The team that developed the games Crash Bandicoot, Spyro , and Toys for Bob, has announced that it is leaving Activision and the Xbox to become an independent studio.
This follows reports of its facility closing, with reports of 86 employees affected during Microsoft's mass layoffs.
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In a message on their official website, company heads Paul Yan and Avery Lodato revealed that Toys for Bob is excited to develop new stories and characters and is already in the "early stages" of their next game, but they can't reveal anything yet.
It's also reported that both Activision and Microsoft were "extremely supportive" of this decision, and the studio plans to "explore a potential partnership with Microsoft" in the future, confident that it will continue to work "closely" with both teams.
Here is the full message:
We are excited to announce that Toys for Bob is launching as an independent game studio!
Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter inside every game. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We set the bar for revived games in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. We took Crash Bandicoot to innovative, critically acclaimed new heights.
With the same enthusiasm and passion, we believe that now is the time to take our studio and future games to the next level. This opportunity allows us to return to our roots as a small and agile studio.
To make this news even more exciting, we are exploring a potential partnership between our new studio and Microsoft. And while we are in the early stages of development on our next game and still far from announcing anything, our team is excited to develop new stories, new characters, and new gameplay experiences.
Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been incredibly supportive of our new direction, and we are confident that we will continue to work closely with them as part of our future.
So, keep your horns up and your eyes peeled for more news. Thank you to the community of players who have always supported us on our journey. We look forward to sharing updates on our new adventure as an independent studio! We'll talk soon!
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Last year, Toys for Bob worked on Crash Team Rumble and previously released titles like Crash Bandicoot 4 and Spyro Reignited Trilogy. In other recent industry developments, Saber Interactive looks set to split from Embracer, and it looks like Gearbox Software may follow suit.
Source: nintendolife
