It’s not everyday where you see a video game promotion where its virtual world is compared with that of a real city… but that’s just what happened recently through a recent promotion for Activision’s Skylanders: Swap Force.
The company teamed up with VisitScotland and the Highland Council to announce that the Isle of Skye has “virtually” turned into a twin for Swap Force, in an attempt to celebrate the SWAPtober promotion that the game is currently undergoing. It marks the first time that a video game world has “twinned” with a real destination, despite similarities in prior games with cities.
As part of the “twinning” event, Activision recently had Wash Buckler, one of the characters in the game, “visit” the Isle of Skye, while also touring some of the island’s most famous landmarks, as well as the Portree Primary School. In addition, Skylanders have also “taken over” the official Isle of Skye website, where franchise fans can type in “SWAP” and see the lands magically transform.
“We’re thrilled to continue to combine physical and virtual experiences through the Skylanders franchise, and what better way to do so than making the Skylands the first video game world to twin with a real destination,” said Michael Sportouch, Vice President and General Manager, Activision Publishing. “With the launch of Skylanders Swap Force around the corner, it was perfect timing to merge the magical world of Skylands with the beautiful Isle of Skye. We’re sure this partnership is going to spark the imaginations of families whenever they visit the Highlands, but fortunately they don’t have to worry about seeing any Chompies on Earth.”
Councillor Thomas Prag, Chair, The Highland Council’s Planning Environment and Development Committee, commented ‘We’re thrilled to welcome the Skylanders characters to the Highlands. This is an unusual project, as we can’t sign an actual deed of twinning due to the limitations getting paper work to the Skylands. However, we were delighted to see Wash Buckler visiting the Isle of Skye, and hope his visit encourages many more people to look for adventure in the Highlands’.
Skylanders: Swap Force is available now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Wii and Wii U.
Source: Isle of Skye
