Invizimals
Augmented reality franchise spanning games, toys, and animation.
Invizimals is an augmented reality franchise from developer Novarama, owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It started in 2009 with a PlayStation Portable game and grew to include toys, trading cards, comics, and an animated series, all telling a connected story across different media.
The first game, *Invizimals*, was a collectible creature title for the PSP that came bundled with the system’s camera attachment. Its sequel, *Invizimals: Shadow Zone*, also required the camera and included a trap card for play, though a printed replacement worked. *Invizimals: The Lost Tribes* followed, continuing the same gameplay style. On the PlayStation Vita, *Invizimals: The Alliance* offered cross-play with the PlayStation 3 title *Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom*, both released on the same day in Europe. *Invizimals: The Resistance* came later for the Vita. Several mobile games were also released, including *Hidden Challenges*, *TV Tracker*, *New Alliance*, *Revolution*, and *Battle of the Hunters*.
In 2012, Sony announced a 26-episode computer-animated series produced by BRB International. Created by BRB’s Screen21 division and Novarama, with North American writers and animation from China, it was promoted as the first augmented-reality cartoon, featuring on-screen markers that unlocked content in the Vita game and a mobile app. The series launched in Spain in December 2013 with a TV movie, followed by a second movie. These were later split into six episodes for reruns. Regular episodes began airing in late 2014, with the final 13 episodes starting in November 2015. The series debuted in English on Australian television in December 2013, with later episodes airing through 2016. It became available on Netflix in several countries in July 2015 under the title *Invizimals: The Alliance Files*, and aired on Primo TV in the US from January 2017. The show was dubbed into many languages for broadcast worldwide.
Merchandise launched across Europe starting in 2010. Spanish toy company Comansi produced collectible figurines, Panini released sticker albums and trading cards in Spain and Portugal, Edibas Collection made cards and figures in Italy, and Safta created school supplies for the Iberian market. Panini later added augmented reality features to its cards, and after selling over six million units, licensed the brand across Europe. From 2011 to 2016, Panini published a 3
- first_release
- 2009
- developer
- Novarama
- publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
- platforms
- PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, iOS, Android
- genre
- Augmented reality, collectible creature
- notable_media
- Video games, animated series, trading cards, toys
Quick Facts
- Title
- Invizimals
- Platforms
- PlayStation Portable / PlayStation 3 / PlayStation Vita / iOS / Android
- Developer
- Novarama / Magenta Software
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre
- Action
- First Release Date
- EU · 13 November 2009 · NA · 10 October 2010
- Latest Release Version
- Invizimals: Battle of the Hunters
- Latest Release Date
- WW · 22 January 2016
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Invizimals franchise launched in 2009 with an augmented reality game for the PlayStation Portable, bundled with the PSP's camera attachment. Players captured invisible creatures using the camera, blending real-world environments with digital gameplay. Sequels followed: Invizimals: Shadow Zone (2010), Invizimals: The Lost Tribes (2011), and later titles for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, including Invizimals: The Alliance and Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom (both 2013), and Invizimals: The Resistance (2014).
Reader's Guide
The franchise expanded beyond video games into a transmedia ecosystem. In 2012, a 26-episode computer-animated series was announced, produced by BRB International and Novarama. It debuted in Spain in December 2013 with a TV movie, followed by regular episodes in 2014. The series billed itself as the first augmented-reality cartoon, featuring scannable markers that unlocked content in games and apps. Merchandising included collectible figurines by Comansi (2010), sticker albums and trading cards by Panini (2010–2016), and toys by IMC Toys (2013). Panini's Hidden Challenges trading card line, launched in 2013, integrated with an app that allowed augmented reality battles, surpassing 100,000 downloads in Spain and Portugal within two weeks. By October 2014, Panini had sold 44 million sticker packs and 31 million trading cards in Europe. The franchise's significance lies in its early adoption of augmented reality across multiple media, predating mainstream AR hits like Pokémon Go.
Did You Know?
- The animated series was billed as the first augmented-reality cartoon TV series, with on-screen markers that unlocked content in games and apps.
- Panini's Hidden Challenges trading card app surpassed 100,000 downloads in Spain and Portugal within two weeks of its 2013 launch.
- As of October 2014, Panini had sold 44 million sticker packs and 31 million Invizimals trading cards in Europe.
- The series has been dubbed into 18 languages including Arabic, Japanese, and Russian for broadcast worldwide.
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