After releasing new installments every year since its 2011 debut, toys-to-life pioneer Skylanders is taking the year off. Announced during Activision's 4th quarter 2016 financial results conference call, Skylanders is sticking to new toys and digital content for 2017.

Skylanders: Imaginators puts a lot of stock in letting players create their own characters, but they're only half the battle. The new sensei characters are here to guide freshly-crafted Skylanders on their way. We've got the first 17 or so, plus one of the special 3D printed figures. Check them out!

The idea was to show folks a quick five minute video of the character creation process in Skylanders: Imaginators. What I ended up is a nearly 20 minute testament to how deep and compelling this year's gimmick turned out.

After a bit of a stumble with last year's Superchargers, Skylanders is back and ready to go toe-to-toe with Disney Infinity in the creativity side of the toys-to-life battle. Had the competition not folded, Imaginators would have given it a run for its money.

The latest instalment of Activision's toys-to-life series series allows players to create their own Skylanders characters. Thanks to a mobile app launching alongside the game later this month, they will also be able to make 3D printed figures, playable trading cards and t-shirts featuring their creations.

At E3 2016, Activision revealed that one-time Sony mascot character Crash Bandicoot would be appearing in Skylanders Imaginators this spring. Announced during Gamescom, Crash is also bringing his best enemy along for the ride, along with an entire level set in the Wumpa Islands.

While a trio of remasters and a Skylanders cameo isn't quite the Crash Bandicoot revival fans were hoping for, it's a promising new beginning. And hey, new toy.

While Skylanders Imaginators is all about creating your own custom characters, they'd be nothing with Sensei characters to show them the way and give Activision new figures to sell. We'll be seeing a lot of new faces during E3 this week, including Ember, the fire-based Sensei of the Sentinel class.

Earlier this week Activision introduced Skylanders Imaginators, a game where players can make any character they wish, with a child's drawing of a character named Plunder Fist. Some commenters were concerned that they did not include an in-game image of Plunder Fist, so I asked them to make one.