There have been a lot of rumours doing the rounds this week about Xbox's future, and earlier today, there were claims Activision developer Toys for Bob was potentially "closing down" following Microsoft's announcement of mass layoffs.
While the future of the studio is still somewhat unclear, Windows Central's Jez Corden has now supposedly got "confirmation" the developer behind games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro isn't shutting up shop. Corden stated this in a response to the original news earlier today via social media:
"I also got confirmation that Toys for Bob is not closing down."
The San Francisco Chronicle appears to shed some light on the situation, mentioning how "according to a state filing" the facility in Novato, California is closing. 86 workers will reportedly be impacted at Toys for Bob, but it's believed the studio will remain active.
Activision Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games is also linked to the latest developments, with 76 workers reportedly impacted at its office in Foster City, California. This follows news emerging last month (via Insider Gaming) about how its workers were temporarily going remote and downsizing offices as part of a restructuring.
Over the past year, Toys for Bob worked on Crash Team Rumble and was also a support studio on Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game. Previous reports suggest the studios have lost between 30-40 percent of staff.
If we hear any further developments or updates, we'll let you know.
Comments 11
Sad news for those losing their jobs, some relief the developers aren't being closed down.
Really hoping Toys for Bob can make a new Spyro or Banjo game.
The fact insiders were able to get confirmation of this pretty easily though does put into question why Xbox can't do something similar with the biggest story of the week - either a short tweet or via insiders say "we're in hardware for the long term, we'll still have lots of exclusives, Game Pass will continue to be great value with Day 1 games and we're looking forward to giving you our full strategy next week".
Doesn't even need the bit about Game Pass really - but it would curb the craziest rumours going around and dampen down the rampant speculation ahead of next week.
At this rate, nothing they announce could be worse than the rumours...
i completely forgot about crash team crumble . way to kill a franchise twice , lol .
The fact that Activision threw this brilliant studio into the Call of Duty mines is actually unforgivable. They deserve all the praise in the world. Crash 4 has its problems, sure, but it was also the first modern Crash project to stop coasting on nostalgia and actually push the series forward.
"No need to worry"? Tell that to the people and their families who just lost their jobs.
Yeah they could do smaller games, not everything has to be a AAA game, just look at Hi Fi
@Ooccoo_Jr It says the OFFICE is closing that isn't necessarily the same as studio closing or more people losing their jobs, could just be a relocation, rebrand or similar. None of it is confirmed. Basically we need more information before jumping to conclusions.
@themightyant There's definitely job losses in those two studios, the numbers are even given in the article.
They're part of the 1900 laid off, and we know the numbers as California requires a public notice 60 days in advance, and that's where the two studios are based
@Widey85 You are right there were job losses last month, I should have been clearer. The original post suggested TfB is closing down, which we don't know for sure but seems unlikely as Jez, who is reliable, has responded. Additionally as you said this is part of the 1,900 that were laid off last month, this isn't new news / new job losses on top of that as far as we know.
Removed - flaming/arguing
Removed - flaming/arguing
Sick of those California taxes and rent prices maybe?
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