Morning DLC: Video Games News And Rumors 2/13/14
By Nick Tylwalk
"Rovio has revealed Angry Birds Stella, the next game in its lucrative Angry Birds franchise.In a post on the Rovio website the studio talked up the new game, but provided no details on what gameplay will entail.Angry Birds Stella will debut in fall (between September and November) 2014, and will encapsulate “games, animations, books, toys and other fun stuff”."
"Microsoft is bullish on the prospects for its own PC gaming endeavors going forward, so much so that creative director Ken Lobb has said, “We are very dedicated to that space.” Speaking with RockPaperShotgun, Lobb explained that Microsoft’s recent “One Microsoft” reorganization means the company is better prepared to “go after” PC gaming in a meaningful way.Last summer, Microsoft hired former Valve director of business development Jason Holtman, whose position at Microsoft will see him focusing on “making Windows a great platform for gaming and interactive entertainment.” It’s unclear what specifically Holtman is working on at Microsoft, and Lobb said he could not make any announcements about any major PC games in development.However, Lobb did say about PC gaming at Microsoft: “We are very dedicated to that space.”"
"The “Skylanders” game franchise has rocketed past $2 billion in sales. In addition to the two cross-platform games, Activision has sold over 175 million action figures — which connect directly to the game world. “Skylanders: Swap Force” introduced interchangeable action figures that swapped out the virtual powers of characters in-game.It’s not just the games that are driving revenue at retail. Hirshberg said that if you looked at the “Skylanders” action figure sales alone, it would be the number one action figure line in the world in 2013. “Skylanders” outsold long-standing franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Wars in the competitive action figure arena. For that reason, “Skylanders” will still have a solid presence at Toy Fair 2014."