Fans who already own Disney Infinity and want to play Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) can now purchase and download the Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) console video game and immediately unlock the all-new Toy Box 2.0!

After downloading, players can use the Disney Infinity base, figures and Power Discs that they already own with the new and enhanced Toy Box, without having to purchase a new Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) Starter Pack. To expand the experience, players can purchase The Avengers, Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy Play Sets, as well as all other available Marvel and Disney Originals figures from the Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) lineup.

For a limited time and while supplies last, both Disney Toy Box Games Discs – Stitch’s Tropical Rescue and Brave Forest Siege – will be available at no additional cost to those who digitally download Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition). Please visit the Disney Infinity website to claim the Toy Box Game Discs after downloading the Toy Box.

The download will be available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on PlayStation Network, Xbox 360 on Xbox Store and Wii U on the Nintendo eShop for a suggested retail price of $29.99. For a limited time, the download will be offered on PlayStation Network and the Nintendo eShop for an introductory suggested retail price of $19.99.

In celebration of Halloween, the Disney Infinity team at Avalanche Software created new spooky screenshots featuring soon-to-be released Disney Originals characters set in a variety of haunted Toy Boxes. The image above showcases Merida, Jasmine and Hiro dodging ghostly ghouls in Halloween Town, the iconic home of Jack Skellington in “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Additionally, fans can download the top five winners of the “Haunted Mansion Challenge” for Toy Box creations that best capture the spirit of one of the most popular Disney theme park attractions. Check out the latest episode of “Disney Infinity Toy Box TV” for a look at the winning submissions:

“Haunted Mansion” Toy Box Descriptions are below:

• Lord Nochi, A Halloween Tale: Lord Nocchi was an old scientist who loved pumpkins. One day there was an accident in his mansion while experimenting with pumpkins and he disappeared… It is Halloween and you must check how much truth there is to this story. Created by
• Mystery of the Haunted Mansion: Deep in the bayou lies an old mansion. Explore it to find why children are missing from the local village. Find tomes and chests to help. Inspired by the original Haunted Mansion ride script.Created by
• Haunted Manor: A princess is locked in a haunted manor. Are you brave enough to help her? Created by xdsmmatx.
• Doom Buggy Bash: Race your way through the Haunted Mansion, but make sure no hitchhiking ghost beats you to the finish. Created by
• Foolish Mortals: Join your favorite ghosts and stop Oogie Boogie from taking over the world. Hunt pumpkins, solve puzzles and stop Oogie’s army. Created by CCRunner.

Download instructions:

• Select “Community Content” from the Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) Main Menu
• Select “Disney’s Toy Boxes”
• Select “Developer Picks”
• There will be a list of all the featured Toy Boxes for players to download. Select any of the “Haunted Mansion Challenge” winners listed above to access the Halloween-themed Toy Boxes

Earlier this month, Disney Interactive and Disney Consumer Products partnered to host their first ever Hack Days event at office locations around the world. A tech industry tradition, Hack Days encourage employees to think outside of their daily scope to come up with original ideas, pitches and business solutions before presenting them to leaders from the company.

Our teams spent the day creating hacks focused on the theme of connecting the physical and digital worlds, using a variety of platforms and technologies including Oculus VR, beacons and 3D printers. More than 350 employees put together 45 hacks which were presented at the Hack Day Showcase and submitted for patent review. The top teams then had the chance to share their projects with Disney Interactive and Disney Consumer Products Presidents Jimmy Pitaro and Bob Chapek who selected the winning ideas to go into the production pipeline.

Hack Days is part of Tech Days at Disney, a week-long series of tech seminars, workshops and panels to bring together the tech community from across The Walt Disney Company. Twice a year, Disney Interactive invites internal and external leaders to speak to our community of developers, engineers and managers. Check out some of our favorite photos from Hack Days and Tech Days below:

Oculus Head of Platform Jason Holtman introduced Tech Days attendees to the Oculus platform.

DI and DCP Chief Technology Officer Mike White welcomes the teams to Hack Days.

Teams created hacks that merged the physical and digital worlds.

Teams used all types of physical and digital Disney platforms like Vinylmation, Disney Infinity bases and the Mobile network to create original hacks.

Extra Life 2014, an annual video game event where thousands of gamers unite to raise funds for local children’s hospitals, is happening on October 25, 2014 and Disney Infinity needs your help!  This year, we’re asking our community members, families, fans and employees to team up, play games, heal kids and be a hero.  There are a few ways you can support the children in your community:

Join the Disney Infinity Team

Join the Disney Infinity community of fans, families and employees by signing-up for Disney Infinity Extra Life team at www.extra-life.org/team/disneyinfinity. Remember to invite your friends and family to participate and spend October 25 playing Disney Infinity and your other favorite games to help your local children’s hospital.
 
24-Hour Toy Box Blitz Challenge

As a special treat for everyone playing at home on October 25, we’re offering a special 24-hour Toy Box blitz challenge to help inspire your day of play! Check the Disney Infinity website on October 25 at 8:00 a.m. PST to find out the challenge theme. The challenge will close on October 26 at 8:00 a.m. PST and winners will be announced on an upcoming episode of Toy Box TV.
 
Disney Infinity’s Extra Life Fall Family Fun Day

But that’s not all! To celebrate Extra Life, we’re inviting Los Angeles-based community members to our headquarters in Glendale, CA for a family fun kick-off event! On October 25 from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., we’ll be playing Disney Infinity, building Toy Boxes, making cards for kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, trading Power Discs and more! You can even try out your halloween costume and enter the costume contest dressed as your favorite Disney Infinity character!  After joining the Disney Infinity Extra Life team, you’ll receive special instructions to RSVP for the event.
 
Disney Infinity Livestream on Twitch

If you’ll be participating in Extra Life from home, make sure to tune into Twitch for a special Disney Infinity livestream on October 25.  Join John Vignocchi, Allison Petrek and the rest of the Disney Infinity team as we broadcast live from the Fall Family Fun Day from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. PST on www.twitch.tv/disney. 

- Disney Infinity Team

With the launch of Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) next week, I want to share some exciting news about the digital option for existing console players of Disney Infinity. 

You may remember that during our announcement event for the 2.0 edition of the game in April, we revealed that the Disney Infinity base from the first version of the game will be compatible with this year’s version. Our thinking was simple: We’ve completely re-tooled the best aspects of the game, with a huge emphasis on the Toy Box mode. For those of you who have been fans since the beginning and spend most of your time building in the Toy Box, we wanted to make it easy for you to enjoy the 2.0 Edition experience, without having to purchase a new Starter Pack.

Starting on November 4, fans will have the option to digitally download Toy Box 2.0 on their PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Wii U systems and utilize their existing Disney Infinity base, along with all figures and Power Discs from the first edition in this all-new Toy Box. The download will be available on PlayStation Network, Xbox Store and the Nintendo eShop with a suggested retail price of $29.99. For a limited time, the download will be offered on PlayStation Network and the Nintendo eShop for an introductory suggested retail price of $19.99.  

We’re launching this digital option on November 4 because that’s when all 2.0 Edition Play Sets will be available for individual purchase. It’s also when the Disney Originals series becomes available, significantly expanding the 2.0 character roster, so we believe this is the best timing for the a la carte consumer.

There will also be a special offer for players in North America: anyone who purchases a digital download of Toy Box 2.0 will receive both Disney Toy Box Game Discs (Stitch’s Tropical Rescue and Brave Forest Siege) at no additional cost for the discs. This offer will be available for a limited time, while supplies last. We will share additional details on this program as we get closer to launch of the digital download in November. 

What does this mean for parents and gamers? It means the ability to pick and choose whatever combination of figures and Play Sets their heart desires and endless possibilities in how they want to play Disney Infinity. For example, if players own the first edition but are only interested in Toy Box 2.0 and adding Rocket Raccoon and Stitch to their collection, the digital download would be for them!

While most people will likely choose one of the retail Starter Packs to begin their 2.0 Edition experience, it was important to us to keep Disney Infinity infinite and satisfy every combination possible with a wider set of options for the holiday season.

We are unbelievably excited for you to get your hands on the next edition of Disney Infinity and can’t wait to see what worlds you create!

This morning we received word that The Empire is holding strong in the Galactic Civil War against Rebel Forces in Star Wars: Commander. Five million players globally are now engaged in the epic battle, with Imperial forces gaining ground quickly. Below is an infographic recovered from Bothan spies that details troop deployment and battle statistics (a high-res version of the image can be found here).

Highlights from the intercept include:

• Five million players have now joined the war (downloaded Star Wars: Commander since its launch on August 21).
• With more than 57 percent of its players representing the Empire, Russia is one of the strongest Empire strongholds. Other nations that have fallen to the Emperor include Austria, Germany, Finland and the Ukraine.
• India stands out as a strong member of the Rebel Alliance, as are most countries across South America and Africa.
• The United States is nearly unanimous in its following of the Dark Side, with the single exception of North Dakota. The force is strong in North Dakota.
• Half a billion troops have been deployed across both factions.

We love trying out new apps at Disney Interactive!  Check out what happens when we take Hyperlapse for a spin around campus.

Earlier today, Disney Interactive President Jimmy Pitaro participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Disney Interactive VP of Technology Steve Makofsky challenged Jimmy who in return named his wife, actress Jean Louisa Kelly, ESPN President John Skipper and ABC Co-President Ben Sherwood to take the challenge as well.  Check it out above!

Disney Interactive and Little Orbit, a worldwide video game publisher, today announced Violetta: Rhythm & Music based on the hugely successful tween telenovela from Disney Channel Latin America, Violetta.  The musical rhythm game will immerse players into Violetta’s star-studded world playing as Violetta and performing hits from the hit television show.  The game will launch in Europe, Australasia and Latin America for Nintendo Wii, 3DS and DS later this year.

Featuring hit songs from the show’s star Martina Stoessel, players will experience all the excitement of a star performer with creative rhythm games based on both song writing and performing.  Kids can play along to music videos on the Wii and 3DS platforms and as Violetta on the DS.  Violetta fans will put their knowledge to the test with creative quiz questions from the entire Violetta universe!

Today we’re releasing Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon for iOS, Android and Windows Devices.  With a completely original storyline inspired by the film in theaters August 1st, Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon is a sci-fi action role-playing game that takes the Guardians and their allies on an intergalactic adventure to recover the five pieces of The Universal Weapon!

Players will initially take on the role of Star-Lord as he rallies his rag-tag crew—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon with a quick draw and an even quicker temper; Groot, the tree-like humanoid who packs a punch; the deadly and enigmatic assassin, Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer through galactic locations and real-time strategic combat. Marvel fans will recruit and train additional heroes, engage in gesture-based team combat, and unlock each piece of the story to unveil the identity of the Guardians’ shadowy nemesis.

In Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon players will be able to:

• Build a team of Guardians and their allies while directing them in gesture-based real-time battles
• Go head to head with a roster of villains like Korath, Nebula, and Ronan
• Unlock an original story inspired by the film and reveal the identity of the Guardians’ shadowy nemesis
• Dive into 6 inter-galactic worlds with more than 60 unique levels at launch
• Play through the story in Battle Mode then switch up their team for battle in Arena Mode

Players can start building their galactic adventure by downloading the game for $4.99 from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows Phone Store and for $7.99 on the Windows Store.  The game will be launching on the Amazon App Store soon.