70 percent of parents in the U.S. are familiar with Interactive Gaming Toys and are increasingly seeing the toys as positive investments.

April 6, 2018

2 Min Read

70 percent of parents in the U.S. are familiar with Interactive Gaming Toys (also known as toys-to-life) and are increasingly seeing the toys as positive investments, according to a new study by The NPD Group.

Forty percent of parents stated that they own at least one franchise, and 41 percent of those who own an IGT indicated that they own more than one franchise.

In the past six months, parents estimate that they have spent an average of $131 on IGT games and characters such as “Skylanders,” “Disney Infinity” and “Nintendo Amiibo.”

The perception of this investment is very positive compared to other types of toys or video games, with 77 percent saying it was definitely or probably worth the investment. Two-thirds of parents say that they are extremely or very likely to purchase a new IGT game (65 percent) or a new IGT character (67 percent) in the next six months.

“This study shows that consumers are moving franchises, but not abandoning the category,” says Liam Callahan, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “It bodes well for the overall health of the space, especially for new entrants, as it shows consumers are willing to try new franchises.”

And new companies are entering the IGT arena every day including the LEGO Group with its upcoming Dimensions platform and Disney, which launched a whole new take on the genre called Playmation just last week.

Additionally, Smartrac has opened a Tap and Play Global Experience Center in Tampere, Finland, the home of "Angry Birds."

Partnered with industry leading partners like Cartamundi, NXP Semiconductors and Twinsprite, the facility is a global knowledge center dedicated to the use of near-field communication technology in mobile gaming. 

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