Toys for Bob (Crash Bandicoot 4, Spyro) leaves Activision-Microsoft and goes “indie”

Toys for Bob (Crash Bandicoot 4, Spyro Trilogy) is leaving Activision and Microsoft to become an independent studio: they are returning to their “indie” roots.

Toys for Bobstudio with a 30-year history, part of Aktivizhn They’ve been one of the smallest but best-loved teams since 2005, signing titles such as Skylanders, the 2018 remake of Spyro and the acclaimed Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.

Since Microsoft’s purchase by Activision Blizzard, it has been one of the studios hit hardest by layoffs. Of the 1,900 employees killed, 35 from Toys for Bob.which decimated the team as it was left with only 50 people who had to leave their offices and work remotely.

But this opens a new page in the history of toys for Bob… that they will be independent. They will no longer be owned by Activision Blizzard (and therefore Microsoft), as the statement explains.

“We’re going indie! Toys for Bob Celebrate”

The details of how Toys for Bob “escaped” (whether they financed their own purchase, as Gearbox believed) are unknown, but they did not break ties with Microsoft.

Although they are independent and have more freedom, they are learning partnership with Microsoft.

“Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction, and we are confident that we will continue to work closely together as we move forward.“

They say that the presentation of their new game, which they are already working on, is still a long way off, but it is clear that it will not be something related to Crash or Spyro, but rather a new IP, now that “They have returned to their roots as a small and flexible studio.“.

“Over the years, we have brought love, joy and laughter to the inner child of every gamer. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We’re raising the bar with best-in-class Spyro Reignit Trilogy remasters. We’ve taken Crash Bandicoot to new, innovative and critically acclaimed heights.“

But this is good news for two reasons. The main one was that there was a serious fear of the closure of the studio, which was very small and vulnerable. Another… what Escape from Activisionwhere have you worked since 2021 Call of Duty satellite studio, depriving us of the talent of this studio. We can’t wait to see what they come up with! Toys for Bob!