Toys for Bob splits from Activision Blizzard, goes indie

And is "exploring a possible partnership" with former owner Microsoft.

Toys for Bob has split from Activision Blizzard in aftermath of a host of layoffs at parent company Microsoft, though is “exploring a possible partnership” with its former owner on its next game.

“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,” the studio wrote in a statement.

“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,” Toys for Bob continued. “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.”

We’ll have more on Toys for Bob’s next project as more is known.

Back in January, Microsoft confirmed it would lay off 1,900 staff from its video game division, with job losses confirmed across Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax (Bethesda), and Xbox. In the first two months of 2024 alone, more than 7,000 layoffs have rocked the video games industry.