Invizimals

Lore & Background

The Invizimals franchise began in 2009 with a PlayStation Portable augmented reality video game developed by Novarama and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It is a collectible creature game that was bundled with the PSP's camera attachment. Sequels followed: Invizimals: Shadow Zone (released 12 November 2010 in Europe, 25 October 2011 in North America), Invizimals: The Lost Tribes (November 2011 in Europe, September 2014 in North America), and later titles for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, including Invizimals: The Alliance and Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom, both released on 30 October 2013 in Europe. Invizimals: The Resistance was released on 29 October 2014 in Europe and 26 May 2015 in North America. Several mobile games were also produced, such as Invizimals: Hidden Challenges, Invizimals: TV Tracker, Invizimals: New Alliance, Invizimals: Revolution, and Invizimals: Battle of the Hunters.

In September 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced a 26-episode computer animated series produced by BRB International, created by BRB's Screen21 division and Novarama. It billed itself as the first augmented-reality cartoon TV series, featuring on-screen scannable markers that unlock content in Invizimals: The Alliance and the Invizimals: TV Tracker app. The series launched in Spain on 6 December 2013 with a television movie, followed by a second TV movie. Regular episodes began airing in Spain in late 2014. The series had its English television debut in Australia in December 2013, and later became available on Netflix in several countries under the name Invizimals: The Alliance Files. It has been dubbed into numerous languages for broadcast worldwide.

Merchandise includes collectible figurines by Comansi (2010), sticker albums and trading cards by Panini (2010), and school supplies by Safta. Panini's Hidden Challenges trading card range launched in early 2013 alongside a multi-platform app; within two weeks it surpassed 100,000 downloads in Spain and Portugal, and by September 2013, 10 million cards were sold with downloads topping 500,000. IMC Toys acquired the global master license for toys in 2013, with figurines scannable into the Invizimals: Revolution app.

Reader's Guide

The Invizimals franchise is significant as an early example of augmented reality gaming on handheld consoles, leveraging the PSP's camera attachment to blend digital creatures with the real world. Its transmedia expansion into toys, trading cards, comics, and an animated series demonstrates Sony Interactive Entertainment's effort to build a cohesive brand across multiple media. The animated series was notably marketed as the first augmented-reality cartoon, with scannable markers that interacted with the video games and mobile apps. Merchandise sales were substantial: as of October 2014, Panini had sold 44 million sticker packs and 31 million trading cards in Europe. The franchise's legacy lies in its pioneering use of AR technology in a family-friendly collectible creature format, predating later mobile AR hits. It also illustrates the challenges of region-specific releases, with some games and the animated series launching in Europe months or years before North American availability.

Did You Know?

• The Invizimals animated series billed itself as the first augmented-reality cartoon TV series, with on-screen markers that unlocked content in the games.
• Panini's Hidden Challenges trading card app surpassed 100,000 downloads in Spain and Portugal within two weeks of its early 2013 launch.
• The series was dubbed into at least 16 languages for broadcast worldwide, including Arabic, Japanese, and Russian.