Any parent of a video game-loving kid will tell you how insidious the Skylanders business model is. “Now you have the game,  you’re gonna wanna get EVERY DAMN FIGURE FOR AN ADDITIONAL $14.” Now it’s coming to tablets. It’s not a bad game, but it makes in-app purchases look like petty thievery compared to the mafia.

I wonder how well the Skylanders franchise will continue to do now that Disney (with all its associated Marvel characters) has gotten into the racket. The key seems to be owning the characters kids want. Skylanders can make them integral to the game, but Disney can make them integral to the game and give them collector value. Sure, you have Iron Man, but do you have Silver Centurion armor edition Iron Man? Given that, it might be a good model for Nintendo to try.

ADDED: Turns out they are. (Via Caleb Peters)