A few weeks after game developer Toys for Bob announced it would break away from its former owner, Activision Blizzard, and become an independent studio again, a new report says that the team has received funding from Microsoft to begin work on its next project.
Windows Central reports, via unnamed sources, that in a recent town hall meeting for Microsoft's gaming division, Matt Booty, the company's head of Game Content and Studios, revealed the new agreement was in place between Xbox and Toys for Bob to provide money for its next game. When it announced its plans to become an independent studio once again, Toys for Bob stated they were "exploring a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft." It would appear that is actually happening.
Booty reportedly hinted that the new game from Toys for Bob would be similar to some of the ones it has made in the past. When it was first founded in 1989, the team created the first two Star Control space strategy games. After being acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2005, it developed the popular Skylanders game. It later helped create games in the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot franchises, and it was also a support team for Activision's Call of Duty series.
In January, Microsoft laid off 1,900 team members from its gaming divisions. That included some major layoffs from Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft acquired just a few months earlier in October 2023. Toys for Bob reportedly got hit particularly hard. A report claimed 86 members of its team were cut, and its physical offices in Novato, California, were closed.
Windows Central claims, again via its unnamed sources, that Toys for Bob was unhappy with being owned by Activision Blizzard and its very corporate way of making games. Hopefully, its new status as an independent studio, with financial backing from Microsoft to make a new game, will be a better fit.
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