Infinity Blade  developer Chair Entertainment has announced a partnership with 3D printing and software development firm Sandboxr, giving fans the ability to generate their own customised Infinity Blade characters.

By using Sandboxr's 3D printing process, Infinity Blade III players will be able to design, print, and order their own unique statues from directly within the game's interface.

While Infinity Blade III might be the first game to allow gamers to 3D print their own collectables, it certainly wont be the last.

Indeed, with companies such as Things3D, which was founded by former Chillingo men Joe Wee and Chris Byatte, and Toyze, GetJar CEO Ilja Laurs' latest venture, also aiming to up dev revenue with their own brand of smart 3D printing, it would appear that the dawn of customisable collectables is well and truly upon us.

Colour, black & white, or 3D?

ChAIR co-founder and creative director, Donald Mustard, is another man who believes 3D printing is about to take flight.

"The ability to take something from the virtual world, customise it, and push a button to transform it into the physical world is magic," explained Mustard.

"We're excited to introduce collectibles that allow fans to create what they decide is the ultimate expression of their character. We can’t wait to see all of their amazing Infinity Blade  creations." 

TJ Young, Sandboxr's co-founder and president, has explained that Infinity Blade's  enormous brand power, combined with its highly customisable character interface, makes the franchise the perfect fit for his platform.

“With its focus on customisation and strong characters, Infinity Blade  is the perfect fit for our platform and is the ideal partner to launch the first in-game 3D printing experience,” said Young.

“With our proprietary software, state-of-the-art 3D printing facility and Infinity Blade’s customizable interface, there’s no limit to what fans can create.”