Spyro and Crash Bandicoot studio Toys for Bob confirms Xbox will publish new game

Spyro developer Toys for Bob has formally confirmed its next game will be published by Xbox, in a teasing statement that ends with a decidedly purple-coloured heart emoji.

Toys for Bob was previously part of the now-Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard, and made its name making Skylanders, then working on the Crash and Spyro trilogy releases.

But more recent years saw it pulled into work on Call of Duty as a support developer, and earlier this year it lost 89 staff members as a part of Microsoft’s wider layoffs of 1900 staff.

Things began to look more promising in February, when the studio announced it was going independent from Activision Blizzard and – it was presumed – would be leaving its days working on Call of Duty behind.

At the time, rumours swirled that its indie status was tied into some sort of new deal with Xbox, and one report claimed work on Spyro 4 was now, quietly, underway.

“We’re excited to announce that we’ll be partnering with Xbox to publish our next new game,” Toys for Bob wrote on social media platform X today.

“We’re still very early in development, so you might not hear from us for a bit – but know that we’re working hard on an experience we’re so sooo inspired about! Can’t wait to share more 💜”

The purple colour of the image shared with the statement and the purple heart emoji both strongly suggest Toys for Bob is indeed working on a return for the popular purple dragon.

While we may not hear more from Toys for Bob for a while, Microsoft is primed to reveal what’s next for Xbox in just over a week, as part of its not-E3/Summer Game Fest June showcase.