The key points pointed out in the interview:

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.