Toys for Bob has reportedly signed a partnership deal with Microsoft for its next game, which will be developed independently, following the studio’s departure from Activision Blizzard. At the time of the split, Toys for Bob shared that it was exploring a potential partnership with Microsoft to help support upcoming projects. A new report from Windows Central has suggested this partnership is now finalised, and that Toys for Bob could already be working on its new game.
Per reporter Jez Corden, at a recent Microsoft town hall meeting, Matt Booty of the Xbox game content division confirmed “an agreement has now been reached between Xbox and Toys for Bob for their first game as an independent studio.”
While Booty did not confirm what game Toys for Bob is working on, he did reportedly indicate the title will be similar to games the studio has developed in the past. Notably, Toys for Bob is most known for developing games in the Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot franchises, as well as Skylanders – which is also an adaptation of Spyro.
Read: Toys for Bob splits from Activision, goes independent
There’s reason to believe Toys for Bob’s next game could actually be another Spyro, given Booty’s comments, and one firm clue in the studio’s initial independence announcement. When signing off, Toys for Bob leaders Paul Yan and Avery Lodato said: “So, keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news.”
Beyond referencing Spyro’s iconic horns, “keep your horns on” is a phrase spoken by one of the first rescued dragons in the original Spyro the Dragon.
There is also the matter of Toys for Bob’s reported partnership with Microsoft. The terms of the deal are not public knowledge, and it’s not know whether it relates to firm financial support or otherwise – but it’s fair to speculate that it could relate to IP rights, and development of new games in the franchises Toys for Bob is most known for.
The studio’s next game remains in its “early days” per the latest Toys for Bob blog post. For now, the studio is keeping quiet about what’s in the works, and we’ll have to stay tuned for future developments.
