Ubisoft announces Toy Soldiers: War Chest, teddy bears to shoot death rainbows

The first two games in the Toy Soldiers series—which developer Signal Studios recently re-released as a bundle on Steam Early Access—are well-liked action/tower defense hybrids, but remain best-known for their XBLA success. Being published by Microsoft Game Studios will have that effect. For its next game, Signal has found a new home—Ubisoft will publish Toy Soldiers: War Chest, and it'll be a little different.

Aside from coming to more platforms, War Chest won't stick to a single war theme. The gritty Kaiser is still around with his WWI artillery and European dioramas, but the second announced hero, Starbright, is the polar opposite. She's a glittery, "whimsical but dangerous heroine" who commands flying pixies and teddy bears who shoot rainbows out of their chests.

There are two other yet-to-be-announced heroes, and War Chest will also include "more turrets and turret upgrades, more barrages, new game modes and expanded multiplayer and cooperative play," according to Ubisoft. More screens below, and more to come later this week, when we'll have hands-on impressions. Toy Soldiers: War Chest will release next year.

Disclosure amendment: At the time I wrote this article, I was in a relationship with an employee of Ubisoft.

Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the rise of personal computers, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on the early PCs his parents brought home. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, Bushido Blade (yeah, he had Bleem!), and all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now. In 2006, Tyler wrote his first professional review of a videogame: Super Dragon Ball Z for the PS2. He thought it was OK. In 2011, he joined PC Gamer, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.