More Thoughts From Me #165: R.I.P. Toys-To-Life Genre

The Toys-to-Life Genre is dead! Long Live the Toys-To-Life Genre. LEGO Dimensions is gone, Disney Infinity is gone, Skylanders is gone, and Starlink didn’t do that well. The Toys-To-Life genre is on its way out. Is there any hope at all? What did I think of this genre? Lets take a look at Toys-to-life!

I never got into the toys-to-life genre a lot. I almost didn’t get into it at all.

A few years ago, LEGO Dimensions was on sale around Christmas. I’ve always loved the Lego games and I admit that I thought LEGO Dimensions looked cool. So I asked for the main set and the Doctor Who set for Christmas! I got those and I really enjoyed the game.

I did get one another set, the Midway Arcade set, but I never did get anymore after that. LEGO Dimensions was cool but it was too big of an investment. We didn’t have enough money for me to collect a lot of the sets. And now the figures and the stand are on my unused desk in a pile. I keep thinking I should display them somewhere at least, though I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to it.

LEGO Dimensions was on my Wii U. I don’t play my Wii U anymore. I will never get rid of my Wii U and I don’t think I’ll get rid of LEGO Dimensions, although you never know. I loved the game. I’m glad I played it. Still. I do wish that LEGO Dimensions had been a regular Lego game…

As for the other toys-to-life games, I never played them. I was tempted by Disney Infinity, never did get into Skylanders or Starlink. I know Starlink is technically still around but I don’t think I’ll ever play it. And it didn’t sell very well. The Toys-to-life genre is definitely on its way out.

All of the big name franchises: LEGO, Disney, and Skylanders have already folded up shop. Starlink will be gone in time. The genre was here one second and gone the next. I think it was just too much to ask people to collect so many different figures and sets in this day and age. A lot of people want a full game and not to buy a lot of DLC or physical extras. Sure there are people who have a lot of money and want to buy, buy, buy, but I think there are a lot more people who would rather just have a game and not be forced to pay for extra stuff if they don’t want it.

Yes, I am leaving amiibo figures out of this. amiibo was never like the others. Nintendo never made a whole game that brought all the Nintendo figures into one world. It would’ve been awesome but instead amiibo figures are mostly for looks and unlocking smaller extras. I don’t see amiibo going away anytime soon. I could be wrong.

I have been collecting some amiibo figures. I admit I’d still love to see a Nintendo toys-to-life game. It’ll never happen.

Do I think there’s any hope for the genre? I don’t think so. Unless some big company like Disney or LEGO or Warner Bros tried it again, I just don’t see the genre surviving much longer.

If you know me though, you know that my predications about game stuff are usually wrong. So maybe there is hope for the genre!

What do you think? Will we see another toys-to-life game? Oh and what was your favorite game of this genre?

Next week: Its a totally crazy month for the Nintendo Switch. Tons of games are coming out this month! I break down what I’m looking forward to, what I wish I could get, and if I think there are anymore surprises coming.

More Thoughts From Me is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed here are mine and mine alone. I loved Lego Dimensions.