Combining action figures, video games, and Disney's best-loved characters, Infinity is likely to be a huge hit this Christmas. We talk to producer John Day about the future of family gaming
Announced in January, Disney Infinity is the entertainment giant's most ambitious video game project ever – a sprawling multi-part adventure, using characters from an ever-growing range of much-loved movies. Vitally, like Activision's smash hit Skylanders, players are able to buy action figures that interact with the onscreen world when placed on a special 'Infinity base' peripheral.
When the game is released on 23 August, fans will be able to buy a starter set that includes the base, the game and three action figures: Mr. Incredible, Jack Sparrow and Sulley. Each set has its own mini-adventure to take part in, but there's also a toy box mode where players can mix and match characters to create their own adventures.
With play sets covering everything from Toy Story to Pirates of the Caribbean, and more on the way, Infinity is pretty much dream territory for Disney-mad kids – though their parents had better brace themselves: action figures are around £13 each, and although the game functions without extra purchases, each new figure opens up fresh sections of the adventure. The 'connected toy' recipe has certainly proved successful for Activision – Skylanders is a billion dollar success story. No wonder Disney has invested a reported $100m on Infinity's development.
So how did developer Avalanche Software come up with the concept, and how will it all work? We emailed over some questions to producer John Day and here's what he wrote back.
Obvious start: can you tell us a little bit about how Infinity came together? What were the origins of the concept?
At the studio, we've often marvelled at how people play with and experience toys. We remember when we were kids, pulling all of our toys out onto the floor and making up our own games and stories. And now, we see our own kids doing the same thing. Many of us still have a whole bunch of toys in our offices too. There seems to be something universal about the fun of playing with toys and Disney Infinity is a digital recreation of this idea of play.
And let's get this out of the way: how much did you look at Skylanders during development? There are obvious similarities...
The connected toys category is ever growing and while both games have interactive figures, the similarities really end there. Disney Infinity is an open world game featuring popular Disney IP and a groundbreaking Toy Box that allows players to use any combination of characters, game worlds and gadgets to create their own stories and play experiences starring their favourite Disney and Pixar characters. What Disney Infinity is offering is a significantly different product than our competitors.
How have you decided on the play sets to include in the game? Has it been about selecting the most popular Disney brands, or about choosing the ones most appropriate for the game?
A bit of both really – our goal is to deliver quality play experiences that attract and sustain a global audience, so we have done a lot of research to help us select the right Disney IPs that can achieve this. In addition, we chose brands that would deliver diverse and fun gameplay experiences to players.
I believe that the play-set mode will involve each Disney series in its own mini-game. Is that correct? Can you tell us more about these? Will we end up with lots of different games within the Infinity package?
Each of the Disney Infinity play sets features an original storyline and a true to property play experience. For example, The Incredibles is all about saving the world from Syndrome and his new evil plan, while Monsters University delivers a new storyline featuring the popular film characters pulling off pranks and battling a rival University called Fear Tech. These are packed with a lot of action and upwards of six hours of gameplay each.
Disney Infinity is designed as a platform that will grow over the years with new interactive figures, play sets and power discs that will deliver new experiences to players throughout the year.
And how about the toy box mode – is the idea to give total creative freedom to users? And will there be any sharing elements to what players come up with?
The toy box was really born out of watching how kids play and seeing how much they enjoyed mixing and matching up a variety of toys and gadgets to create unique adventures. That's really what this is about – giving players of all skill levels the ability to create the experiences they dream of, featuring the characters they love.
For some players, that might mean having total creative freedom and for others that could be playing 'toy box adventures', which are pre-made worlds that can be customised. It's really up to the player.
We will also allow players to share their UGC with friends across platforms using their Disney ID and we have plans to allow players to submit content to Disney, which will be reviewed and if approved, potentially chosen for sharing with the community.
While the player really can do anything they want in the toy box, we do provide a number of structured experiences for the players who don't want to build everything themselves. Every character figure comes with its own 'adventure', which is a small game tailored around the theme and strengths of that figure. We have other adventures, independent of figure, for the players to experience as well.
What are the guiding principles of game design on the Infinity project? Do you need to keep the spirit and themes of the original movies in mind – how is that both a benefit and a restrain on design?
One of the key goals for Disney Infinity is to create an authentic and immersive experience. A big part of pulling that off is to preserve those characteristics that define these characters and worlds. In working with the filmmakers, I think we all understood that goal, and worked together to ensure that we could make a great game, and ensure that it felt as true to property as possible.
Are you working with any of the animated movies' scriptwriters or directors? Has that been a help? How?
We worked closely with the filmmakers throughout the development of Infinity. In cooperation with them, we designed toy versions of their characters and collaborated with the studio writers to create original storylines that were true to property and authentic to each IP.
How are you designing the figures themselves? Has this task been handed to a toy manufacturer? What's the key element to get right here?
The character department here at Avalanche Software handled all of the designs for the figures. After settling on some style guidelines, ultimately the goal was to just make the coolest version of the character possible. Many of us here at the office are toy collectors – and it shows if you walk around the office! We just wanted to make something high quality and collectible.
So will Infinity grow indefinitely? Do you see this as a platform rather than a single release?
We will continue to grow Infinity by introducing new play sets, power discs and figures at retail and players will be able to share their unique content with family and friends using their Disney ID account. We also have plans for creating a community where our fans will be able to upload content that Disney will review and potentially offer for download.
Will you be looking into 'pervasive gaming' elements – having smartphone and iPad 'companion apps' so players can interact with the world while on the move?
We will have additional details to share about our mobile offerings in the near future. Stay tuned!
I guess one of the advantages of having figures is that players can take their characters to friends and put them in their games – what are the game-design ramifications of this? How will you facilitate this sort of shared gaming experience?
Each Disney Infinity figure remembers the individual player's experiences and upgrades, which means that kids will be able to bring their unique characters to life in their friend's game across consoles in both single and multiplayer games. Players can also upload their personal UGC to Disney ID, download it on a friend's console and have a brand new level to experience together.
In addition to character figures, Disney Infinity also uses power discs to enhance the characters, and to bring new toys into the toy box. These power discs are sold in blind packs, so I expect players will need to do some trading and swapping with their friends in order to get the ones they're after. The power discs also work on any platform.
Have you taken many design ideas from areas like social, smartphone or casual gaming? For a while everyone was looking at this sector for ideas – especially payment methods. Is there anything to learn from titles like Farmville, Angry Birds, etc?
We did a lot of research into a number of different monetisation methods and strategies early in development, looking at everything from mobile games, Facebook games, free-to-play games on various platforms, and ultimately settled on the simple elegance of having the toys themselves be our transaction driver. They allow the player to access more of the content they want, based on which figures and play sets they acquire. And it's tough to top the ease of use of simply acquiring the figure you want, and putting it on the Infinity base.
Do you see Infinity expanding onto the next-gen consoles?
Disney Infinity is designed as a long term platform that will grow over the years...
Disney has found it really difficult to channel the charm and humour of its animated movies into games – the tie-ins have often lacked the wide family appeal. Why do you think that is? And how will Infinity bridge that gap between child and adult gamers in the way that, say, Toy Story appeals to both kids and parents? That's got to be the biggest challenge, right?
Disney Infinity is more than a console game, it is an all-new way for people of all ages to experience Disney and Pixar's most popular characters and worlds on the devices that they use every day – game consoles, handhelds, computers and mobile devices. We hope to attract players to Disney Infinity through the individual Disney IPs that are in the game and sustain their interest through the variety of Disney characters and stories available to them on one platform. It's a platform designed to grow over time, to grow with the players.
• Disney Infinity is released on 23 August for Wii, Wii U, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360
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Keith Stuart
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