Skylanders put on hiatus for first time in six years

For the first time since the franchise launched, there won’t be a new Skylanders game on consoles this year. During a call for investors, an Activision executive confirmed that the publisher would not release a new installment in the toys-to-life series.

“The Skylanders franchise will not have a full-game console release this year,” an executive said during the call. There is a mobile game version currently in development, however, but a release date has not been announced.

Since Activision first launched Skylanders in 2011, a new game has followed every year since. Skylanders: Imaginators launched last fall, and a port is coming to the Nintendo Switch in March. The enhanced re-release will be a launch title for the console.

The toys-to-life category has seen some major contractions in recent months. Disney canceled its Infinity franchise, one of Skylanders’ biggest competitors, last May as it exited game development. In November, rumors flew that Skylanders’ 2017 version — and the series as a whole — would face a similar fate.

On the bright side, fans can check out the the franchise’s animated TV show. It airs on Netflix, and a second and third season are on the way.