It seems that every year in the video game industry, a studio behind an iconic childhood game of the player is acquired by a major company and is instead put in charge of a video game series focused on yearly releases far removed from the style and player base of the fans of the smaller studios and their games. However, Toys for Bob appears to be taking a very different route.
Previously under the control of Activision, the California based video game studio Toys for Bob, known for their work on the newest iterations of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, announced Wednesday, in a website statement, that the studio is now going independent!
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2019), Toys for Bob
In a statement by Studio Heads, Paul Yan and Avery Lodato, it was announced that the studio will be going independent and is exploring a possible partnership with Microsoft.
“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.”
The duo added, “To make this news even more exciting, we’re exploring a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft. And 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.”
The duo would also clarify that Activision and Microsoft have been “extremely supportive” of the new direction for the studio.
Toys for Bob statement
Despite being around since 1989, the studio received acclaim for their work on Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure in 2011, in which the team would bring the concept of “Toys to Life” in a fun and marketable way to the mainstream.
The success of the Skylanders series would spark a media trend of collectable toys that could be used in video games, inspiring Lego Dimensions and Disney Infinity.
A screenshot from Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (2011), oys for Bob
While a lot of the hype for Toys to Life games have passed in terms of mass popularity from the masses, with the exceptions of lines such as Nintendo’s long running Amiibo line, Toys for Bob continued to garner attention for their works on Spyro Reignited Trilogy, a well received remake of Insomniac’s iconic PlayStation 1 trilogy as well as an original game in the form of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, a successor to Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot series that originated and gained popularity in the 90s.
While both Insomniac and Naughty Dog have received criticisms for changing their brand images for what is often dubbed as “modern audiences,” Toys for Bob has received critical acclaim for recapturing the “magic” of the popular 90s franchises in both their remakes and sequels.
A screenshot from Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (2020), Toys for Bob
What this announced move means for the future of the studio or if their team will have any further work on Activision’s popular Call of Duty series is unknown as of yet, but there is definitely reason to believe that gamers may be seeing the return of beloved icons and new experiences consistent with expectations of their ever growing fan base!
What do you make of Toys for Bob going independent?
