Toys for Bob breaks off from Activision Blizzard & goes indie

The Crash Bandicoot and Spyro developer's move to indie follows reports of an office closure and layoffs under Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.

Toys for Bob is about to start a grand and exciting new era, breaking off from Activision Blizzard and Microsoft and venturing out on its own as an indie studio. Where earlier this year, the company’s future was uncertain amid layoffs and a physical office closure, it looks like Toys for Bob will now operate independently, though it’s not against partnering with Xbox on future projects.

Toys for Bob announced its intention to go independent as a studio in a press release on its website this week. According to the announcement, Toys for Bob plans to use this move to “return to [its] roots as a small and nimble studio.” Even so, it’s actively exploring collaboration with Microsoft on a new project set in what will likely be a new IP.

Toys for Bob's Crash Bandicoot 4 key art
One of Toys for Bob's last big hits was Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, which marked a high note for the series.
Source: Toys for Bob

This is a big turnaround for Toys for Bob that makes its future seem a lot brighter. Earlier in February 2024, things looked a bit more dire as Toys for Bob faced alleged layoffs of around 86 employees and the closure of an office, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. The word at the time was that Microsoft was cutting out redundancies following Activision Blizzard’s acquisition (which included Toys for Bob).

Obviously, it’s unlikely that Toys for Bob will work on Crash Bandicoot and Spyro again as an indie studio, but the group seems to have plans for what it wants to work on next. We’ll look forward to seeing what it looks like when Toys for Bob has something to show. Stay tuned for more details.

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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