Following huge layoffs at Xbox, Bethesda and Activision, some reports have surfaced that Microsoft has closed down Spyro and Crash Bandicoot developer Toys for Bob. That is not the case.
While the Microsoft-Activision acquisition has resulted in the horrendous firing of almost 2,000 employees, Toys for Bob is currently still an active studio under Microsoft. However, it’s not the same as it used to be.
Via The San Francisco Chronicle, Toys for Bob has been hit by the same layoffs as the rest of Microsoft’s studios. In a large hit, the studio has lost 86 employees and the physical office for the game developer has been shut.
However, Toys for Bob as a studio is not gone, at least not yet. With almost 100 employees left at the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot 4 developer, Toys for Bob has instead moved to a remote working environment instead of working inside a physical, expensive office.
Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed an interest in having Toys for Bob revive old franchises just like it did for Spyro and Crash. For example, the studio could work on a new Banjo-Kazooie remake or a brand-new game in the beloved platformer franchise.
At the time of writing, Toys for Bob still exists and it seems that there are plans for the studio to continue working under the Microsoft umbrella. However, the future of the studio is still unclear with no new projects currently announced from the talented game developers.
With this in mind, it’s worth noting Microsoft’s seeming move to be one of the biggest game publishers in the world. With games like Starfield and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox is seemingly becoming less focused on exclusive games. If Microsoft wants to become a huge third-party publisher, Toys for Bob’s multiplatform expertise makes a lot of sense to keep.