Disney Infinity

Disney announced back in May that is was discontinuing its video game series Disney Infinity, and today the company announced its plans on how the series will end.

Infinity was Disney's attempt to cash in on the collectible action figure and video game craze kicked off by Activision's Skylnaders series, and made even more popular by Nintendo's amiibo line. The video game was launched in 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS, and it included physical, interactive figurines that unlocked Disney and Pixar characters within the game. Disney Infinity seemed like a guaranteed home run due to Disney's deep catalog of properties, including Marvel Superheroes, but the game never caught on.

Disney executive John Blackburn on Tuesday announced that the company will discontinue its Disney Infinity video game series. Blackburn said it was a "difficult decision" to end the series, and thanked fans for "creating a community" around the game.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the sequel to its popular console game Disney Infinity is coming to iOS devices this holiday season. Disney Infinity 2.0 features Marvel Superheroes plus "Disney Originals" such as Donald Duck, Bay Max and the fan requested Tinker Bell. The mobile version of the game has been built using Metal, Apple's new iOS 8 programming software, which gives it console-like graphics and allows for multiplayer gameplay. The game will also be available for the iPhone for the first time.

Disney Infinity is an action-adventure sandbox title where players can purchase individual Disney figurines to interact with the video game. A Disney Infinity Starter Set that includes the game and everything you need to play retails for $75. The sets are available for all the major consoles including the older PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The individual characters retail for around $15. You can see a complete list of Disney Infinity 2.0 characters here.

Disney is really pushing the NFC-based console game concept with the release of Disney Infinity on August 18. Not only will the game feature Skylanders-like collectible action figures, but Disney fans will be able to expand their Infinity world with the Disney Infinity: Toy Box app for the iPad.

The Disney Infinity video game will originally be sold as $75 Starter Packs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U (there will also be a separate Nintendo 3DS release). Each starter pack will include three Disney related action figures that are needed to play the game. Players will also have the option to buy additional figurines such as Francesco Bernulli from Cars at $13 a pop. The game can be played like a traditional video game, or players can use the "Toy Box" mode to create their own Minecraft-style Disney Infinity worlds.