graywolf323
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Toys for Bob going independent
- Thread starter graywolf323
- Start date
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Mibu no ookami
Demoted Member® Pro™
I wouldn't hold my breath on them working with Microsoft, though maybe they'll try to license Crash or Spyro from them.
Horseganador
Member
Jaybe
Member
Blog post:
February 29, 2024
BY Paul Yan & Avery Lodato
We’re thrilled to announce that Toys for Bob is spinning off as an independent game development studio!
Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We raised the bar for best-in-class remasters in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. We’ve taken Crash Bandicoot to innovative, critically acclaimed new heights.
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.
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.
Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.
So, keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news. Thank you to our community of players for always supporting us through our journey. We can't wait to share updates on our new adventure as an indie studio!
Talk to you soon!
February 29, 2024
BY Paul Yan & Avery Lodato
We’re thrilled to announce that Toys for Bob is spinning off as an independent game development studio!
Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers. We pioneered new IP and hardware technologies in Skylanders. We raised the bar for best-in-class remasters in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. We’ve taken Crash Bandicoot to innovative, critically acclaimed new heights.
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.
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.
Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.
So, keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news. Thank you to our community of players for always supporting us through our journey. We can't wait to share updates on our new adventure as an indie studio!
Talk to you soon!
nial
Member
ABK and MS, sadly.
CamHostage
Member
We're Going Indie!
Confirmed, interesting. That's an tricky but intriguing move. Good for them, I hope. I had no faith that Activision was ever going to put them back on the franchises they're good at (despite MS showing interest to the public for all those dormant franchises,) and I see no value in another studio getting sent down into the CoD mines. There was no future there for this studio as far as I could see.
So I hope that somehow this works for TfB... although it's rough out there even for a studio with 35 years of experience under its belt.
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ChorizoPicozo
Member
the exodus
worldwithpyramids
Member
A totally new 3D platformer, hopefully. Weird that they’re still early in their next game though. Crash 4 was 2020 and Team Rumble seemed like something that would take about 6 months to string together.
Omnipunctual Godot
Gold Member
I wonder how they would do with a new Banjo Kazooie.
Magic Carpet
Gold Member
Penny's Big Breakaway has proven that Neogaf has zero interest in cute platformers.
Good Luck to them.
Good Luck to them.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The studio may in fact even partner with Microsoft on its next game, the company announced today.
CamHostage
Member
Vicarious Visions already had its split from Activision; the founding Bala brothers left in 2016 and formed Velan Studios, which developed Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and the dodgeball multiplayer game Knockout City.
VV still kicked around after the Balas left (VV formed a nice dyad with Toys for Bob, contributing to each other's franchises,) and they went out strong on THPS 1+2 before getting involved with Blizzard and eventually being absorbed into that team, but I'm not sure the rest of that unit going independent would have the same value as this. It's not like they'd go indie and make rad skateboarding or portable games again.
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Much better than shutting them down. At least they'll have a chance to stand on their own.
An other example of the damages consolidation has been doing.
Studios thinking that being acquired by a bigger company means not having to fear about their financial stability anymore are in for bad surprises.
An other example of the damages consolidation has been doing.
Studios thinking that being acquired by a bigger company means not having to fear about their financial stability anymore are in for bad surprises.
Kacho
Gold Member
Love your posts man. You have the most random info which is always a pleasure to read.
NeverYouMind
Member
This is an exciting development. Would be interesting to see their Crash Kart and Crash/Spyro experience go into a new IP.
James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
So they bought themselves out?
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
This is the potential silver lining with all of these layoffs
Smaller studios (albeit with lower employee #s) finally breaking free. Saber too right?
Smaller studios (albeit with lower employee #s) finally breaking free. Saber too right?
nikolino840
Member
At least they don't work at cod anymore
touchfuzzy
Member
So they left being owned by Microsoft to... develop a game with Microsoft. Okay?
How does a fully owned studio even 'become independent'. Did they ask nicely and ABK just didn't care?
How does a fully owned studio even 'become independent'. Did they ask nicely and ABK just didn't care?
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Bernkastel
Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Microsoft let them go like Twisted Pixel Games. Better than closing down a studio you don't need. They were just COD support and Skylanders anyway. Microsoft does not own most Halo support studios ( Certain Affinity, Skybox Labs) either.
Dunno why people think this is exodus, like you can just leave when you want.
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Gamer_By_Proxy
Member
SEGAvangelist
Member
Xbox totally fucked this one up.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
they were owned by MS.
MDSLKTR
Member
For 18 months as a contractorThe studio may in fact even partner with Microsoft on its next game, the company announced today.
James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
I guess this is where the rumors of them closing down came from.
MS actually did close them lol
Funny how everyone thought MS buying Activision would be good for this studio
Bernkastel
Ask me about my fanboy energy!
How? They are now independent like Bungie and Twisted Pixel Games became. If they were just deadweight and can't produce anything on their own, what's the point?
CamHostage
Member
Weirdly, that happens more than it makes sense. It happened when Jaffe/Campbell left Sony to form Eat Sleep Play then made Twisted Metal PS3 for Sony (and remastered the PSP game for PS2 with extra TM:B2 cut content,) Bungie left Microsoft and then went on to make two more Halo games for MS, Trip Hawkins left Electronic Arts to form 3DO which brought a lot of EA titles onto its console, Fumito Ueda left Sony to form a studio that continued work on The Last Guardian for Sony (that one is still a weirdly unclear situation how that all happened...),
The economics are weird, but somehow it makes sense sometimes. Being part of corporation inside of a corporation inside of a corporation can be the wrong fit for a studio, but once the structures have shifted, there may be things possible the new way that couldn't be done the previous way.
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James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
“Letting them go” means MS shut them down, effectively divesting themselves completely
T4B leadership decided to keep the smaller studio together
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Happy ending. I'm glad that those on the top (still Paul and Fred?) had (or secured) the resources to buy the company back.
Working relationship with MS means we might still see more Crash from them too, which would be nice.
I know Fred and Paul are also working on a new Star Control sequel under the name Free Stars as a side project. I wonder if there would be the opportunity to bring that under the Toys for Bob umbrella.
Working relationship with MS means we might still see more Crash from them too, which would be nice.
I know Fred and Paul are also working on a new Star Control sequel under the name Free Stars as a side project. I wonder if there would be the opportunity to bring that under the Toys for Bob umbrella.
nial
Member
Sorry for the derail, but what? I've never heard of this.
graywolf323
Member
thanks for finding that! I’ve added it to the OP
tmlDan
Member
more like PS will take them over
Banjo64
cumsessed
MS own Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro, Crash and Conker. The 4 biggest 3D platform mascots in gaming outside of Nintendo IP.
And they’ve let Toys For Bob go.
Honestly, Microsoft are astoundingly bad at gaming. You can’t imagine worse decisions, but they continue to outdo themselves.
Good for Toys For Bob to be honest. Hopefully they continue to make great games.
And they’ve let Toys For Bob go.
Honestly, Microsoft are astoundingly bad at gaming. You can’t imagine worse decisions, but they continue to outdo themselves.
Good for Toys For Bob to be honest. Hopefully they continue to make great games.
nial
Member
It's still funny how all of those used to be published by Nintendo and Sony. MS can't truly do anything on their own.
It's a curious situation. Becomes independent but would continue working for MS.....
Many unknowns appear:
- How does it affect MS's obligation to release ABK Studios games on cloudgaming services? If it is independent, it is assumed that there would no longer be an obligation
-What type of project could you agree on? Due to its background, a platform game. It would be funny if a new Crash or Spyro were commissioned. There are certainly more options now than when they were handcuffed to COD.
-Are they going to become a studio that works from home?
Many unknowns appear:
- How does it affect MS's obligation to release ABK Studios games on cloudgaming services? If it is independent, it is assumed that there would no longer be an obligation
-What type of project could you agree on? Due to its background, a platform game. It would be funny if a new Crash or Spyro were commissioned. There are certainly more options now than when they were handcuffed to COD.
-Are they going to become a studio that works from home?
nikolino840
Member
I think the only obligations are for cod multiplatform the famous 10 year dealIt's a curious situation. Becomes independent but would continue working for MS.....
Many unknowns appear:
- How does it affect MS's obligation to release ABK Studios games on cloudgaming services? If it is independent, it is assumed that there would no longer be an obligation
-What type of project could you agree on? Due to its background, a platform game. It would be funny if a new Crash or Spyro were commissioned. There are certainly more options now than when they were handcuffed to COD.
-Are they going to become a studio that works from home?
CamHostage
Member
"Rumored" is a strong word, I should probably take that out. I have seen it mentioned in Bokeh posts that Sony could publish a title from the company, but I can't source anything credibly pointing towards that happening.
(I don't expect Slitherhead to be published fully indie, that's a challenging route for a Japanese studio with this level of talent on the books, but the only known corporate investor backing identified so far has been Tencent and Netease.)
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SEGAvangelist
Member
Getting those Xbox 2015 vibes. I wonder if we see some other studios do this and if there were clauses in place before the acquisitions of studios like Doublefine, Ninja Theory and Compulsion.
SportsFan581
Member
Well, it's good and bad I guess. Good that the studio can keep making games and not have to be a support studio, bad that if MS had allowed them to make some of the platforming games they are so good at it would have been great for GamePass.