Activision's Skylanders, Crash Bandicoot studio Toys for Bob going independent

eurogamer.net:

Toys for Bob — the Activision Blizzard studio behind the likes of Skylanders, Crash Bandicoot 4, and the Spyro remasters — has announced it's parting ways with Activision to become an independent company once more. It also says it's «exploring a possible partnership» with Microsoft as development on its new game gets underway.

Toys for Bob, which was founded back in 1989, formed a publishing partnership with Activision in the 2000s that would lead to the studio's acquisition by the publisher in 2005. Toys for Bob has been part of Activision Blizzard ever since, initially working on the hugely popular toys-to-life Skylanders series before developing 2018 remaster Spyro Reignited Trilogy and 2020's well-received Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Since then, it's served as a support studio for Call of Duty while also releasing last year's Crash Team Rumble.

Earlier this month, following Microsoft's $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard and subsequent decision to lay off 1,900 workers across its Xbox teams, it was confirmed 86 Toys for Bob employees had lost their jobs. It was also reported the studio's physical office would be shutting down and that remaining staff would transition to working from home. And it's in this context that Toys for Bob has now announced it's splitting from Activision to go independent.

«Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers,» the studio wrote in a statement shared on its website. «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,» it continued, «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