Spyro 4 Leaked? Toys For Bob Dev's Resume Just Spilled The Beans
If you have been burning sage and praying to the platformer gods for a new Spyro game, you might finally have a reason to stop crying.
We have been in a content drought that would make a desert look like an oasis. While Crash Bandicoot got his glorious fourth entry, Spyro fans have been stuck replaying the Reignited Trilogy and hoping Activision remembers they exist. Well, it turns out Toys For Bob hasn't forgotten. In fact, they might have been working on the sequel right under our noses. A recent discovery on a former developer's LinkedIn profile has effectively confirmed that a new Spyro title was in active development as of last year.
The Oopsie on LinkedIn
The leak comes courtesy of Donald Yatomi, a former artist at Toys For Bob. It seems he updated his LinkedIn profile a little too accurately, listing "Spyro 4" among his projects.
This isn't some vague "Unannounced Project" listing that we have to squint at. He explicitly named the purple dragon. According to a video by Canadian Guy Eh, who broke down the discovery, this confirms that Toys For Bob was actively developing the title before their recent shift to becoming an independent studio.
It is rare to get confirmation this solid. Usually, we are dealing with blurry screenshots or "my uncle works at Nintendo" stories. But a direct credit on a professional resume is about as close to a smoking gun as you can get without an official press release.
Is It Still Alive?
Here is the million-dollar question. Toys For Bob recently split from Activision to go independent, though they struck a deal to partner with Microsoft for their next game.
Does this mean Spyro 4 was the game they took with them? Or was this a project that died on the vine before the split? Personally, I am betting on the former. Microsoft owns the IP now, and Toys For Bob is the only studio that has proven they understand how to make these mascots feel good to play in a modern engine. It would be absolute madness to cancel a sequel to a trilogy that sold millions of copies.
Why We Need This
Crash 4: It’s About Time proved that the "mascot platformer" isn't dead; it just needed to stop trying to be something it wasn't. Toys For Bob nailed the physics, the art style, and the difficulty. If they apply that same love to Spyro, we are looking at a potential masterpiece.
I just hope this leak forces their hand. We have waited long enough. If the game was in development last year, there is a playable build somewhere. Microsoft, do the right thing. Let the dragon fly.
Source: Canadian Guy Eh via YouTube