It seems like all of Activision’s studios eventually end up on its flagship franchises in one way or another. Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys For Bob is now supporting Raven with development on Call of Duty: Warzone Season Three, with the support expected to continue beyond that limited timeframe.
Toys for Bob is proud to support development for Season 3 of Call of Duty #Warzone, and look forward to more to come. #LETSGO dev squads! #Verdansk84 pic.twitter.com/ERmFSWeaIk
— Toys For Bob (@ToysForBob) April 29, 2021
It’s unclear if the entirety of the Toys For Bob studio is working on Warzone content, or if they are simply lending support while working on other projects at the same time. It’s not uncommon for Activision to shuffle its support studios around to assist with development on its bigger franchises. Warzone in particular is a huge focus for the publisher right now and a massive undertaking that’s shifted hands numerous times while Activision juggles premium releases with live service support. First developed by Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward, ongoing support and development for Warzone was handed off to Raven Software, presumably to allow Infinity Ward to begin production on its next game (rumored to be Modern Warfare 2).
Still, it seems like the ambitions for Warzone are much bigger than a single studio can offer, and Toys For Bob is assisting with development in a big enough way that the studio felt it suitable to announce it. If Warzone want to continue offering new massive live events, seasonal changes, and potential new maps, Raven needs the support of an additional team to help develop that content.
Toys For Bob was primarily known as the Skylanders studio for a long time, before they developed the critically acclaimed Spyro Reignited Trilogy, bringing back the classic games for a modern audience. They then created an all-new Crash Bandicoot adventure in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, taking that series over from Crash N. Sane Trilogy developer Vicarious Visions who had gone on to develop Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Remastered 1 + 2. Vicarious Visions is now fully a Blizzard support studio, presumably working on Diablo 2 Resurrected and other projects, and Toys For Bob has moved on to Warzone development.
What this means for the future of Spyro, Crash, and Tony Hawk remains to be seen. Activision support studios High Moon and Beenox have both also had heavy contributions to the recent premium Call of Duty releases, and it’s expected they will each continue to do so in order to achieve the tight deadlines that each yearly release demands.
Rumors are currently swirling that progress on this year’s premium Call of Duty title isn’t going as well as hoped. Activision has bitten off a large chunk by adding Warzone to the mix along with regular seasonal content, updates, and events to keep the ravenous players sated. It seems like the venture is paying off, however. Call of Duty as a franchise has reached new records, and Activision appears to be throwing the weight of a good majority of its development studios into keeping up with the tight recurring schedule and delivering on player demands.