tech:

taffy

Skylanders Franchise Crosses $500M+ In Sales

skylanders

[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

The Skylanders franchise has crossed $500 million in retail sales in the U.S., according to data from the NPD Group.

Skylanders Giants, the sequel to Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure generated more than $195 million in U.S. sales, inclusive of accessory packs and figures, in 2012, says Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.

Joshua Taub ( Vice president, Product Management, Activision Publishing): Just a year ago, the concept of bringing toys to life in a virtual world was an untested play pattern that Activision and Toys For Bob believed in. Now the category has been established in the market and embraced by parents and kids everywhere.

The Skylanders franchise is supported by a licensing program that includes more than 120 licensees worldwide.

Skylanders Giants is developed by Toys For Bob, an Activision studio located in Novato, California.

Just in

Apple sued in a landmark iPhone monopoly lawsuit — CNN

The US Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday, accusing the giant company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market, writes Brian Fung, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez.

Google is bringing satellite messaging to Android 15 — The Verge

Google’s second developer preview for Android 15 has arrived, bringing long-awaited support for satellite connectivity alongside several improvements to contactless payments, multi-language recognition, volume consistency, and interaction with PDFs via apps, writes Jess Weatherbed. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is paid more than the heads of Meta, Pinterest, and Snap — combined — QZ

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman has been blasted by Redditors and in media reports over his recently-revealed, super-sized pay package of $193 million in 2023, writes Laura Bratton. 

British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft — BBC

Microsoft has announced British Artificial Intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly-formed division, Microsoft AI, according to the BBC report. 

UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack — CNBC

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, writes Ashley Capoot.