Crash Bandicoot, Spyro Dev is Leaving Activision

29.02.2024 - 20:53 / gamerant.com / John DiCarlo / Toys For Bob

Toys for Bob, the developer behind 2020's Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and 2018's Spyro Reignited Trilogy, has announced that it's leaving Activision and Microsoft and becoming an independent studio. However, Toys for Bob briefly detailed its plans for the future, which might involve a partnership with Activision Blizzard's parent company.

Toys for Bob's reimaginings of the classic franchises were well-received, leading many fans to become hopeful for additional titles from the California-based developer. Previous hints indicate that some sort of Spyro project might be in the works, although it remains unconfirmed whether Toys for Bob is leading its development. The Spyro and Crash Bandicoot franchises are now owned by Microsoft after the company acquired Activision Blizzard last year, so although fans may be disappointed to see Toys for Bob depart Activision, the news might not spell the end for the studio's work on the two classic series.

In Toys for Bob's recent statement, the studio explained that it's currently in talks to enter a partnership with Microsoft. Toys for Bob emphasized that it's becoming an indie studio, so this partnership would presumably be much less restricting than the studio's previous existence underneath the Activision Blizzard umbrella. This deal could see Microsoft publish Toys for Bob's next game, which the studio is «in the early days» of developing. The project will include new stories, characters, and gameplay experiences, according to the statement. While fans might be hopeful that this is a new Spyro game, this possibility remains unconfirmed.

This news comes after Toys for Bob underwent a round of layoffs earlier this month, due to Microsoft's mass restructuring of companies under its ownership. These layoffs affected many other gaming companies, including Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Xbox itself.

Just yesterday on February 28, EA announced it would lay off 670 employees. It is also sunsetting multiple games that were previously released, such as F1 Mobile Racing andMLB Tap Sports. EA's CEO stated that the company would try to move affected employees to new roles instead of letting them go.

Following thousands of layoffs within the gaming industry only a couple of months into 2024, it seems that other developers are going independent or privately owned as well. Earlier today on February 29, Embracer Group announced that it's selling Saber Interactive to private investors for $500 million. Saber is the studio behind the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, which the studio confirmed it's still working on.

Crash Bandicoot 4, otherwise known as Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, is a 2021 release and the long-awaited fourth installment in the mainline