The Toys-to-Life was a popular gimmick for video games in the early 2010s. The concept allowed players to play as toys that were sold alongside the games. 

The most popular of this genre of game was Skylanders. 

With six games in six years, Skylanders caught the eyes of early 10s children, much to the parents’ dismay.

Thanks to the rising popularity of this genre, other companies, like Disney, LEGO and Nintendo, decided to dip their toes into the toys-to-life craze. 

This eventually oversaturated the genre, and the kids who loved playing these games started to grow out of the excitement the games once brought them.

Skylanders, which once was the catalyst for this genre, were running out of ideas for their new games, going from concepts like those in Skylanders: Swap Force, which allowed certain figures to swap with each other to solve in-game puzzles, to the final game in the franchise, Skylanders: Imaginators, which got rid of “core skylanders” opting to sell only sensi’s and allowing players to create their own characters in game buy purchasing mystery chests that unlocked new parts in the character creation.

Disney, with its own Disney Infinity, had a leg up by using the company’s already established and popular characters. The downside was that only certain characters could work in certain playsets, only allowing crossplay in the sandbox minigames.

LEGO’s LEGO Dimensions tries to keep its hype going by partnering with other companies. Making levels and figures for other popular franchises and movies like The Wizard of Oz and Scooby Doo.

Nintendo releases its own version of toys-to-life with Amiibo. Amiibos worked differently from the other figures in this genre. Instead of being tied to one specific game, the figures could be used to gain extra time or perks in a variety of Nintendo games.

However, these attempts to stay relevant fell by the wayside and the production of this genre ended around 2017. Skylanders decided to scrap their seventh game. Disney discontinued Disney Infinity, which ended with the closure of the game’s developer, Avalanche Software. Nintendo, on the other hand, still releases new Amiibo, marketing solely as collectables rather than figures that work in a specific game.

Nowadays, adults who used to enjoy these games are collecting the figures and replaying them.

This has sparked some small conversations about a revival of sorts for the toys-to-life genre, mainly Skylanders.

The current landscape of video games and drama surrounding DLC culture and games being overpriced might not lend itself well to the formula of toys-to-life that worked so well.

Figures that were already overpriced when these games were popular could become a new way for “scalpers” to resell at an even higher price online if they were to return.

If new games were to come out, certain developers may feel forced to create unnecessary downloadable content that the originals never had.

This generation of children who have only known games such as Fortnite or PUBG would not share an appreciation for the concept of toys-to-life that kids from the 2010s had.

The best course of action for these types of video games is to remaster the old classic and maybe release a new line of updated figures to go along.