After many many months of speculations, false alarms, bouts of hopes, we are finally shown the next installment in the Spyro the Dragon franchise, a new original game: Spyro: A Realm Beyond.
The cinematic trailer reveals a look at a world different from Spyro's home, threatened by a villain wielding a menacing staff. Spyro himself is given an upgrade, looking slightly older. We are then shown brief gameplay footage of Spyro wheeling through the air collecting
When Spyro finds himself stranded, his journey to discover a way home is interrupted by the arrival of a vicious invading force known as the Scavs. Spyro must make new allies and rise to protect this realm before it’s changed forever. Feel the freedom of flight as you soar above vibrant landscapes, weave between treetops, dive off massive landmarks and wing your way through this new realm in Spyro’s boldest evolution yet. Carve your path through the skies and chain together dives, climbs and tight turns as you navigate the world your way. Crafted by Toys For Bob, this is a new evolution of Spyro, built to send the purple dragon soaring higher than ever before.
For the first time in nearly two decades Spyro returns in a completely original adventure featuring a brand new world, expanded exploration and new gameplay that evolve the classic experience in exciting ways.
Built to welcome a new generation while giving longtime fans something entirely fresh, Spyro: A Realm Beyond invites players to explore, discover, and take flight like never before. That’s right; not gliding, not a limited set of flight levels. True dragon flight.
Renowned voice actor Tom Kenny returns to voice Spyro, bringing the iconic purple dragon into a bold new era.
Toys For Bob revealed details on this upcoming game, including Spyro being able to take to the air at will much like in the console versions of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon. In other classic-based games, Spyro could only glide in regular gameplay and fly in speedways and certain occasions. Here in A Realm Beyond, Spyro is limited to tree-level height, he now flies ABOVE THE TREES AND BEYOND.
From the very start of this development journey, our team was inspired to ask: What might a bold evolution for the series look like? How might Spyro soar to new heights? We knew that this dragon (and community!) deserved a worthy follow-up that did a whole lot more than just rehash nostalgia.
So we spent a lot of time exploring new mechanics that would extend and transform the core “Spyro flow state” – that zen-like feeling of seamlessly charging, jumping and gliding through whimsical, dream-like worlds chasing the next shiny gem.
That line of discovery led us to one important conclusion: Spyro deserves to truly SOAR.
Not just a glide. Not just a limited set of flight levels. But true dragon flight. This became the guiding light of our aspirations: bring the full power, speed, and control of dragon flight to the Spyro experience.
Even in our earliest prototypes, being able to take to the skies at a moment’s notice to break through the clouds, weave through the branches of colossal trees, and dive off sky-scraping aqueducts was immediately exhilarating to everyone who experienced it and a huge confirmation that this was the right dream to chase. This is what it means for Spyro to soar to new heights.
At Toys for Bob, we are first and foremost Spyro fans.
For years, we’ve wanted to see Spyro achieve a future worthy of his legacy – not just a brief return, but an impressive new chapter that feels bigger, freer, and more alive than ever before. This is the game we’ve desperately been wanting to play ourselves, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally share this ambition with the world.
Through the bravery and boldness of venturing into the unknown as a small independent studio, our team poured more than three decades of love, passion, and soul into building the game we’ve always wanted to make. Much like Spyro himself, this is not a story about starting over, it’s about building the next chapter on a strong foundation with more fire in our bellies and more passion in our hearts than ever before.
For longtime fans, we hope it recaptures that irreplaceable feeling of comfort flowing through levels in search of treasure. For newcomers, we hope it introduces you to one of gaming’s most beloved heroes.
Today is just the first glimpse. There’s so much more to show in the months ahead, and we can’t wait to reveal more.
If we’ve piqued your curiosity, please wishlist the game, spread the word, and get ready to SOAR!
Spyro is back.
An Xbox interview with Toys For Bob's Paul Yan revealed some more details on the new Spyro title:
This is the mighty return of a beloved character for many – how does it feel to be bringing Spyro back in an original game after all this time?
Paul Yan: First and foremost, at Toys for Bob, we are huge Spyro fans ourselves and we are so excited that “the adventure continues”. I know the wait has been excruciating but we’re so thrilled to finally come out of stealth and confirm that a new Spyro game is indeed what we’ve been up to these past few years.
The little purple dragon means so much to us – we have a long history together; Spyro was the main inspiration that led to the innovations of the Skylanders series that we pioneered, and the remake of the original three games built from the ground up in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy – which reintroduced Spyro to a modern audience. Ever since then, we’ve been dreaming of what an original new adventure would look like, and that dream has manifested in Spyro: A Realm Beyond.
Spyro’s design has gone through many iterations, from the original trilogy, to Skylanders, through to the (fabulously redeeming) Reignited Trilogy design. In the reveal, we see Spyro sporting a brand-new look – what were your biggest inspirations for creating it?
Yan: “Fabulously redeeming” is wild – and funny! From the start, our goal was to make this Spyro feel familiar – but evolved. The way I see it, the Skylanders version of Spyro is a totally different character than “mainline” Spyro, so I’m glad to see that you see the thread connecting the original games to the Reignited expression of Spyro’s design.
That design went through countless iterations, and we had deep conversations with many of the original developers of the classic games to get to the heart of who Spyro is to make sure that those qualities came through on screen. In Spyro: A Realm Beyond, we are continuing the design decisions made in Reignited but evolving him for a new set of problems that will require new skills.
Visually, we’ve made some subtle changes to suggest he’s grown since the last we saw him – most notably, we’ve enhanced his wingspan so that he can be much more capable in flight. But this is absolutely the same Spyro you know and love, and that’s why we’re so thrilled to have Tom Kenny back to voice him! Tom’s performance delivers the plucky youthful courage that is such an important aspect of Spyro’s personality.
Much more capable in flight, you say? We do see Spyro flying without limits for the first time, in previous games he can only glide. Why did this change feel important for this new game?
Yan: In the classic games, Spyro could gently glide down from jumps and, in a handful of separate mini-levels, he could fly under time-pressure. I’ve always wondered what it would be like if these two experiences could somehow be collapsed into Spyro’s core ability kit. That question is the heart of the design ambition for Spyro: A Realm Beyond. As more of us started to poke at that question, it quickly became apparent that this was the right evolution for Spyro – take to the skies and own the airtime.
In Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Spyro will experience the freedom of true dragon flight. He’s small, but mighty, so we had to do a lot of different experiments to explore how he could be both nimble and still be very physical when actively pushing his way through the air.
Spyro has always existed in unique, whimsical worlds with plenty of exploration – can we expect to see that same style and charm carried into Spyro: A Realm Beyond?
Yan: One. Hundred. Percent. We know first-hand that a big part of what makes a Spyro game really resonate is having a wide variety of colorful, whimsical spaces with activities, characters, and treasures that motivate you to explore every nook and cranny. In Spyro: A Realm Beyond, the sense of discovery is absolutely core to this new adventure. You got to see a little peek at the world in the announcement trailer, and I can’t wait to share more with you in time.
For now, I can tell you that our biggest ambition in Spyro: A Realm Beyond is to give the player the freedom and fantasy of dragon flight – to be able to take the skies at a moment’s notice and make interesting and active decisions to flow through the spaces as you charge on the ground and now soar through the air. This is such a significant addition to the game, and we’ve built a whole world around that promise.
Tonally, Spyro: A Realm Beyond feels more grown up than previous Spyro titles – why did that feel like the right direction to take?
Yan: A big reason why I love Spyro games is that they are ultimately joyful, dream-like experiences full of charming, quirky friends and Spyro: A Realm Beyond certainly builds on that important foundation. In the showcase announcement trailer, you may have noticed that we are introducing the threat of a new antagonist in this story, and his presence will raise the stakes. He will challenge Spyro’s abilities and push him to new emotional depths that will see Spyro grow as a hero. It’s a story full of heart and I can’t wait for you to experience this new journey.
Finally… can you tease anything that long term fans can look forward to?
Yan: I can tease that… there will be so much more to share!! This is just the beginning. To the long-term fans – you are an incredible community, and I love that you’re so deeply committed every year to celebrating and advocating for Spyro to have a new original mainline game. Our team thanks you. After nearly two decades, the time has come.
More details of this new game will be revealed down the line. Hopefully soon! The release date is next year in Spring 2027.
As part of this special announcement, I am one of the Spyro game influencers chosen to receive this special gift from Activision: a chest filled with gems with a scroll stamped with a purple 'S'. I love the amount of detail they put into it, especially the scroll itself along with the chest full of plastic gems to add to the Spyro feel.
No comments:
Post a Comment