscenes and dialogue on a new file after beating the game. HD versions, however, require that the player watch nearly all of the cutscenes and listen to all of the dialogue no matter what file is loaded. Some of this dialogue, however, can be sped up by spamming buttons on HD versions, whereas a New Game on the Nintendo Wii would not.

On the Nintendo Wii version, character portraits used in dialogue feature stylistic 2D artwork, whereas HD versions use 3D character models.

There are also a number of mechanical differences. On HD versions of the game, collision mechanics with abilities like Hex's Wall of Bones are different, such that partner Skylanders in co-op mode can be lifted by them and circumvent obstacles. Additionally, a glitch can be performed on HD versions that prevent the magic item 'winged boots' from expiring.

The Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and PC versions of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure feature a wireless portal that includes a USB wireless connector. The portal requires AA batteries. The Xbox 360 version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure features a wired portal, an adaptation that was made when testers who were forwarded early copies of the game expressed their frustration with providing the portal with batteries. Every Skylanders instalment thereafter featured a wired portal.

The Nintendo 3DS version is radically different from the Console and PC versions. It was developed by Vicarious Visions. The 3DS version has no co-op functionality, and hence the starter pack includes a smaller Portal with an infrared reader that can connect to a Nintendo 3DS system. The portal is powered with AAA batteries and has a USB port that allows it to function with the console versions of the game. It features an entirely different plot and a different set of non-playable characters (with the exception of Eon). The three Skylanders included in the starter pack are also different, substituting the Toys for Bob version's 'Spyro', 'Gill Grunt' and 'Trigger Happy' for 'Ignitor', 'Stealth Elf' and 'Dark Spyro', a cosmetic variant of 'Spyro'. Players do not need to keep their Skylanders on the portal at all times like on the console versions, and instead 'load' two Skylanders into the game that they can alternate between, until a new Skylander is loaded in to replace it. This allows the game to remain portable, without needing to carry around figures or the portal.

In 2011, Activision released ‘Skylanders Universe’, an online browser-based multiplayer game that allowed players to interact with each other in Skylands, play minigames, customise their own island and log their Skylanders collection. Players could connect their portals to their computer to summon their Skylanders, much like in the core series. The service has since been discontinued.

Activision released seven Skylanders spin-off games on mobile devices.[8] These titles include Cloud Patrol, Battlegrounds, Lost Islands, Collection Vault, Trap Team, SuperChargers (mobile port), Battlecast and Ring of Heroes.

A series of books in the Skylanders franchise started with Skylanders: The Machine of Doom that takes place before the events of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. It was written by Cavan Scott, who would later write sequels to the novel under the Skylanders: The Mask of Power series, which also serve as prequels to Spyro's Adventure.

Two art books, Strata: The Art of Skylanders: Swap Force and Clutch: The Art of Skylanders: Superchargers, were produced by Vicarious Visions. As employee exclusives, the only way to obtain them is through online sellers or charity events.

IDW Publishing created a comic series associated with the Skylanders franchise that has events that take place in between the games.[9] The series was reportedly cancelled in order to not compete with Skylanders Academy, which used a different canon.

In 2016, it wasn't announced that Activision Blizzard Studios would produce an animated television series based on Skylanders.[10] The first season debuted on Netflix on October 28, 2016, the second season on October 6, 2017 and the third and final season premiered on September 28, 2018.[11][12] On April 30, 2019, it was announced that Skylanders Academy was cancelled.[13]

Activision has commented on the possibility of a movie and TV series based on the Skylanders reboot as something that they could look into in the future.[14] On May 6, 2014, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg announced that the Activision team had an interest in "jumping on the film adaptation bandwagon" and adapting Skylanders into a film.[15]