Toys for Bob Says Call of Duty Work Showed the Studio Needed to Return to Games Like Spyro

Toys for Bob is finally back where many fans always wanted it to be: working on colorful, character driven platforming adventures. After years of uncertainty, including a period supporting major Activision franchises such as Call of Duty Warzone, Overwatch 2, and Modern Warfare, the studio has now returned to one of the IPs most closely associated with its creative identity.

That return was made official during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026, where Spyro: A Realm Beyond was revealed as the first brand new entry in the series since 2008’s The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon. The game is being developed by Toys for Bob as part of the studio’s new independent chapter, following its split from Activision and a new publishing arrangement with Microsoft.

For longtime fans, the announcement carries extra weight because of what happened in 2021. In April of that year, Activision moved the California based studio onto Call of Duty Warzone support, a decision that frustrated many players who knew Toys for Bob for Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Spyro Reignited Trilogy. The move was seen by many as another example of Activision pulling talented studios away from their own creative strengths to support its largest blockbuster franchises.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Toys for Bob Studio Head Paul Yan reflected on that period and explained what the team learned from supporting massive projects like Warzone.

"At the company level, we had a mandate to support some of the bigger blockbuster IPs. So we shifted focus to support titles like Warzone, Overwatch 2, and Modern Warfare, just to name a few. And we're very proud of the work that we did, we learned a lot during that time. But we were moving away from the types of games that are near and dear to our hearts."
— Paul Yan

Yan’s comments make it clear that the studio does not dismiss the value of that experience. Working on some of the biggest live service and shooter franchises in the world likely gave Toys for Bob valuable production knowledge, technical experience, and exposure to large scale development. However, the lesson was not simply about craft or production scale. It was about realizing what kind of games the team truly wanted to make.

"What we're attracted to as a team is working on games that are joyful experiences, that are optimistic, that are centred around colourful characters in handcrafted whimsical worlds, that are made for all ages. That's what we wanted to get back to. Probably the biggest lesson is we want to get back to this game."
— Paul Yan

That statement explains why Spyro: A Realm Beyond feels like such a natural next step. Toys for Bob has always had a strong connection to bright worlds, expressive characters, and accessible adventure design. Spyro fits that identity almost perfectly, especially after the studio helped revive the dragon’s legacy with Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Yan also explained how Toys for Bob approached Activision and Xbox with a bold plan to regain independence while still working with Microsoft on a beloved IP.

"We figured that this was the right time to make a pretty big bold shift. So we actually proposed a pretty radical plan to leadership of both Activision and Xbox, and that was we would love to buy back independence and take back creative control, organisational control, financial control of our team, and spin off as a completely separate company so that we can focus on the types of games that are near and dear to our hearts, and also to preserve the team and all the tenure that's been built up over the years. So it was like, this is our plan to move to independence, and we'll make this game for you. And they were very supportive of that."
— Paul Yan

That path makes Toys for Bob one of the more interesting studio stories under the broader Xbox and Activision Blizzard era. Instead of remaining locked into support work, the team managed to preserve its creative culture, regain operational control, and secure a major project that directly matches its strengths.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond is also more than a nostalgia play. The game will finally introduce proper flight for Spyro, giving the titular dragon a major gameplay evolution that fans have wanted for years. If handled well, that feature could make the new entry feel like a true modern expansion of the franchise rather than simply another retro revival.

The game is targeting a Spring 2027 release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. That broad launch strategy also reflects the current state of Microsoft’s gaming business, where some Xbox related projects remain console exclusive while others are built for a wider audience across multiple platforms.

For Toys for Bob, the message is much clearer. The studio is no longer defined by its years inside the Call of Duty support pipeline. It is returning to the kind of games that shaped its identity, and Spyro: A Realm Beyond may be the project that proves why that independence mattered.

Are you more excited to see Toys for Bob return to Spyro, or are you most interested in finally seeing proper flight become part of the series?