Text reading 'Bring Skylanders to Life' in blue gradient letters on a dark background.

Skylanders

THE BRIEF

For 3+ years, Activision developed a toy/video game hybrid idea.
Physical toys, when placed on a “portal” would become playable characters in-game.
Our challenge was to bring these characters to life in a real way.

THE SOLUTION

Build backstories, character personalities, and relationships. Making these characters feel real was about making their lives feel multi-dimensional.

Create mystery and magic in the “Boom” moment.
Let the moment the characters come to life feel big, supernatural, and enchanting.

MY ROLE

Art Director / Lead Designer

A chart titled 'Potential Cast' features photos and descriptions of characters from a video game or animation, including Spyro the dragon, a crazed Irishman, a mariner, a greenskeeper, a computer virus, a dinosaur, and a ninja, each with a description and voice actor information.

We pitched a lot of ideas.
But the main one that stuck was having distinct personalities for each of the characters.

We began with a character launch video during E3– the biggest video game convention in the world. The idea was to hype up this army of characters…. it worked.

We then created a full cinematic backstory that explained that the Skylanders weren’t toys, but alive on the inside.
And only you could bring them back to life.
This film premiered in cinemas like a trailer before Cars 2, Puss N Boots, and Smurfs.

We made lots of commercials showing the “frozen” characters coming to life in the game.

And we also created special :15s highlighting each character

OUT OF HOME FEATURING VARIOUS CHARACTERS

Promotional poster for Skylanders Spyro's Adventure featuring a cartoon purple dragon with orange wings and horns, standing on a glowing stage with text that says "The new video game where toys come to life."
Promotional poster for Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure featuring a cartoon-style, fiery, one-eyed creature holding two guns with bright lights and a starry background, and the text "The new video game where toys come to life."

The characters took off and into a life of their own, reaching the far corners of pop culture.
From a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Balloon to Netflix shows and more.

Animated cover art for Netflix's Skylanders Academy featuring a purple dragon with orange horns, a green elf, and a red rock creature in a fantasy landscape.
A colorful parade float featuring a large, smiling, cartoonish dragon with big ears and yellow eyes, being carried by parade workers dressed in bright orange costumes with yellow hats, walking down a city street lined with tall buildings and spectators.

Skylanders is not just a kids game.
It has grown into the 11th biggest video game franchise of all time.
It’s a multi-billion dollar business for Activision and continues its success.