In an interview with Canadian Guy Eh, studio head and creative director of the now independent Toys for Bob team, Paul Yan discussed the studio’s progress since becoming independent and how work on its current project is progressing.
Yan didn’t directly hint at what the studio was working on, instead just saying that the studio’s current project is “big and ambitious and pushes our craft to new heights.” He did, however, offer a thought that most fans of 3D platformers could agree on.
When asked which studio Toys for Bob would like to work with and which series they’d like to work on if they had their pick, Yan almost immediately went to Banjo Kazooie, though, of course, that doesn’t mean Toys for Bob is working on a new Banjo game.
“There’s so many, and that’s one of the exciting new possibilities of being independent. One company we’d like to work with is one we’re already working with, Team Xbox. They’ve been a great partner and they also have a very interesting roster of characters, that Toys for Bob could have a lot of fun with. The honey bear is the first one that comes to mind. I think we all can agree Banjo’s been hibernating long enough, right?“
It’s clear from Yan’s phrasing here that Toys for Bob would be more than interested in giving Banjo Kazooie the same love and care that Crash Bandicoot and Spyro have enjoyed, though we still don’t have an idea of what the studio is currently working on.
Toys for Bob has now been independent for more than a year, and it’s also been more than a year since the studio confirmed its first project as an independent team would still be in collaboration with Microsoft and Activision. At the time, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty offered that Toys for Bob’s first project would be in line with what the studio is already known for.
Of course, many fans took that as a hint that we’d be getting more Crash Bandicoot after the studio not only remastered the original trilogy but went ahead and developed new games for the series. Spyro the Dragon was also on the shortlist for what fans expected to see. A new Banjo Kazooie game, however, or a full-blown remaster of the original titles fans love so much, would still be very much in line with what Toys for Bob is already known for.
Unfortunately, at least for now, we’re unlikely to know what’s going on inside Toys for Bob for a while still. A year into independence, Yan says the studio is “very much in the thick of development,” so it might be at least another year before the team is ready to start sharing what this new project is.
