When we were asked earlier in the week if we would be interested in chatting with a developer of Disney Infinity about the next wave of character releases and power discs we jumped at the opportunity. We didn’t know that we’d be lucky enough to chat with so many of Avalanche Software’s senior team. On Wednesday evening we talked with:
- John Vignocchi (Executive Producer of Disney Infinity)
- John Blackburn (Vice President and Studio General Manager of Avalanche Software)
- Jeff Bunker (Vice President of Art at Avalanche Software)
- Rob Nelson (Vice President of Technology at Avalanche Software)
Before we get to some of the details of our discussion, let’s review the characters and power discs that are coming out through the end of the year (click on each character name below to watch a short video).
- Rapunzel (from Tangled) released today, November 22 (Walmart exclusive through 2013)
- Ralph (from Wreck-It Ralph) was released today, November 22 (Best Buy exclusive through 2013)
- Vanellope (from Wreck-It Ralph) releasing November 24 (Target exclusive through 2013)
- Frozen toy box pack with Anna & Elsa (along with texture and dome power discs) released November 26.
If you’re a fan of the game, you’ve probably also heard of the Toy Story in Space playset as well – but if would like a quick refresher, check out our review.
In addition to the characters, the wave 2 set of Power Discs is also on the horizon. You can pick up the complete set of wave 2 discs starting on November 24 at Target (originally slated to have been released on November 19 – we were lucky enough to have picked one up before they were pulled), or you can purchase the power discs in blind bags at all retailers starting on November 26.
The complete list of power discs and their abilities is listed at the bottom of the post (below the interview).
Interview Details
When we started chatting with the energetic group, we immediately knew it was going to be a fast-paced and fun interview. Sure enough, the team sprinkled in jokes and walked a fine line between revealing future spoilers and chatting about details of the upcoming characters and power discs.
- Future Toy Box Themes – To kick of our first question, we asked if we could expect to see some new themed (downloadable) toy boxes geared towards the upcoming releases of Wreck it Ralph and Frozen since people really loved the themed Toy Story toy boxes released just a few weeks ago (in addition to this week’s release of Zurgiving Day). The team responded with excitement and said that there would be many contests focused on the upcoming toy boxes as well as expanded on the beauty of the Frozen power discs which really transform the toy box world from top to bottom – these are one of Jeff Bunker’s favorite textures. (As a side note, I agree – the trees become frosted, icicles form all around you and you can’t help but feel a chill playing with this set of discs in the toy box.
- Mac OS Version – We then followed up with a quick question regarding the iOS and PC version of Disney Infinity and inquired if a Mac OS version would be released soon. The team noted that they wouldn’t be able to chat about future platforms that the game would be released on, but you could sense the excitement in their voices for the future of Disney Infinity. If I could guess (again, speculation), we’re going to see a lot more broad release of systems (i.e., Android, Mac, etc.) for the Disney Infinity 2 release only.
- Cross-Platform Toy Box Play – Although I didn’t expect that it would be 100% possible, I still wanted to inquire about the option and ability to possibly play across platforms and since the VP of Technology, Rob Nelson, was in the room I figured it would be a good time to ask. Rob covered a lot of the restrictions per system and mentioned that he doesn’t see this as being a possibility. What I really appreciated is rather than just saying “No”, he discussed the reasons why it isn’t possible! I brought this up because I really wanted to be able to play alongside the Inside Disney Infinity team during their 25-hour marathon but with most of the players being on the Play Station and Xbox platform, it made it more sparse.
Other Interesting Details From the Interview
- They recently crossed a major milestone by having two-million toy boxes downloaded!
- It had been previously noted that Sarah Silverman had done the voice for Vanellope for the game, but it was also noted that several of the Frozen characters will be officially voiced by their lead actor as well. It seems that Kristen Bell will voice Anna, Idina Menzel will voice Elsa, Mandy Moore will voice Rapunzel. John Vignocchi also expanded the hilarity of working with Sarah Silverman and noted that playing with Vanellope in the toy box will reveal a lot of sarcastic quips towards the other Disney Infinity characters.
- They mentioned that they will be creating future character releases based on how relevant the characters are today – but that they’re also taking customer feedback seriously and are open to creating a highly requested character. Along with the character discussion also brought out questions around the future of Marvel and Star Wars characters. The team mentioned that those characters the most highly requested for the game but only said, “that would be cool”!
- Ralph’s cherry bomb is inspired by his 8-bit look, while Vanellope’s more updated look means that she has an updated, cherry bomb – what a nice little touch!
- An updated official Prima Guide is in the works with more details coming soon.
- Although there are 20 power discs listed in the complete guide that Target is offering, the team also hinted that there may be a few more released under wave 2 in the coming months.
Wave 2 Power Discs Images & Details
The full list of new Power Discs includes:
Circular Discs:
- Ralph’s Power of Destruction – In-game character can increase melee damage.
- Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s Damage-inator! – In-game character weapon can do more wide-ranged damage.
- Frankenweenie Electro-Charge – In-game character has a chance to gain more health.
- Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command Shield – In-game character has a chance to receive less damage. (This is an awesome Power Disc.)
- Tron User Control – In-game character has a chance to gain experience at a faster rate. (re-release of exclusive Toys R Us wave 1 release.)
Hexagonal Discs:
- Pizza Planet Delivery Truck – Drive the Pizza Planet Delivery Truck from “Toy Story” inside the Toy Box. (Our Personal Favorite.)
- Flamingo Croquet Mallet – Spawn a Flamingo croquet mallet from “Alice in Wonderland” inside the Toy Box.
- Frankenweenie
- Victor’s Experiments – Make all of the terrain objects in the Toy Box themed to the “Frankenweenie” film.
- New Holland Skyline – Make the sky in the Toy Box themed to the “Frankenweenie” film.
- Frozen
- Frozen Flourish – Make all of the terrain objects in the Toy Box themed to the “Frozen” film.
- Chill In The Air – Make the sky in the Toy Box themed to the “Frozen” film.
- Headless Horseman’s Horse – Ride the Headless Horseman’s Horse inside the Toy Box.
- Maximus – Ride Maximus from “Tangled” inside the Toy Box.
- Mike’s New Car – Drive Mike Wazowski’s vehicle inside the Toy Box. (re-release of exclusive Toys R Us wave 1 release.)
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- Jack’s Scary Decorations – Make all of the terrain objects in the Toy Box themed to the “Nightmare Before Christmas” film.
- Halloweentown Sky – Make the sky in the Toy Box themed to the “Nightmare Before Christmas” film.
- Hangin’ Ten Stitch with Surfboard – Spawn a hover surfboard with Stitch on the front inside the Toy Box.
Rare Hexagonal Discs:
- Electric Mayhem Bus – Spawn the Electric Mayhem Bus from “The Muppets” inside the Toy Box.
- Condor Wing Glider – Spawn a glider pack that is Wings ala Condor Man inside the Toy Box.
- Hook’s Ship from Peter Pan Ride – Spawn a flying airship themed after Captain Hook’s ship inside the Toy Box. (re-release of exclusive Toys R Us wave 1 release.)
It was fantastic to be able to chat with such a great set of talent from the Disney Infinity and Avalanche Software team and we would like to thank the team for taking the time to chat.