Spyro, Crash Bandicoot Dev Reaches Agreement With Xbox for Its New Game

Highlights

  • Toys For Bob reaches an agreement with Xbox for funding for its next title.
  • Toys For Bob recently left Activision to go independent.
  • Uncertainty remains on whether the Toys For Bob title will be a new IP or one of Crash or Spyro.



Toys For Bob, the studio behind the modern resurrections of the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot franchises, has reached an agreement with Xbox to fund its next game. Toys For Bob’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Spyro Reignited Trilogy were a nostalgic return to form for the platformer genre, and the studio is now planning its next moves.

Recently, news broke that Toys For Bob was leaving Activision to go independent. With Microsoft’s recent purchase of Activision, this meant that Xbox had ownership of the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro franchises, and many gamers were left wondering whether Toys For Bob would have any future involvement with the pair going forward. While nothing has been confirmed on the Crash or Spyro front, it’s clear that Toys For Bob is more than happy to continue working with Xbox, as shown by this agreement.


Related

Spyro, Crash Developer Toys For Bob Going Indie is a Double-Edged Sword

Toys For Bob, the studio behind the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, is splitting from Activision in a move that promises risks and rewards.

The news of Toys For Bob’s agreement with Xbox was confirmed by Jez Corden at Windows Central. This means that Xbox will fund Toys For Bob’s first game as an independent developer, removing a lot of the financial risk involved in going it alone. It remains to be seen what Xbox gets from this arrangement, although naturally, speculation will begin about whether the future Toys For Bob game will be an Xbox Game Pass day one title as a result. This is standard for Microsoft’s first-party studios, and while Toys For Bob is now independent, it would make sense for this arrangement.


Toys For Bob Reaches Xbox Agreement


Unfortunately, Corden’s report provided little information about what the upcoming Toys For Bob title might be. This agreement with Xbox means that another Spyro or Crash Bandicoot title is definitely a possibility, although at this point, it’s all pure speculation. Toys For Bob has already proven that it can create some of the best platformer games around, so it would be interesting to see what it could do with a new IP of its own, too.

For many, the prospect of another Crash Bandicoot or Spyro game is extremely exciting. They’re two of the classic PlayStation platformers that will always hold a nostalgic place in the hearts of many gamers, and it’s interesting to see how these franchises can benefit from modern game design and features. Of the two, Spyro is perhaps more likely at this point. Crash had his sequel with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, while the modern Spyro platformers have been restricted to remakes so far. On top of this, an official Spyro tweet got fans excited about a potential new game earlier this year, although it’s unclear if the recent Toys For Bob developments have affected this in any way.


CRASH BANDICOOT 4

Crash Bandicoot 4

Crash Bandicoot 4, otherwise known as Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, is a 2021 release and the long-awaited fourth installment in the mainline series of the iconic PlayStation-exclusive series. Players take control of Crash and embark through a series of difficult and engaging platforming levels.

Released
October 2, 2020

Genre(s)
Platformer

How Long To Beat
10 Hours

Metascore
86