Crash and Skylanders studio Toys for Bob is becoming independent
Toys for Bob, the developer of a variety of Skylanders, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro titles, has announced it is now becoming an independent studio as it leaves Activision and Microsoft.
The details:
Studio heads Paul Yan and Avery Lodato announced the decision to go independent after almost two decades under Activision in a statement posted on Thursday. “Over the years, we’ve inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers,” the statement reads. “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.”
Yan and Lodato added in the statement that, while they intend to continue as independent developers, they are currently "exploring a possible partnership" with Microsoft and are "confident" that they will collaborate with Activision again in the future.
Toys for Bob was recently hit by a wave of layoffs at Microsoft Gaming, with 86 employees laid off and news that the studio's physical office space would be closed, with the remaining workforce transitioning to remote working.
More gaming news:
Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars FPS project has been canceled as EA seeks to shift the studio's efforts toward Apex Legends and its next Jedi game.
EA has confirmed that it is laying off 5% of its workforce and shuttering Battlefield single-player developer Ridgeline Games.
