Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob just announced a partnership with Xbox to release its first game after spinning off as an independent entity. The company, which developed recent entries in the Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot franchises, hasn’t released any concrete details about its upcoming release, except to say that it’s early in development and that the team has been working hard.

This is, of course, something of a homecoming for the developer. Activision is owned by Microsoft, making Toys for Bob its… former grandchild? In any event, it’s likely easy to get pitch meetings and the like with a company you’ve worked with in the past. Also, the developer has a fairly stellar pedigree, having created the Skylanders franchise and the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, among others.

Toys for Bob spun out as an indie back in February after Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs that impacted 86 employees, which was more than half of the staff. At the time, the company said the transition to an indie would allow it to return to “being a small and nimble studio.” This sentiment harkens back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s, back when Toys for Bob was cranking out games like Star Control.

The developer also said back in February that Microsoft has “been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.” It looks like it wasn’t lying about that last part.