Prominent game developer Toys for Bob has split from Activision Blizzard and will be working as an independent studio moving forward, the company announced on February 29.
The announcement was shared via social media, with a blog post explaining the future of the company as an independent developer. The post states that this new direction will allow Toys for Bob to return to its roots and act as "a small and nimble studio," adding:
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
Toys for Bob has been around the gaming industry for decades, founded in 1989, they have been working as part of Activision since 2005, making the decision to split a historic one as it's breaking an almost 20-year-old partnership between developer and publisher.
Toys for Bob found incredible success with Skylanders in 2011, developing three sequels between 2012 and 2016. The studio got tasked with remastering the original Crash Bandicoot series with the N. Sane Trilogy and the Spyro franchise with the Reignited Trilogy, both in 2018 before moving into developing a follow-up to Crash in 2020, the critically acclaimed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.
After founders Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford left in 2020 and following new management guidance, Toys for Bob was put on Call of Duty, err, duty, helping in the development of Warzone, Modern Warfare II, and Modern Warfare III.
Rumblings of Toys for Bob closing down occurred just a few days ago, with many thinking the studio had shut down amid the Microsoft layoffs that joined the likes of Sony's, EA, and even Riot Games.
For many fans, the dream following the Microsoft acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and all of their assets was to see a studio like Toys for Bob revive Banjo-Kazooie. While that's certainly a possibility, with the company's statement claiming they are looking for ways to continue partnering with Microsoft, don't expect a new Banjo game any time soon at least.