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"The Skylanders franchise has generated more than $1 billion in sales, it has been revealed. The milestone figure, which includes software, toys and accessories, was achieved within 15 months of the original Skylanders going on sale.    Click the image to view a larger version Approximately 100 million Skylanders toys have been sold at retail, outperforming the likes of Transformers, Star Wars and Beyblades in North America. Activision&amp;#039;s Eric Hirshberg said that despite the success of Skylanders, the firm was only just starting to realise its potential. &amp;quot;We knew that the simple, but magical, idea of bringing your toys to life in a video game could change both the video game and the toy industries, and, more importantly, change the way kids play,&amp;quot; he explained.  &amp;quot;And this autumn, we&amp;#039;re looking forward to delivering to fans our latest breakthrough innovation, Skylanders Swap Force, which lets kids customise their own characters, bringing toys to life to a whole new level.&amp;quot; Screenshot gallery - Skylanders Swap Force:  Announced earlier this month, Skylanders Swap Force introduces interchangeable action figures, which enable mix-and-match gameplay. Skylanders was recently named the third-biggest franchise in the UK, trailing only Call of Duty and FIFA in sales. In North America, meanwhile, the series was reported to have generated more than $500 million in sales, making it the highest-earning franchise for kids in 2012. The news comes as Disney prepares to launch a rival to the Skylanders series, titled Disney Infinity. &amp;gt; Read Digital Spy&amp;#039;s Skylanders Giants review &amp;gt; Skylanders: How the toy franchise became a success story &amp;gt; Read Digital Spy&amp;#039;s Skylanders Swap Force preview Watch a trailer for Skylanders Giants below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a458179/skylanders-franchise-generates-1-billion-at-retail/>