'Skylanders' Could Have Been a Nintendo Exclusive, and the Decision Behind Using Spyro

If you've ever played a Skylanders title and thought, "Boy, this seems like it's perfectly suited for Nintendo," well, you're not too far off.

In a fascinating profile on Skylanders studio Toys for Bob and the journey that brought the game/toy crossover craze to life, the developers revealed to Polygon that their initial plan was for the game to be a Nintendo exclusive.

"We had been directed towards thinking about something that would play well with Nintendo," TfB co-founder Fred Ford told Polygon. "I think there was some co-marketing money and the Wii was doing well. They had some success with peripherals."

But Nintendo surprisingly turned their nose up at the idea, despite the fact that the funny and cartoonish nature of Skylanders is right up Nintendo's alley.

"They spent a long time looking and looking," TfB co-founder Paul Reiche said. "They were just like 'we have never seen anything like this before.' I've always wondered about the full meaning of that comment [laughs]."

As far as why exactly Nintendo turned down the eventual cash cow?

"We have no idea why," Reiche said. "Clearly, they have got properties well suited to this world. Why it is that they didn't rush in here will probably haunt them for the rest of their days."

Reiche also shared a candid comment about his surprise that Nintendo didn't jump on their own Skylanders clone like Disney did with Disney Infinity.

"Nintendo could have kicked Disney's ass," he said. "If I was running Nintendo I would have jumped on this."

Man, can you imagine Mario being a Skylander figure? Or Link? Or (gulp), the entire Pokémon franchise? That would have been insane. You want to talk about a Wii U system seller, that would've been it right there.

Also interesting was some info about Spyro's inclusion in the game, which was a move made to give the game a recognizable brand right away.

"It was a foot in the door for the press and for consumers because it was something that they could relate to," Reiche said. "Spyro's world also defined a level of humor and silliness that was part of what Skylanders stands for. Spyro gave us that."

The whole profile is fascinating, and what I quoted here only begins to scratch the surface of the journey that Skylanders took to video game superstardom. Definitely read the full profile over at Polygon, and let us know your dream Skylanders/Nintendo crossover in the comments.