In something of a surprise move, Disney Interactive have announced that they'll be holding a live online streaming show over on YouTube on the 1st March, where they'll reveal what's next for their ever popular toys-to-life game, Disney Infinity 3.0.
Presented by Disney Interactive's John Blackburn, GM of Production, and Toy Box TV host John Vicnocchi, who also doubles as Disney Interactive's VP of Production, it looks like we'll be in for a Nintendo Direct style online newsblast of what's to come for Disney Infinity 3.0. And, before you get too excited, the press release does specifically state "Disney Infinity 3.0" - so it seems there's little chance of a sequel being announced here.
We asked Disney if they could give us any hints as to what sort of things the presentation may be about, or could offer even a tiny little teeny weeny hint, but they were characteristically tight lipped. And so, seeing as 100 words is no length for a news story, we though we'd put our speculation hats on instead!
Two of the main focuses for the show will undoubtedly be the upcoming Marvel Battleground Play Set, which is set to launch on the 25th March, and the only official new figures that we know are coming, Zootopia/Zootropolis' Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, both of which are due for release on the 4th March. What new details will be announced for either the Play Set or the figure remains to be seen, but we're certainly looking forward to hearing more about the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set, which promises to be the first Play Set to offer four player same-console action, and has a distinctly beat 'em up flair - think the accessibility and mayhem of Super Smash Bros, or Dreamcast classic Powerstone and you're probably not too far off.
But of course, two figures and a Play Set probably isn't enough to do an entire broadcast about, so there's probably going to be something more. The internet has been awash with rumours for a few weeks now that another co-op adventure Play Set expansion will be on its way - although what that Play Set will be is still a mystery. Everything from the Muppets to Finding Dory, Alice in Wonderland or the live action Jungle Book have been rumoured online, although most of this is just intelligent speculation, tying the game in with Disney's upcoming cinematic releases.
On the figure front, though, there's a lot more solid information to go on, courtesy of a handy retailer leak. While again, nothing is yet 100% official, a retailer leak a few weeks ago provided us with information about (and handy pics of) five new characters that will most likely be coming to the game - four Marvel, one classic Disney - and one power disc pack. On the Marvel front, the characters are Black Panther, Black Suit Spiderman, Ant Man and Vision, while the Disney classics line-up gets a boost with the addition of the ever jovial Baloo. Perhaps most interestingly, the WiFi icon on the box suggests that at least 5/6 of these characters/packs will require an internet connection to use, as their data will need to be downloaded first, making these characters more than just an unlock code for something that's already on the disc.
Will there be more characters to come? Will we get another Play Set? What about Disney Infinity 4? There's no way to be sure - but our questions will be answered when the Disney Infinity Next broadcast goes live, on YouTube.com/DisneyInfinity at 6 PM GMT on the 1st March. Check back here after the event for a full round-up of what happened!
