What you need to know
- Toys for Bob, one of the studios under Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard, is going independent.
- Best known for working on games like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the team has primarily worked in a support role on Call of Duty for the past few years.
- While the team is going independent, the company is exploring a partnership with Microsoft.
Another studio is breaking away from its parent company.
Microsoft's Activision studio Toys for Bob, best known for working on games like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy as well as providing support on the Call of Duty franchise, is breaking away as an independent studio, as shared by the studio's leadership on Thursday.
"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," write chief creative officer Paul Yan and studio head Avery Lodato.
"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."
As layoffs continue, some studios are going independent
The start of 2024 has been brutal for workers in the gaming industry, with several thousand laid off just two months in to the year, including across Microsoft, which was primarily focused on Activision Blizzard, Sony-owned PlayStation, Electronic Arts, and many more.
Amid the layoffs, a handful of companies now seem to be going independent or finding private ownership. Earlier on Thursday, a report broke indicating that Embracer Group was selling Saber Interactive to private investors in a deal worth $500 million.
Analysis: A surprising turn of events, but I'm hopeful for the future
I'm definitely surprised to see Toys for Bob breaking away on its own right now, but this is certainly a vastly preferable alternative to the studio being shut down or continuing to only work on Call of Duty titles.
In their statement, Toys for Bob closed by saying "Keep your horns on and your eyes open," potentially teasing a Spyro revival in the process. There has long been rumors that Toys for Bob might be returning to the 3D draconic platformer in the future, and it sounds as though Toys for Bob and Activision will be open to collaborating on those types of franchises, even if the IP remains owned by Microsoft.
Indeed, I'd been hoping that after Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft that the team would be working on more Crash and Spyro games. Maybe that'll still happen in the future, or maybe the partnership with Microsoft will be something completely new. Regardless, I'm hopeful for this newly independent team's future.
