With Skylanders Trap Team, Portal Masters seek out and defeat the most wanted villains in all of Skylands, pulling them out of the game and into living rooms by capturing them in magical Traps. Players can then send villains back into the game where they play as them to fight for good. The game will include the Traptanium PortalTM, a new ring of magical energy that enables kids to not only bring their Skylanders to life, but also magically capture villains using the new Traps. Once they've defeated the villains, kids will be able to place a Trap into the new portal to capture them. They will also be able to hear the villains inside the Traps, an innovation that truly brings life to toys.

This exciting new play pattern also gives players the option to switch between playing as a Skylander hero or a villain at any time, creating fun and unique "tag team" gameplay. In addition, fans can even take their Traps and their Skylanders characters to their friends' houses for fun, co-operative adventures across all console game systems.

Gearshift is the latest character to be unveiled in the Skylanders Trap Team lineup and will be offered to Skylanders fans for pre-order at all major North American retailers while supplies last. This marks the first time fans will be able to get their hands on the Tech element character, months in advance of her official arrival at retail in 2015.

In the game, Gearshift was created on the Tech island of Metallana by King Mercurus, who considered the young robot to be his own daughter.  But rather than performing royal duties, Gearshift preferred to spend her time in the oily depths of the kingdom among its workers, secretly tending to the huge subterranean machines.  When her father discovered this, he was furious - but then a squadron of Undead Stormriders suddenly attacked.  Learning that these marauders wanted to capture her father, Gearshift used her knowledge of the labyrinth below to hide him.  Seizing the emblem of her people - The Great Gear - she used it to fight the Stormriders, inspiring the workers to rise up.  Together, they drove the Stormriders out of Metallana and saved the kingdom.  For this, Gearshift was made part of the Trap Team, using her new awesome Traptanium-forged gear to help defend Skylands.

Only a limited supply of Gearshift will be available for the October 5, 2014 launch of Skylanders Trap Team in North America, so fans are encouraged to pre-order her today to guarantee they can get this highly collectible character at launch!

In Skylanders Trap Team, Kaos continues his ongoing quest to rule over Skylands.  He has discovered the location of the legendary Cloudcracker Prison -- a fortress built entirely out of the magical substance TraptaniumTM and home to Skylands' most nefarious baddies.  In an attempt to build his own army of foes, Kaos blows up the prison, releasing the most wanted villains and blasting shards of Traptanium to Earth in the form of Traps.  Now it's up to Portal Masters to recapture all of the escaped villains using powerful Traptanium Traps and defeat Kaos before it's too late! The new adventure delivers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini-games, activities, platforming and drop-in/drop-out co-op play -- all set within new compelling environments.

Skylanders Trap Team introduces Skylanders heroes known as Trap Masters, brand new Core Skylanders characters and reposed fan-favorite Skylanders characters. The game also features a variety of elementally aligned Traps with unique and interesting designs. With every addition to their Trap Team collection, Portal Masters unlock exciting gameplay possibilities within each level.

Key Features:

• Toys to Life, Life to Toys – Players will experience an exciting new level of Skylanders innovation through the Traptanium Portal, a new ring of magical energy which reverses the magic of the toys to life category by letting players bring digital characters into the physical world. A built-in audio speaker allows players to magically hear the unique voices of the villains travel from the game into the real world Trap, and vice versa.  The Trap also lights up in sync with the villain speaking, adding even more magic to the experience.  If you look closely, you can almost see the villain trying to escape from inside the Trap.
• Two Ways to Play – In Skylanders Trap Team, you can play as a Skylander or capture Skylands’ most wanted foes and unleash them for good. It’s up to Portal Masters to find these villains and capture them inside the new Traps that transport the villains into the real world via the Traptanium Portal.  Once trapped, players can return the villain to Skylands as a playable character. This exciting new play pattern gives fans the option to switch between playing as a Skylander hero or a villain at any time, creating fun and unique “tag team” gameplay.
• Elementally Designed Traps – Themed Trap designs add variety to the collectible Skylanders Trap Team experience.  Each Trap is elementally aligned, letting players capture villains who fall under that element. For instance, when Portal Masters explore the world of Skylands and encounter a water villain, they can insert a water Trap into the Traptanium Portal to capture that villain, as well as bring that villain back into Skylands as a playable character who helps in the fight for good. With each new trap added to their collection, Portal Masters unlock an exciting world of possibilities!  
• New Cast of Characters –A brand new group of Skylanders, known as Trap Masters, lead the charge armed with their oversized crystal weapons in the fight against the most wanted villains and returning nemesis Kaos. The game introduces more than 50 new playable Skylanders heroes, including:
  • New Trap Master Skylanders
  • NewCore Skylanders
  • Reposed, fan-favorite Skylanders
• Exciting New Adventure – Skylanders Trap Team features an all new adventure-filled story with fun and interesting new characters as well as returning franchise favorites.  The game delivers a diverse and dynamic, story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities, platforming, and drop-in/drop-out co-op play -- all set within a variety of new compelling environments.  With each new addition to their Trap Team collection, Portal Masters unlock exciting new gameplay possibilities within each level. Seasoned fans can play Skylanders Trap Team with their entire collection of 175 forward compatible characters from Skylanders SWAP Force, Skylanders Giants and Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.