Toys for Bob went independent last month, but it has apparently landed a deal with Microsoft for its next game.
Last month, Toys for Bob announced that it would be going independent as a studio, meaning it can make what it likes without being forced onto Call of Duty projects. Of course, that has led to plenty of fans hoping that it will get to keep making Crash Bandicoot games even if it isn’t owned by Activision Blizzard or Microsoft anymore. It’s future still isn’t clear, but according to a recent report from Window Central’s Jez Cordon, the studio has formed a deal for its first game since going independent – and it’s with Microsoft of all companies.
“Sources have indicated to me previously that Toys for Bob’s culture didn’t gel well with Activision’s oft-restrictive corporate mandates, and they were excited for the opportunity to spin out as independent in agreement with Microsoft,” Corden explained in his report. In Toys for Bob’s announcement post about going independent, it did say that it was “confident” that it would “continue to work closely together” with Activision and Microsoft as part of its future, so that at the very least seems to be the case with the latter.
There was no word on what the game that Toys for Bob is making will be like, though apparently it will be similar to games they’ve made in the past. That could mean a whole range of things, like platformers, a new Crash or Spyro game, or even maybe another attempt at something like Skylanders, the Spyro spin-off that kicked off the Amiibo craze. I personally wouldn’t bet on a game that requires you to buy actual toys, those days appear to be done, though I don’t think a platformer is all that unlikely. In the meantime, you’ll just have to wait and see.