According to a leaked survey, it seems Activision may be interested in reviving the Skylanders franchise with a remastered collection that would bring some of the classic games in the series to modern platforms. Skylanders was once the premiere toys-to-life franchise, earning a great deal of popularity before interest tapered off a few years ago. There are many who are nostalgic for Skylanders and wouldn't mind seeing the franchise make a comeback, and now they may have some hope.
Last year, Activision revealed a desire to see some of its classic franchises revitalized after the Microsoft acquisition went through, with toys-to-life series Skylanders and music/rhythm franchise Guitar Hero named specifically. While fans should certainly keep their expectations in check, it does seem like there's a greater possibility of Skylanders making a comeback, albeit with a massive gameplay change.
A survey posted to Reddit by user SkylThrowaway, allegedly from Activision, potentially reveals the company's plans to revive the Skylanders franchise. According to the mock-up screenshots provided, the game would potentially be called Skylanders Anthology, Skylanders Portal Pack, or Skylanders Eons, and it would collect Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, Skylanders: Giants, and Skylanders: Swap Force in a single package with HD graphics for release in 2023. The big twist, though, is that the collection would not be toys-to-life, and it would instead allow players to simply choose from the various Skylanders characters in-game.
One of the main draws of the Skylanders games back in the day was the toys-to-life gimmick, but this way the games could live on without requiring quite as much of a monetary investment from players. It would also mean not needing to store the Skylanders figures, portals, etc., and should go a long way in making the games more accessible.
If the Skylanders collection turns out to be real, hopefully the other games in the series can get the same treatment. Swap Force was followed by Skylanders: Trap Team and SuperChargers, with 2016's Imaginators being the latest entry in the series. It would be great to see the entire franchise converted to this new style of play that doesn't require the figures, and then perhaps that could pave the way for a completely brand-new Skylanders adventure.
However, it remains to be seen if there would be much interest in a Skylanders game that doesn't use figures. Fans will find out if the concept can work if these new Skylanders rumors turn out to be true.
Source: Reddit