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Disney delays "Infinity" gaming initiative until August

US-DISNEY-INFINITY:Disney delays "Infinity" gaming initiative until August

(Reuters) - Walt Disney Co has pushed back the launch date of its new video game and toy initiative known as "Infinity" to August from June, saying it was seeking to capitalize on a more favorable retail season.

Infinity allows users to transport Disney and Pixar characters into on-screen adventures by placing action figures on a flat hexagonal board. It has been described as Disney's answer to Activision Blizzard's "Skylanders", one of last year's top-selling games.

The new launch date will be August 18, John Pleasants, co-president of Disney Interactive, said in a statement.

But the new date will also mean that the division will only be able to profit from the new offering in the fourth quarter instead of the third. The division made a loss in the last year although it returned to a small profit in the latest quarter.

Pleasants told the New York Times that the shift in the launch date would definitely impact the division's goal of achieving profitability for the year but would also allow it to add more bells and whistles.

Disney's "Infinity" concept comes with games inspired by "Monsters University," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Incredibles" franchises. A starter pack with software, the board and three plastic figurines is priced at $75.

(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore and Malathi Nayak in San Francisco; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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