Toys for Bob has announced via Twitter that they’ve teamed up with Microso??ft for their next new game. ?There’s no word on what that next new game will be, but their choice of partner is�quite the choice.

Toys for Bob was originally a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard and, along with them, were bought up by Microsoft in 2023. It was only a few months before Microsoft went to work laying of 1,900 employees, including some that were at Toys for Bob, leaving the developer’s survival in question. Subsequently, Toys for Bob was able to split from the newly acquired Activisi?on and set out on their own.

Since then, Microsoft has shuttered Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha D??og Games, while absorbing Roundhouse Studios into ZeniMax Online.

I consider myself to be a forgiving person, but I’m confused that the studi?o is so eager to partner with their former existential threat. I shouldn’t be too surprised because, at the time of their split, Toys for Bob said in a statement that they were looking into a possible partnership with Microsoft. It may have been a part of the deal that allowed them to separate. Or perhaps they are working on a property owned by Microsoft. Or maybe they feel it’s a safe partnership because Microsoft no longer has the power to lay off their staff.

Toys For Bob most recently worked on the Skylanders series, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. It’s possible that the developer is looking to return to one of those licenses, which would necessitate a deal with Microsoft. However, that’s purely speculation trying to make sense of the matter. We won’t know until the project is revealed. According to the Tweet, “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.�/p>

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On the company’s website, Toys for Bob, the developer behind Skylanders and Crash Bandicoot 4, has announced that it's diverging from Activision Blizzard to become ?independent.

The post doesn’t really give much more in the way of details. It states that the company will return to being a “small and nimble studio.�They also state that, while they’re separating, they are looking into a “possible partnership�with Microsoft. Explaining, “Our friends at Activision and Microsoft have been extremely supportive of our new direction, and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.�/p>

That’s somewhat surprising, considering Toys for Bob was reportedly among those hit by the massive wave of Microsoft layoffs in the wake of the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Don’t burn any b?r??idges, I suppose.

Toys for Bob says? it's in the ??early days of developing its next game and is looking forward to providing more updates.

This news comes shortly after the news that Saber Interactive and Gearbox are being sold off by Embracer Group. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic and even following that, we say a period of rapid acquisitions from companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Embracer. In the fallout of that, there have been a dizzying number of layoffs and studio closures, so seeing a developer spin-off on thei??r own is almost refreshing.

The post Toys for Bob separating fro??m Activision Blizzard, going independent appeared first on Destructoid.

Whoa?

Another live service game just came out in 2023 in Crash Team Rumble, and we're getting it instead of a Crash 5 for now. Wait, come back! If you're a Crash fan, there might be some?thing here for you. Yeah,? I didn't expect it either.

[caption id="attachment_387544" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Crash Team Rumble (PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Toys for Bob
Publisher: Activision
Released: June 20, 2023
MSRP: $29.99 (standard), $39.99 (deluxe)

So what the heck is Crash Team Rumble?

Despite the weird and somewhat pointless monetization angle (which we'll get to), the standard $29.99 edition (yes, this is not free-to-play) is a much simpler package than it seems on the surface. Crash Team Rumble is a 4v4? battle game that asks two competing tea??ms to dunk Wumpa Fruit into their goal until they hit a score limit: at which point that team immediately wins. Easy to parse, right? It actually is! Matches are around five minutes to boot.

You'll need to roam across nine different maps (with more to come) that feel a lot like miniature Crash Bandicoot platforming levels while grabbing fruit, stopping other players from scoring, and causing havoc with power-ups. Those three core game loops encapsulate the trio of codified roles in the game: scorer, blocker, and booster. Actually fulfilling the core duties of your role (which is linked to specific characters) will shorten your ability cooldowns, but it's not completely necessary; as I've been in plenty of?? games where? players flex into different jobs on a constant basis (and thrive).

The secret sauce of Crash Team Rumble is how?? all of this plays out. Given how easy this game is to pick up and put down, I was shocked to look up at the clock and see that an hour went by during multiple sessions.

[caption id="attachment_387597" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Breezy, fun, and cute mayhem

Crash Team Rumble controls a lot like a legitimate core Crash game, which is w??here it's going to make its mark for fans.

Crash himself still double-jumps, spins, and belly flops as normal, and each other character is different enough to justify their inclusion while mixing up how you approach each match. Platforming skills are paramount too, as swift jumps and air dashes can mean the difference between losing all of your fruit to a pit or scoring a game-winning goal. Coco in ?particular became a favorite of mine, as she can drop a digital brick wall behind her, with the option to trigger it during an air dash. It's immensely satisfying to block out an enemy while getting away for a breather, or drop them while mid-air to cause an opponent to slam into them and fall into the depths below.

I love how seamlessly Team Rumble eases you into all of this. The tutorial is short and sweet, and it's painless to pick up characters as there's a detailed move menu, just like a fighting game. What really surprised me is the high penchant for heroics in Crash Team Rumble's minute-to-minute flow. I've seen plenty of matches where individual players?? can make the difference ??in a marked way, cleaning up an entire team or blowing a crucial cooldown to defend a base when the enemy has the fruit they need to dunk and win. Hazards and other objectives (like taking control of extra score boost platforms or grabbing neutral power-ups) mix things up constantly, where no individual match feels the same, as different things are popping at different times and different roles of different skill levels are crossing paths.

The maps are just big enough to encourage ??discovery and small enough to create confli??ct: and the in-game iconography can help you make split-second decisions, like holding a large cache of fruit until the moment another teammate captures a bonus objective, to dunk in some extra points.

[caption id="attachment_387545" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

To reiterate the looseness of the role system gimmick, you aren't fully "locked" into being a scorer, blocker, or booster, but slipping into that role will make things a little smoother. Scorers want to actually score. Blockers block other scorers, naturally. Boosters want to manipulate the match using those aforementioned activities, providing power-ups for the team and locking down scoring bonuses. Shorter cooldowns through role performance mean more opportunities for bigger plays, b??ut you can make thos?e plays organically.

All of this?? action funnels into one core mode (competitive matchmaking), with the option for private matches and "practice" featuring bots. This ensures there's one major "pool" for everyone to funnel into, and the aforementioned loop allows for a lot of variety. It's kind of a genius way to handle an online competitive game.

Thankfully, Crash Team Rumble has cross-play on day one. For a game like this, it basically needs cross-play to survive more than six months. Even so, I'm still worried about this one just from a preservation angle. A bot mode is a decent addition, but it is ostensibl?y a live service game, and I don't magically expect it'll become more generous as time goes on.

[caption id="attachment_387542" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

What about those live service elements?

Outside of the 20 seconds or so it takes to connect to the game after the intro, it's hard to even sniff out some of the live service portions of Crash Team Rumble. This is partly due to the fact that the base game (again, $29.99) comes with the premium pass for season 1, while the deluxe edition includes seasons 1 and 2. Those passes are standard fare, containing emotes, backpacks, skins, and so on for each character...so a Fortnite lit?e style pass. The progression is what I'd call "slow-ish," which makes it feel all the more pointless; but individual character progression is kind of neat, as you can level up each cast member and unlock more cosmetics on top of the pass.

Even so, the slow-going pass is antithetical to the casual nature of how matches flow, and it's simultaneously confusing and innocuous. Those elements can feel tacked on, and although future seasonal content updates and monetization is up in the air (Activision is notorious for adding more layers after the launch of several similar games), all the core content (read: characters) is tied to in-game challenges, even future characters.

[caption id="attachment_387598" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

It's a bold move to go with a premium package on top of a season pass model with a smaller release like this, but that's what we have at the moment. It's hard to predict how Crash Team Rumble en??ds up in six months, but I hope it's still around, and the team is able to just facilitate what is working witho??ut corporate meddling. Whether or not enough people feel like spending $30 minimum to stick around and find out is up in the air.

_{[This review is based on a retail/launch build of the game provided by the publisher, as well as beta playtime.]}

The post Review: Crash Team Rumble appeared first on Destructoid.

Four-versus-four carnage

Crash Team Rumble wi?ll release for PlayStation and Xbox consoles? with crossplay enabled on June 20, publisher Activision and developer Toys for Bob have announced, but what can players expect? At a hands-off preview event, we saw gameplay, mechanics, and finer details about the upcoming title including a closed beta that will run from April 20 to 24.

In the beta, players will be able to control Coco, Crash, Dingodile, Neo Cortex, or Tawna across three different maps in a four-versus-four team-based multiplayer experience. Each character has their own power, personality, and resulting playstyle with each being categorized as a Scorer, Blocker, or Booster. A Scorer's role is to collect Wumpa fruit from around the arena and bring them back to the team's bank to deposit them. A Blocker's job is fairly self-explanatory, in that they will be doing all they can to stop the enemy team from achieving points by depositing Wumpas. A Booster will be capturing Gems which will increase their team's score multiplier, and activating Relic stations? which give special powers and boosts to give their team the advantage.

These roles will not be set, so there's nothing stoppi?ng a Blocker from depositing Wumpas at the bank if they want to. This flexibility and freedom to take on any role could make or break a team - it's great that the option is there, but let's hope t?eams can communicate well enough to avoid uncontrolled chaos.

Standard-versus-Deluxe

[caption id="attachment_369586" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Toys for Bob[/caption]

In amongst the carnage of battle, there's also an important decision for Crash fans to make before they can access the closed beta. The only way to gain entry is t?o pre-order the game, and the Standard edition will set you back $29.99. That version includes seasonal events and limited-time modes, as well as the premium battle pass unlock for the first season. The Deluxe edition contains all of the above, as well as the premium battle pass, unlock for season two, and 25 instant tier unlocks on the first season's premium battle pass. It also includes a Proto Pack with skins, a unique banner, and more?? cosmetics, and will cost $39.99.

Crash Team Rumble is currently only set to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and when we asked Toys for Bob whether there were any plans for PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass collaborations, they commented that they weren't looking to discuss that at this time. The same was said regarding a Steam or PC release. It would've been nice to see a PC release lined up alongside the consoles. Either way, cons??ole owners can still get their hands on the closed beta which runs from April 20 to 24.

Not a MOBA

//youtu.be/becrLd9GOB4

Though gameplay leaked today ahead of the announcement, Crash Team Rumble looks fun, engaging, and entertaining. Toys for Bob is the studio behind the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Spyro Regnited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Speaking about the development process, associatecreative director Lou Studdert and creative director Dan Neil said they were "super excited" to be able to work on Crash Team Rumble.

Neil said that throughout the process for Crash 4, they were already thinking about where to take Crash Bandicoot next. "How can we create something fresh and exciting?" he pondered. Studdert also commented that they wanted to take the "authentic core Crash DNA which is tied to intense, precise platforming, and marry that with a multiplayer competitive gameplay." This brand-new approach for Crash Bandicoot is a myriad of different things, but there is one thing it definitely isn't, as Studdert explained. "I want to clear the air first and say it is not a MOBA. Crash Team Rumble is not a MOBA!"

[caption id="attachment_369589" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Toys for Bob[/caption]

The duo ended up summarizing the game as a competitive platformer, and within the official reveal trailer characters such as Crash himself, Coco, and Dingodile can be seen de??monstrating the mechanics around a beach environment. Fireballs rain from the sky as Crash hops from gem to gem hoping to increase his team's multiplier, before eventually depositing all of his Wumpa fruits in the team bank to win the game.

The nature of Crash Team Rumble seems to be that players will be able to easily jump into games for engaging, high-octane fun at a moment's notice. There's nothing too intricate or confusing, and the fun element is definitely present in good, old-fashioned Cras??h Bandicoot style.

Crash Team Rumble will be released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles on June 20. Pre-ordering the Standard or Delu??xe edition of the game will grant access to the closed beta which runs from April 20 to 24.

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Crash & The Boys (and Girls)

At The Game Awards 2022, Activision announced a brand new title set in the zany, madcap world of Crash Bandicoot �but unlike the typical 3D platformers for which the series is renowned, Crash Team Rumble will ?instead see the series' colorful cast square off in a bout of multiplayer m?adness.

Crash Team Rumble, currently in development for PlayStation and Xbox, will see Crash, Coco, Tawna, Dr. Cortex, and many other heroes and villains from the beloved series battle it out in 4-v-4 team-based action. Players will race to gather Wumpa Fruit for?? their squad, racing back to bank it in their home base while defending their stock from the opposing team and getting into frenzied melee scraps out on the battlefield. Each character will be afforded their own special skills and bespoke abilities, so teamwork and character synergy will be the key to claiming victory.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=b??ecrLd9GOB4&ab_channel=CrashBandicoot

"We’re so excited to unveil our fresh new take on multiplayer in the Crash universe with Crash Team Rumble," said Toys for Bob's Paul Yan in a press release. "Crash Team Rumble has something for?? everyone�easy pick-up and play for those who just want to jump in, while also providing skille?d gamers the opportunity to leverage and master their hero’s unique abilities."

While not quite the long-rumored Super Smash Bros. clone that people have been expecting, this all-new take on the wild 'n' wacky world of Crash could prove to be a pretty neat party title, and feels more in the vein of a Splatoon than a Smash Bros. I don't see my boy Ripper Roo just yet, but I do see my mirror image, (Dingodile), so I guess I've fo?und my main already.

Crash Team Rumble will? launch in 2023 on PlayStation and Xbox platfor?ms.

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Plus, Crash 4 is coming to Steam

There might be some Crash Bandicoot news in store for the end of the year. A promotional teaser being set out to influencers has some suspicious details on it, which fans speculat?e may hint at an upcoming reveal.

A promotional pizza box sent to influencer Canadian Guy Eh had the release date for the upcoming Steam release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time on it. It's labelled out with the October 18 rel??ease date.

But below that on the box is something teasing a new "Wumpa Pizza", available for $12.08. That is, as it s?o happens, the date of this year's Game Awards.

//twitter.com/Wario64/status/1578433150895632384

Now, that's t??he one link we've got here. A pizza box, with a conspicuous tease about something, and the month/day combo for this year's Game Awards.

What's next for Crash

There have been a few teases from Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys For Bob about what's in store for the studio. The crew teased that it had some more wall space to cover with its Toys For Bob Wall of Games in August.

And earlier this year, a rumor went around about a new Crash gam??e in development. It certain??ly seems like something could be in the works.

Toys For Bob took the reins on the Crash series after working on Skylanders, and It's About Time was well-received. The team had been shifted onto Call of Duty: Warzone develop??ment, ?but hopefully these teases indicate we'll be seeing more.

As for what exactly that is? We're just going to have ?to wait until The Game Awards t??o find out, I guess.

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Super Crash Bros.

In the week of summer streamin', one can always expect a flurry of leaks and rumors, and 2022 is no exception. Regarding everyone's favorite crate-smashing psycho, Crash Bandicoot, the word on the street is that publisher Activision and developer Toys for Bob are preparing to reveal a brand new brawler/platform fighter starring Crash and The Boys... umm...

The rumor was sparked by Window Central writer (and known spoiler) Jez Corden, speaking on a new episode of the Windows Central Gaming Podcast. According to Corden, Toys for Bob is beavering away at the new title, which is expected to be a chaotic platform fighter in the style of games such as MultiVersus, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and, of course, Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. While the conversation on the podcast was a little spirited and jokey, there was a clear inference that the title could be revealed during this week's run of "non-E3"?? live streams.

Crash Bandicoot, as a franchise, has certainly gotten to the point where it has enough beloved characters to launch its own fighting game. And given that it has already run the gamut of kart racers, puzzle titles, and mobile spin-offs, it seems that stepping it the ring is one of the few genres left for Crash, Coco, Cortex, and co. are left to conquer. I have already decided that Ripper Roo is my main, and we don't even know if he is in the Crash Bandicoot brawler... or even if there is a Crash Bandicoot brawler! I guess we'll just have to keep 'em peeled as the week pro??gresses.

You can check out the full? episode of the Windows Central Gaming Podcast below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwpO_G7OYW8

The post Rumor: Smash Bros.-like Crash Bandicoot brawler in ?the works appeared first on Destructoid.

Zuh?

We're not that far removed from Crash 4, but we are quite a ways away from the debut of Crash Bandicoot on PlayStation. 2?5 years removed, actually! Yikes, time flies.

Developer and current steward of the franchise Toys for Bob is celebrating with a few bits of media, including a historical rundown blog as well as a new studio video.

The clip is extremely short, and features Paul Yan and Avery Lodato, co-studio heads at Toys for Bob. As they muse on the first time they saw Crash Bandicoot in action, we get a montage of games both old and new (alongside a complete and utter lack of Crash Bash in video form); and a tease.

At the end of the video, Yan says:

"Thank you for loudly demanding to see more of your favorite Bandicoot. We couldn't have gotten here without your love and support for this franchise, be sure to follow the Crash Bandicoot and?? Toys for Bob accounts on social for the latest news."

Then Lodato follows that up with:

"?Happy 25th anniversary Crash, we'll see more of you very soon."

"Very soon" eh? The blog also provides a further hint, noting: "Join in on the fun as we look back at a quarter century of Crash and offer a glimpse of things to come."

Well it's either a new entry like Crash 5, a spinoff featuring a new character (Crash 4's multi-character conceit kind of teed this up), or another remaster/remake. The list on the blog announcement could be a clue as to what they could hit next.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKDAqBEBGWA

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