Toys for Bob is going indie – Thank God!
Toys for Bob breaks free from Activision and becomes independent
Toys for Bob is a game studio with a strong reputation. They are the studio behind Skylanders, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s about Time. In recent years, the studio has become well known for its high quality remasters. Sadly, Activision has squandered this studio’s talents in recent years by making them a Call of Duty support studio in 2021.
Toys for Bob has now announced that they are spinning off to become an independent game studio. The studio is now in talks about a potential Microsoft partnership, and the studio is free to develop their own games. Personally, I believe that this studio’s talents were wasted as a Call of Duty support studio. For that reason, I am glad that Toys for Bob is now free to do its own thing.
Below is what the studio had to say about going independent.
We’re thrilled to announce that Toys for Bob is spinning off as an independent game development studio!
Over the years, we’ve inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We raised the bar for best-in-class remasters in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. We’ve taken Crash Bandicoot to innovative, critically acclaimed new heights.
With the same enthusiasm and passion, we believe that now is the time to take the studio and our future games to the next level. This opportunity allows us to return to our roots of being a small and nimble studio.
To make this news even more exciting, we’re exploring a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft. And while we’re in the early days of developing our next new game and a ways away from making any announcements, our team is excited to develop new stories, new characters, and new gameplay experiences.
Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.
So, keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news. Thank you to our community of players for always supporting us through our journey. We can’t wait to share updates on our new adventure as an indie studio!
Talk to you soon!
Right now, it is unknown what this studio will do now that it is free from Activision. We know that the studio faced job cuts as part of Microsoft’s layoffs at Xbox and Activision, explaining why the studio may be spinning off. Some believe that the studio is currently working on a new Spyro game. After all, their announcement says to “keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news”. That said, this is far from a confirmation of anything.
Right now, it looks like Toys for Bob wants to maintain a close relationship with Microsoft. This makes sense because of Microsoft’s wealth of dormant IP. Phil Spencer has expressed interest in reviving some of Activision’s dormant franchises. Since the studio is best known for its remakes, the studio has a lot of gain from a partnership with Microsoft.
You can join the discussion on Toys for Bob becoming an independent studio on the OC3D Forums.
