Crash Bandicoot, Spyro Developer Toys For Bob Is Separating From Activision

Toys For Bob, the Activision studio behind Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Skylanders, has announced that it’s now going independent. All the way back in 2005, Activision acquired Toys For Bob and has since used the studio on a number of different projects. Most recently, Toys For Bob has been a support studio on the Call of Duty series and has worked on many of the latest entries in the series. Now, following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision that resulted in layoffs at Toys For Bob, the studio has revealed it’s going in a new direction. 

In a new message posted to the Toys For Bob website, the company announced that it will now be operating as an independent developer. This means that the studio is no longer part of Activision, and by proxy, Xbox’s own group of first-party developers. That being said, Toys For Bob did reveal that it’s looking to create a new partnership with Microsoft. It’s not known exactly what such a deal will look like, but it might result in Toys For Bob’s next game being published by the tech giant. 

“Over the years, we’ve inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers,” the studio wrote in its announcement. “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,” the message continued. “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.”

While this move is definitely a surprising one, it’s also quite hopeful for the future of Toys For Bob. Many fans of the studio have been dejected in recent years to see that Toys For Bob has become nothing more than a Call of Duty developer at Activision. For the company to now spin out on its own suggests that more projects in the vein of Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot will be coming about down the road. Still, it’s worth noting that because Toys For Bob is now indie, it will no longer be able to work with these properties unless licensing agreements are made with Activision and Microsoft. 

How do you feel about seeing Toys For Bob leave Activision? And what are you hoping to see the studio do next now that it’s on its own? Let me know either down in the comments section or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.