The 
Skylanders are quickly becoming one of Activision’s most valuable franchises.
As part of its earnings call yesterday, Activision noted that the franchise has crossed $2 billion in worldwide sales – a mark no series put out by an independent publisher has ever hit that quickly. But that was just the first of the records.
Sonic 
the Hedgehog has been running at a frenetic pace for 23 years, but over the past few, he’s lost some steam. Gamers have grown weary of the same old, same old style of play and familiar characters, not to mention the inconsistent quality. You just never know what the blue blur will bring to the table anymore.
Actually, now we do. In 2014, Sega’s hoping to re-energize its most iconic franchise by taking Sonic in a new direction.
Ice-T 
may be O.G., but not when it comes to D&D.
In a recent podcast we can’t offer a link to because the language is WAY too salty for a nice family audience, the rapper/TV star describes a recent job where he was hired to voice an audiobook.
For 
a game that was used in a tournament in 1990, Nintendo World Championships sure is popular these days.
Copies of the ultra-rare title have been popping up regularly on eBay and commanding eye-popping prices. The question is: Are any of the bids legitimate?
Franklin 
Wright has been inventing games most of his short life, but in the near future, the rest of the world will get a chance to play one. The 8-year-old’s board game — Conveyer Belt — will be published and distributed nationally later this year.
Franklin was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 National Young Game Inventor’s Contest, which challenges kids from 5-12 to come up with their own game. Franklin bested 180 other entries to nab the honor, which yielded a $10,000 college savings bond, a $200 Toys R Us gift card and a trip to University Games, which will distribute Conveyor Belt.
Arthur 
Chu might be the most controversial champion in Jeopardy! history.
Chu’s on a winning streak these days, due in part to his encyclopedic knowledge of all things trivial. But he owes a pretty big debt to ‘game theory’ as well.
It 
might feel like Virtual Reality has been a part of our vocabulary forever, but the term didn’t really emerge until 1987. That’s when writer and computer scientist Jaron Lanier popularized the phrase, giving birth to an industry that wasn’t quite ready for prime time, but stirred imaginations everywhere.
Today, excitement over VR is booming, as some promising technologies get closer to retail release. It was a long road to get to this point, though, and success is still far from a guarantee. Here are a few of the significant milestones virtual reality has already faced in its relatively short life.
Nintendo 
owns one of the most enviable stable of characters in the video game world, but no one is envying the sad state of the company’s flagship Wii U home console.
In response to significant losses and frustrated shareholders, the company that has created so many icons says it might be open to buying others — or perhaps even merging its portfolio with someone else.
Nintendo 
hit pay dirt with health-focused games like Wii Fit and Brain Age, but those titles were apparently just the start of a much bigger plan.
During a financial briefing in Japan Thursday night, the struggling game maker announced plans to create a new platform centered around ‘non-wearable’ health monitoring.
Namaste, 
Dungeon Master.
There are plenty of activities planned to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons, but this might just be the weirdest.
Chris Morris: Journalist 