E3 2011: Skylanders gets cross-platform play

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure will be the first title to feature cross-platform gameplay across all three consoles, as well as PC, 3DS and mobile.

The title uses special toy figurines to represent characters which, when placed on the bundled Portal of Power, appear in game. After each session, the figures’ onboard memory keeps track of how the character has advanced, what weapons it has unlocked and what loot it has collected.

Activision has announced that players will be able to use these figures on any version of the game, and still retain their characters progress. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is currently in development for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS and PC. Mobile and web-based adaptations of the console game are also in the works.

Imagine a kid taking his Skylanders toy and bringing it to life on his Xbox 360 one day, then bringing it to life on his friend’s PS3 the next day, then bringing it to life inside his 3DS and playing it in the back of his parents’ car the next day, then bringing it to life on the web the day after that, all the while, building his character’s strength and powers across all of those platforms,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. It brings the physical and virtual worlds of play together in a whole new way.”

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is due for release this Christmas. The game will be showcased at E3 this week as part of Activision’s line-up.