Pacific Magazines has paired up with global entertainment business Activision to give kids magazine K-Zone an augmented reality (AR) kick, with a new Skylander AR app that turns the magazine’s cover into a live game.

“Bringing the cover to life is not only a first for our brand, or Pacific – it’s a first for any Australian magazine,” Pacific Magazines publisher Helen Morassut said.

“Together with a wonderful partner in Activision we are breaking new ground – and enjoying the ride.”

Skylanders is a global kids gaming phenomenon with a history of breaking new territory, launching the lucrative Toys to Life category in 2011 with the Skylanders Battlecast cards and Augmented Reality game the latest evolution of the brand. The K-Zone special execution coincides with the release of the Skylanders Battlecast game launching April 14.

“The Skylanders brand is all about innovation and we’re really excited to partner with a market-leading innovator like K-Zone to launch Skylanders Battlecast and bring the K-Zone cover to life,” Activision senior brand manager Kathryn Roberts said.

The May issue of K-Zone will include a ‘Skylanders Battlecast Cards to Life’ card printed on its cover as well as a covermounted Skylanders Battlecast card. Users simply download the free Skylanders Battlecast app and scan the K-Zone cover to make the characters come to life and battle each other in real time.

Pacific Magazines will support this first with in-magazine and digital promotion in addition to newsagent point-of-sale, which invites kids to trial the technology and show how – in real time – the cover comes to life. The May issue of K-Zone also includes a free LEGO Star Wars gift with purchase.

Editor-in-chief of youth titles Daniel Findlay added, “Our Skylander obsessed readers are going to love this execution and we’re really excited to create something special with a valued partner like Activision.