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Toys for Bob, the studio behind Skylanders and the most recent Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games, announced today that it is spinning off as an independent developer. The studio was previously nested under Activision’s control, and Microsoft recently acquired it along with Activision’s other studios. Now, the studio is working on plans for its first game and a potential partnership with Microsoft. Several studios
Studio heads Paul Yan and Avery Lodato said in a blog post that this move is a return to being the more flexible studio they started as: “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.”
Yan and Lodato also teased that the newly independent Toys for Bob is working on a new project and might partner with Microsoft. “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.”
Toys for Bob has been in gaming since 1989, and one of its first hits was the Star Control series. It published several games under Crystal Dynamics, before being acquired by Activision in 2005. The Skylanders’ physical toys were the developer’s idea, and the franchise eventually became a multi-billion dollar franchise before being discontinued.
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Toys for Bob is not the only studio going independent following an acquisition. According to a Bloomberg report, Saber Interactive has disengaged from Embracer Group to become a privately-owned company, with Gearbox supposedly not far behind them. It’s unclear whether the company would still be able to make games starring Crash and Spyro while no longer being an Activision studio.
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