Angry Birds Star Wars 2 announced, includes Skylanders-style scannable toys
UPDATE: Figurines simply contain QR codes.
UPDATE# 2 Angry Birds Star Wars 2's scannable figurines will simply be based on QR codes.
Kotaku got a sneak peek at the figurines at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, where it revealed that the bottoms of each figurine contian a tiny QR code enlarged by a magnetic base. As a result, there's nothing stopping people from scanning, distributing, and printing these codes. Of course, figurines are cooler than little slips of paper with lots of black squares, but simply getting their extra content will likely be achievable without shelling out extra cash.
UPDATE: Just days after the announcement of Angry Birds Star Wars 2, developer Rovio has announced a boxed PC and console release for the game's galactic predecessor.
The original Angry Birds Star Wars will arrive on 3DS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U and Xbox 360 on 29th October. That's a Tuesday, the day games are launched in the US, which suggests European shops will see it home to roost three days later (1st November).
ORIGINAL STORY: Angry Birds developer Rovio has announced a sequel to its best-selling Angry Birds Star Wars app which will implement scannable figurines.
Angry Birds Star Wars 2 is the first in the series to work with the Skylanders and Disney Infinity-style figures, named Telepods, which come in a range of new characters. You can teleport them in by holding them up to your device's camera.
The game focuses on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, as highlighted in the trailer below. It features feathered versions of Jar-Jar, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan MacGregor-era Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul.
Maul has a double-edged lightsaber, while the bird version of Mace Windu has a spinning purple blade.
Angry Birds Star Wars 2 is due to launch for iPhone and iPad on 19th September.