Bandicoot fans hope Toys For Bob'll get to keep working on a woah-le load of Crash games as it goes indie
Oh, and Crash Team Rumble’s getting one final update next week before riding off into the sunset.
Toys for Bob, known for its work on the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, has announced that it’s splitting from Activision and going indie, which is good news, though it has left Crash fans a bit in the dark as to the future of their beloved platforming not quite hedgehog thing.
While Crash hasn’t exactly had a flawless time lately - remember that weird cameo he made in the trailer for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard (yes, that was a thing that happened) - folk have still enjoyed actually getting Bandicoot games, instead of seeing the series end up dormant like some of its retro cousins have. Sadly, the one glaring potential downside of Toys for Bob being able to control its own destiny is that the futures of the stuff it had been working on is now a bit up in the air.
The studio announced this move via a blog post penned by studio heads Paul Yan & Avery Lodato. “Over the years, we've inspired love, joy, and laughter for the inner child in all gamers,” the pair wrote, no doubt paying lots of attention to phrasing in that last bit, “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.”
So, what does being small and nimble entail? Well, possibly still working in partnership with Microsoft, something Toys For Bob says it’s currently exploring. Whether or not that ends up coming to fruition is important to Crash fans, who know their bloke probably isn’t likely to be included in the “new stories, new characters, and new gameplay experiences” the studio says it’s excited to work on in the release.
Over on the Crash subreddit, there are a number of posts from folks who’ve had a go at narrowing down exactly what the move could potentially mean for the Bandicoot, outlining different scenarios based on what happens. Naturally, a lot of them are praying Toys for Bob’ll just be able to keep working on the series via that Microsoft deal, as this would eliminate any uncertainty around a new developer or about Crash just being put away in a cupboard for the foreseeable.
“From a selfish perspective, I don’t want the fate of this franchise up in the air again if Microsoft [doesn’t] agree to continue [its] partnership with Toys For Bob,” writes one user in a comment that basically seems to sum up the fanbase’s conflicted feelings, “but from a selfless perspective, I am happy for Toys For Bob, as whatever happens now, [it’ll] be better off than where [it was] under Activision’s umbrella.”
Also, some folks have just thanked Toys For Bob for its work on Crash to this point, even if they’ve had some gripes over the years with the likes of Crash 4 and Rumble, which is getting one final update next week, if you care.
In other studios no longer being a part of a big thing news, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game developer Saber Interactive has just gained its independence from Embracer Group, with Borderlands developer Gearbox reportedly in line to also be sold off soon.