Youtooz has released their promotional photos of their upcoming Skylanders Chop Chop and Drobot plushies. Previously the plushies had incorrect features that the original designs didn't have, like Chop Chop's helmet angled backwards and Drobot's snout pushed in. Fans were quick to point them out and Youtooz made the decision to delay the Drobot and Chop Chop plushies until their designs are fixed.
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Kinda Funny Games did an interview with Toys For Bob's Lou Studdert and Paul Yan on Spyro: A Realm Beyond.
Vision for Spyro
- The new Spyro is the team's dream project.
- The character is based on the original trilogy: tone, personality, and voice; not a reboot like Legend of Spyro.
- The game is an evolution of the franchise, exploring new locations and expanding the narrative.
- Every Spyro game should have charm, memorable characters, fluid movement, and exploration.
- Gems remain a very important part of the experience.
- They are leaning heavily into the fantasy of being a dragon.
Exploration & Flight
- Players can explore both on the ground and in the air—the choice is theirs.
- Dragon flight is a core addition to Spyro's movement kit.
- Flight was the cornerstone of the project from the beginning, with the world designed around it.
- Flying builds upon the fluid controls and animations from Spyro Reignited Trilogy and adds new ways to explore rather than replacing ground movement.
- Levels feature significantly more verticality and layered environments to support flight.
- The goal is for players to see distant locations and think, "How do I get there?" by combining abilities and environmental interactions.
- They don't want the game to feel like a flight simulator.
Flight mechanics
- Flight is fully active rather than automatic.
- Players must flap Spyro's wings to maintain speed and momentum.
- Diving increases speed.
- Flame breath can ignite campfires to create lift.
- Sky rings provide speed boosts.
- The challenge comes from chaining these mechanics together to stay airborne.
- Spyro's flame breath has greater range while flying, functioning more like fireballs, whereas on the ground it behaves more like a flamethrower.
Design Philosophy
- Spyro is about zen-like, fluid movement through beautiful worlds.
- This is fundamentally different from Crash's precision platforming.
- The studio loves creating colorful characters with exceptional controls.
- There were few games to draw inspiration from for this type of flight system, so much of it required pioneering new ideas.
Why It's Not "Spyro 4"
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time continued the original trilogy directly because later entries had drifted away from the original gameplay.
- Spyro is intentionally not numbered to make it welcoming for newcomers.
- It contains references for longtime fans but is designed as a fresh experience anyone can start with.
Relationship to Skylanders
- Nothing carries over from Skylanders besides lessons the team learned about humor.
- The two series exist in completely separate universes.
Development
- Development has been underway for a little over two years.
- The team feels confident about a Spring 2027 release.
- Their preferred development cycle is around 2–3 years.
- They describe themselves as a nimble, efficient studio with strong scope management.
- There were moments where the project became over-scoped, requiring difficult cuts to stay on budget and schedule.
Toys for Bob & Independence
- The team originally wanted to work on Spyro but was assigned to Crash Bandicoot 4.
- They later pitched a new Spyro game to Xbox alongside their proposal to become an independent studio.
- Transitioning to independence was smooth, although establishing the new company required significant work.
- They had a strong relationship with Activision, but the pandemic changed priorities.
- The studio was required to support projects like Warzone and Overwatch 2.
- Toys for Bob eventually split into multiple teams and felt they were moving away from the types of games they loved making.
- After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, they sought independence to focus on those games again.
- Xbox leadership supported this decision.
- The studio operates fully remotely, having shipped Crash Bandicoot 4, Crash Team Rumble, and their support work on Warzone remotely.
Choosing Spyro
- The team has many original ideas.
- Spyro was chosen because it made the strongest business case, particularly due to its sales history.
- They prefer working with established characters because timeless franchises come with passionate existing audiences.
Crash Team Rumble
- Crash Team Rumble was not created because of the live-service trend.
- The concept was prototyped before Crash Bandicoot 4.
- The goal was to make a Crash spinoff that still felt like Crash rather than another racing game.
The Future of 3D Platformers
- They believe 3D platformers are experiencing a resurgence.
- Examples mentioned include Astro Bot and the Rayman remake.
- Spyro and Crash have very different gameplay philosophies, making another crossover game difficult.
- The team are huge fans of Banjo-Kazooie and would love to work on the series if given the opportunity, describing those games as timeless.