For several years, Toys for Bob had the chance to work on some of Activision’s most profitable franchises, specifically, Skylanders. Then, in 2018, Toys for Bob played a role in bringing back classic platformers in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which it helped Vicarious Visions make, and Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which it led the development on. After the success of the latter, Toys for Bob worked on the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. However, despite It’s About Time’s success, Activision’s commitment to releasing a new Call of Duty game every year meant that the publisher needed all the help that it could get. Thus, earlier this year, Toys for Bob was relegated to a support studio as it joined several other Activision subsidiaries in working on Call of Duty games. With that said, it appears that Activision is re-thinking its strategy in light of all that has happened in recent months.
What kind of game is Toys for Bob working on?
You’d think that Activision would give Toys for Bob a chance to do for Spyro what it did to Crash Bandicoot, but you’d be wrong. Still, it’s never too late to backtrack and make changes, which is probably what’s happened now. Eagle-eyed observers have spotted a particularly interesting listing for a Senior Concept Artist on Toys for Bob’s website. What makes this different is that it doesn’t specifically mention that it’s related to Call of Duty. If this is true, then Activision might have given Toys for Bob the greenlight to work on something different. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what it is. However, if we were to hazard a guess, the studio might be working on Spyro 4, which was rumored earlier this year to be in development by Beenox, another Activision subsidiary. Activision currently finds itself facing several battles on multiple fronts. The publisher’s most pressing issue remains the multiple sexual misconduct allegations filed against multiple high-ranking executives. Even though many of those named in such lawsuits have already stepped down, Bobby Kotick remains in power. Kotick himself is also at the center of the controversy as he was reportedly not just aware of all the shady inner workings in Activision, but that he was also part of the problem. Following these reports, Xbox head Phil Spencer and PlayStation chief Jim Ryan have both sent separate statements to their respective staff members effectively condemning Activision’s CEO. At the moment, there are talks of Activision abandoning its yearly Call of Duty release schedule.
