Crash Bandicoot
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Crash Bandicoot'' is a
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series consists predominantly of
platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
s, but also includes spin-offs in the
kart racing Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...
and
party game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Lillia ...
genres. The series was originally produced by Universal Interactive, which later became known as
Vivendi Games Vivendi Games (formerly known as CUC Software, Cendant Software, Havas Interactive, Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing and Vivendi Universal Games) was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was foun ...
; in 2008, Vivendi merged with
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
, which currently owns and publishes the franchise. The games are mostly set on the fictitious Wumpa Islands, an archipelago situated to the south of Australia where humans and
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...
animals co-exist, although other locations are common. The protagonists of the series are a pair of genetically enhanced
bandicoot Bandicoots are a group of more than 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial, largely nocturnal marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region, including the Bismarck Archipela ...
s named Crash and Coco, whose quiet lives on the Wumpa Islands are often interrupted by their creator and the games' main
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Doctor Neo Cortex Doctor Neo Periwinkle Cortex is a character and the main antagonist of the '' Crash Bandicoot'' video game series. He has appeared in every mainline game in the series as Crash Bandicoot's archenemy, as well as a playable character in several s ...
, who attempts to eliminate Crash as a constant hindrance to his plots for world domination.


History


1996–2000: PlayStation exclusivity

After presenting '' Way of the Warrior'' to Mark Cerny of Universal Interactive Studios, Naughty Dog was signed on to the company for three additional games. In August 1994, Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin began their move from
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. During the trip, Gavin and Rubin decided to create a 3D action-platform game, taking inspiration from 16-bit-era game series such as '' Donkey Kong Country'', ''
Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...
'' and '' Sonic''. Because the player would be forced to constantly look at the character's backside, the game was jokingly code-named " Sonic's Ass Game". The basic technology for the game and the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series as a whole was created somewhere near Gary,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The rough game theory was designed near
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. Soon afterward, Gavin and Rubin discarded their previous game design for ''Al O. Saurus and Dinestein'', a side-scrolling video game based on
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
and scientists genetically merged with
dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s. After moving into the Universal Studios backlot, Gavin and Rubin met with Mark Cerny, discussed the design of the game and made an agreement to go into production. In September 1994, Gavin and Rubin decided to develop their new game for the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
, after which Rubin began character design. In November 1994, Naughty Dog hired Dave Baggett, their first employee and a friend of Gavin's from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
. Together, Gavin and Baggett created the development tool "Game Oriented Object
LISP Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
" (GOOL), which would be used to create the characters and gameplay of the game. In January 1995, Rubin became concerned about the programmer-to-artist ratio and hired Bob Rafei and Taylor Kurosaki as additional artists. Needing a lead character for the game, Naughty Dog recruited artists Charles Zembillas and Joe Pearson and met with them weekly to create the characters and environments of the game, eventually creating a character named "Willy the
Wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. Living species are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are ...
". The marketing director of Universal Interactive insisted that the character be named "Wez", "Wuzzles" or "Wizzy the Wombat". On creating the levels for the game, Zembillas and Pearson first sketched each environment, designing and creating additional individual elements later. They aimed for an organic, overgrown look to the game and worked to completely avoid straight lines and 90-degree corners. A Naughty Dog artist sketched every single background object in the game before it was modeled. The artists were tasked with making the best use of textures and reducing the amount of geometry. Dark and light elements were juxtaposed to create visual interest and separate geometry. The Naughty Dog artists would squint when sketching, texturing and playing the levels to make sure they could be played by light value alone. Correct use of color was an important goal for Naughty Dog's artists; for example, mutually accentuating colors were chosen as the theme for the "Lost City" and "Sunset Vista" levels. The interior of Doctor Neo Cortex's castle was designed to reflect Cortex's twisted mind. After the main character's creation, the team went into three months of developing the game. The game first became functional in April 1995 and became playable in June 1995. The first 3 levels in the game were completed by August 1995. However, they were judged to be too difficult to appear so early in the game and were moved to the game's power plant area. Artist Charlotte Francis joined Naughty Dog at around this time. In September 1995, a videotape of ''Crash Bandicoot'' was shown to
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
behind closed doors. While playing the game during development, Rubin realized that there were many empty areas in the game due to the PlayStation's inability to process numerous on-screen enemy characters at the same time. Additionally, players were solving the game's puzzles too fast. Rubin soon came up with the idea of a box and putting various symbols on the sides to create puzzles. Breaking these boxes would serve to fill in the boring parts of the levels and give the player additional puzzles. The first "crate" was placed in the game in January 1996, and would become the primary gameplay element of the series. Willy the Wombat's destruction of the crates would eventually lead him to be renamed "Crash Bandicoot". In March 1996, Sony agreed to publish ''Crash Bandicoot'', which went into the alpha stage in April 1996. ''Crash Bandicoot'' was first shown at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
in May 1996. Development of ''Cortex Strikes Back'' began in October 1996. For the game, Andy Gavin created a new engine and scripting language named "Game Oriented Object
LISP Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation. Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
2" (GOOL 2) that was three times faster than the previous game's engine, could handle ten times the animation frames and twice the polygon count. The jungle levels were originally to have featured ground fog, but this was abandoned when magazines and the public began to heavily criticize other developers for using fog to hide polygon count. Sunlight and depth accentuation was experimented with for these levels. Wanting to have some "dirty" locations in the game, Naughty Dog worked in the sewer levels and added color contrast to the levels to show depth and break up the repetitive monotony of the endless sewer pipes. A flat plane z-buffer was created for the game; because the water surfaces and mud in the jungle had to be a flat plane and be exactly flat on the Y-axis, there could be no waves and the subdividing plane could not be at an odd angle. The effect only worked on objects in the foreground and was only used on Crash, some enemies and a few boxes at the same time. The soundtrack of ''Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back'' was provided by Mutato Muzika (consisting of Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancell), while the sound effects were created by Universal Sound Studios (consisting of Mike Gollom, Ron Horwitz and Kevin Spears). The characters were designed by Charles Zembillas of American Exitus, Incorporated.
Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
provided the voice of Doctor Neo Cortex, while Brendan O'Brien voiced the dual role of Doctor N. Gin and Doctor Nitrus Brio and Vicki Winters voiced Coco Bandicoot. Universal, pp. 14–15 The game was unveiled at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia in June 1997 to a positive response from the game industry. The game went into the alpha stage in August 1997. Around that time, Dan Arey, the lead designer of '' Gex: Enter the Gecko'', joined Naughty Dog and streamlined the level design. Like the first, the second game was a commercial success, green-lighting a third game. Production of ''Crash Bandicoot: Warped'' began in January 1998, with Naughty Dog given only 10½ months to complete the game. Programmers Andy Gavin, Stephen White and Greg Omi created three new gameplay engines for the game. Two of the three new engines were three-dimensional in nature and were created for the airplane and jet-ski levels; the third new engine was created for the motorcycle levels in the style of a
driving simulator Driving simulators are used for entertainment as well as in training of driver's education courses taught in educational institutions and private businesses. They are also used for research purposes in the area of human factors and medical rese ...
. The new engines combined make up a third of the game, while the other two-thirds of the game consist of the tweaked engine used in the previous games. Jason Rubin explained that the "classic" engine and game style was preserved due to the success of the previous two games and went on to say that "were we to abandon that style of gameplay, that would mean that we would be abandoning a significant proportion of gamers out there". An arbitrary plane z-buffer was created for the jet-ski and flooded Egyptian hallway levels of the game. To create a completely fluid feel for the water on these levels, an environment map that reflects the sky was fitted onto the surface of the water. A real
shadow A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensio ...
was given to the Crash character at the request of the Sony Computer Entertainment America producers, who were "sick of that little discus that's following him around." To create an "arcade" experience in the airplane levels and to differentiate them from flight simulators, the enemy planes were programmed to come out in front of the player and give the player ample time to shoot them before they turn around and shoot the player rather than come up behind the player and hit them from behind. The Relic system was introduced to give players a reason to return to the game after it has been completed. Also in 1998,
Tiger Electronics Tiger Electronics Ltd. (also known as Tiger and Tiger Toys) is an American toy manufacturer best known for its handheld electronic games, the Furby, the Talkboy, Giga Pets, the 2-XL robot, and audio games such as '' Brain Warp'' and the ...
released a series called ''99X'', each containing a black and white video game as opposed to the LCD games they were commonly known for. These were handhelds fitted with a dot-matrix screen, allowing for a wide variety of backgrounds and gameplay for a single game. Although running a software program stored in ROM, the systems were
dedicated console A dedicated console is a video game console that is limited to one or more built-in video game or games, and is not equipped for additional games that are Digital distribution in video games, distributed via ROM cartridges, Compact disc, discs, d ...
s, similar to the plug-and-play TV games of the 2000s decade. A Crash Bandicoot game, simply titled ''Crash Bandicoot'', was released as part of this series. Despite its name and being a platformer like its predecessors, it is not an adaptation of nor bears any relation to the 1996 game, instead featuring a plot of its own involving Crash retrieving treasure from a mansion haunted by a ghost named Mr. Crumb and his cronies. This was the first handheld game to be released in the series, as well as the first to include a multiplayer mode. While initially Naughty Dog was only signed on to make three games, ''Crash Team Racing'' was a possible ''Crash 3'' as it started out in production after ''Crash 2'' and the game which was finished first in production would be released first. However, Naughty Dog had already gotten far into the project and decided to finish it and release it. David Baggett produced the game's soundtrack, with Mark Mothersbaugh and Josh Mancell of Mutato Muzika composing the music. Sound effects were created by Mike Gollum, Ron Horwitz and Kevin Spears of Universal Sound Studios.Instruction Booklet, p. 26. This marked the end of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot games. With the release of '' Crash Bash'', Universal Interactive's publishing deal with SCE had ended. Crash's prominent status within the video game community prompted the company to make Crash a multiplatform series, giving the series to Mark Cerny and
Vicarious Visions Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game development division of Blizzard Entertainment based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1991, the company was acquired by Activision in January 2005. In January 2021, Vica ...
to develop two separate but connected games.


2001–2006: Transition to third party

'' Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex'' was originally to be designed by Cerny and published by Sony. After a falling-out between Universal and the two entities, developer
Traveller's Tales Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own games, it grew in profile through developing game ...
was forced to alter the game from a free-roaming title to a standard ''Crash'' title. Traveller's Tales had to begin development of the game from scratch and were given only twelve months to complete it. The game was released in 2001 by Universal and
Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
(who would publish the game in Japan) for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, and was followed by ports for
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
and
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
in 2002; it received mixed reviews but made the Greatest Hits lineup due to strong sales. The following year, Universal would release their first Crash Bandicoot game, a handheld exclusive called '' The Huge Adventure'' developed by Vicarious Visions for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
and released to favorable reviews. It would warrant a sequel, '' N-Tranced'', which would also be met to similar reception. During this time Traveller's Tales' Oxford Studio were developing a new ''Crash'' game for consoles. This game was to be ''
Crash Nitro Kart ''Crash Nitro Kart'' is a 2003 kart racing game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Universal Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (console), Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance, with abridged ports later released in 2004 for the ...
'' but due to unknown circumstances Universal moved development of ''Crash Nitro Kart'' over to Vicarious Visions. Traveller's Tales Oxford Studio then moved on to their next project, ''Crash Bandicoot Evolution''. ''Crash Bandicoot Evolution'' was set to create a new form of gameplay for Crash, with the game planned to be a platformer/RPG with many different elements planned for the game; it eventually became '' Crash Twinsanity''. Although Traveller's Tales planned on creating a Crash Bandicoot game titled ''Cortex Chaos'' and a sequel to ''Crash Twinsanity'', Universal never picked up the games, effectively cancelling them. Vicarious Visions's fourth and final game was '' Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage'' for the Game Boy Advance, a crossover with the ''
Spyro ''Spyro'' is a Platformer, platform game series originally created by Insomniac Games as an exclusive for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony's PlayStation (console), PlayStation console. The series features the adventures of the main protagon ...
'' franchise and companion game to ''Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy''. Although ''Cortex Chaos'' and the sequel to ''Crash Twinsanity'' were cancelled, Traveller's Tales was nonetheless commissioned to develop one final Crash Bandicoot game. It was to be a kart racing game titled ''Crash Clash Racing''. However, Traveller's Tales was taken off the project as it was given to Radical Entertainment. The new studio proceeded to change the project into an entirely new game, keeping only two core ideas, clashing and fusion. The game marked the first game published under Universal's Sierra Entertainment brand, and the first game to use Radical's Titanium Engine, receiving the title '' Crash Tag Team Racing''. The following year
Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''List of Dragon Ball video games, Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises ...
developed '' Crash Boom Bang!'', which was released on July 20, 2006 for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
. Due to the game being developed in Japan it features redesigns of the characters originally used in Japanese promotion artwork of the original PlayStation games, though Crash's model was altered to resemble his ''Twinsanity'' model in international releases. The game received highly negative reviews from critics and is considered one of the worst ''Crash'' games of all time.


2007–2010: Redesign

Development on ''
Crash of the Titans ''Crash of the Titans'' is a 2007 platform game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' series not to h ...
'', Radical's second title, began after the completion of ''Crash Tag Team Racing''. The graphics of the Wii version of the game was one of Radical Entertainment's main focuses in the game's development, with Radical stating that the Wii has "a lot of horsepower under the hood" and expressing their desire to make full use of it. They also considered implementing a feature to connect the Wii to DS during gameplay, but stopped due to technical issues and time limitations. The
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
version got a few extra months of development time to improve its graphics before setting a final release date. The game was the last of the series to be published by Vivendi Games before its merge with
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
. While the game was being developed, the title's main character, Crash Bandicoot, became the new mascot of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "School and Youth" programs in an effort to promote the battle against blood cancer. In a bid to further promote the game, a
Hummer Hummer (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of Pickup truck, pickups launched in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a model under GMC (automob ...
was painted with imagery from the game and displayed at the Annual Balloon Fiesta in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, United Kingdom. A "Monster Edition" of the game was released exclusively in Europe on October 12, 2007 for the PlayStation 2. This special edition of the game features "Making-of" videos, water-on tattoos, game hints, a cheat code list, and the game's E3 and theatrical trailers in multiple languages. Due to its "mild cartoon violence and language", the game received a PG rating from the
BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...
. Development on '' Crash: Mind over Mutant'', Radical's third and final Crash title, began immediately after the completion of ''Crash of the Titans''. The idea of preserving a Titan for later use came from the play testing sessions of ''Crash of the Titans'', in which the testers were found to be reluctant to leave the Titans behind after an epic battle was won. Fans of the series were also a source of inspiration for ''Crash: Mind over Mutant'', having such wishes as a free-roaming environment, Coco Bandicoot being a playable character and the return of the character Doctor Nitrus Brio. Full camera control was considered for the game, but was rejected for graphical reasons and to avoid having to insert a split-screen view in the cooperation mode. Online gameplay was also considered as a feature in the finished game, but was omitted due to the brief development schedule. Coco Bandicoot as a playable character was omitted from the PlayStation 2 version of the game due to her distinct animations taking up much of the console's memory. The Wii version of ''Crash: Mind over Mutant'' was created first, with the graphics scaled up for the Xbox 360, and scaled down for the PlayStation 2. In 2010, rumors appeared that Radical Entertainment was developing a fourth ''Crash Bandicoot'' title, under the name ''Crash Landed'', but due to large layoffs in the studio, the game was cancelled with all remaining developers put to work on '' Prototype 2''. The DS edition of this game would be in development by Renegade Kid for approximately two weeks before similarly being cancelled by Activision. High Impact Games was developing a reboot of ''Crash Team Racing'' for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, but the game was cancelled by Activision before the initial prototype. Several ideas for the game eventually made it into '' DreamWorks Super Star Kartz''.


2011–2016: Hiatus

On a
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
interview with then-Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg regarding the future of the ''Crash'' series, he said, "I don't have anything official to announce, but I can speak as an individual, I love ''Crash Bandicoot''. Those were some of my favorite video games growing up. And I would love to find a way to bring him back, if we could." Andy Gavin, co-creator of Crash Bandicoot, has said that he would love to see an HD version of the marsupial's first four games, or even a full-blown reboot. Jason Rubin, co-creator of Crash Bandicoot, said he was hopeful that Activision would "bring Crash back to their glory days and that the character is still very dear to fans between 18–49 years". A new design of Crash Bandicoot was spotted in a photo from the
Vicarious Visions Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game development division of Blizzard Entertainment based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1991, the company was acquired by Activision in January 2005. In January 2021, Vica ...
's studio, raising rumors that a new game might have been in development, though this was later confirmed to be concept art from a previous Crash Bandicoot cancelled game. In June 2013, co-creator Andy Gavin suggested ways to revitalize the series. "Crash needs a total reboot. There's an opportunity to reset the history, and go back to his creation story and the original conflict with Cortex. In that context, you could reprise classic ''Crash'' 1 and 2's settings and villains. It would make sense to use a more modern, free-roaming style. I would concentrate on ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
''-esque animation and really addictive action. That's what we did with the original ''Crash'', and there's no reason it couldn't be done today. Given the current ''Crash'' games, people forget that he was once cool. Our Crash had a certain whimsical edge to him. Sure, it was goofy—but it wasn't dumb.". In November 2013, rumours began circulating that Sony bought the rights to the franchise from Activision. Speculations were fueled after the release of
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
's #4ThePlayers campaign, featuring a road sign with a silhouette of ''Crash'', and an arrow pointing towards the orange diamond logo of
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
. Publications such as
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
reported that ''Crash'' was removed from
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
's official website, which seemed to add further credibility to the rumor. However, shortly after, this was proven false, as an Activision representative told ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' that " ctivision still owns''Crash Bandicoot'' and we continue to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series to life". In July 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House revealed that reviving the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series was something that they have been thinking about, saying "It's never off the table.", and Naughty Dog also revealed through an
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
interview the possibility that they may revive both series of ''Crash Bandicoot'' as well as ''Jak & Daxter''. In January 2015, however, Naughty Dog's Josh Scherr stated in an interview with Game Informer that Naughty Dog did not miss working on either series and had no intention of bringing them back to life. Despite this, Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells stated that the company would love to return to ''Crash Bandicoot'' but did not see it as viable. On December 5, 2015, rumors of a possible ''Crash Bandicoot'' return flared up once again when SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman and SCEA President and CEO Shawn Layden appeared onstage at
PlayStation Experience PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public an ...
wearing a Crash Bandicoot shirt. Layden, however, never mentioned the series at the event, and has yet to address why he wore the shirt. In February 2016, a new ''Crash'' game appeared to be on the horizon when NECA Director of Product Development Randy Falk stated in an interview with YouTuber Pixel Dan that the company had "a lot of stuff going on with Sony" before mentioning that "I see they're bringing Crash Bandicoot back, so there's some great stuff there." Shortly after, however, an NECA representative clarified with
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
that Falk's comments were misunderstood, and that Falk was only speaking of a hypothetical return of the series after seeing a fan-made Crash art just before being interviewed. Naughty Dog's 2016 game '' Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' features protagonist Nathan Drake playing a level from the original ''Crash Bandicoot'', further adding to the rumor that a return for the series was imminent. Speculation was fueled even further when it was discovered that Activision's legal ownership of the franchise was not mentioned anywhere in the game's credits, sparking rumors that the franchise had been purchased by Sony.
Lex Lang Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise, Suguru ...
, the then-most-recent voice actor of Dr. Neo Cortex, also hinted on Facebook that he was asked to reprise his role. However, shortly after, the rumors and speculations were derailed when Sony VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes confirmed on Twitter that Activision still owns the rights to the franchise, and Lang clarified that he was not teasing a ''Crash Bandicoot'' revival, and that he had not been asked to return to the series, but would be open to potentially lending his voice to a new ''Crash'' game in the future.


2016–present: Revival

At
E3 2016 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016) was the 22nd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to attendees, primarily retailers and m ...
during Sony's press conference, after years of rumors, speculation and outcry, Crash Bandicoot finally made his official return when it was announced, in a timed partnership with Activision, that the first three games from the original PlayStation would be remade from the ground up. Crash would also be a playable character in Activision's then-upcoming toys-to-life game '' Skylanders: Imaginators'', released on October 16, 2016. It was announced at
Gamescom Gamescom (stylized as ''gamescom'') is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming event, with 370,000 visitors and 1,037 exhibitors from 56 ...
2016 that Dr. Neo Cortex would also be playable in ''Imaginators'', and that a ''Crash''-themed level was created for the game, "Thumpin' Wumpa Islands". The '' Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy'', a collection of remasters of the first three games in the series, was developed by
Vicarious Visions Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game development division of Blizzard Entertainment based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1991, the company was acquired by Activision in January 2005. In January 2021, Vica ...
and released for the PlayStation 4 on June 30, 2017. Vicarious Visions had also expressed interest in making a new ''Crash Bandicoot'' game following the ''N. Sane Trilogy''s release. Two additional levels were added as post-launch downloadable content, and the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' was eventually ported to the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
, and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
on June 29, 2018 with assistance from ''Skylanders'' developer
Toys for Bob Toys for Bob, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Novato, California. It was founded in 1989 by Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford (programmer), Fred Ford and is best known for creating ''Star Control'' and the ''Skylanders'' franchise ...
. During an interview with Metro Game Central, Vicarious Visions producer Kara Massie refused to rule out the possibility of a remaster of ''Crash Team Racing'' for the PlayStation 4. Massie has also acknowledged that she was repeatedly asked about revivals of ''Crash Team Racing'' and ''Spyro the Dragon'' by fans. At the time, Massie had not confirmed if the games would be in the works following the release of ''N. Sane Trilogy''. A remake of ''Crash Team Racing'' was teased on December 4, 2018 when then-PlayStation Access presenter Hollie Bennett shared an image of two orange fuzzy dice on Twitter, with an announcement to come two days later at the 2018 Game Awards. The remaster, titled '' Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'', was formally revealed at the awards show and released on June 21, 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with no current plans for a PC version. The remaster was developed from the ground up by Beenox, another subsidiary of Activision, and also incorporates remastered characters, tracks & karts from ''
Crash Nitro Kart ''Crash Nitro Kart'' is a 2003 kart racing game developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Universal Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox (console), Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance, with abridged ports later released in 2004 for the ...
'' (previously developed by Vicarious Visions) as well as remastered characters, karts, and skins from '' Crash Tag Team Racing''. The game also features retro-themed content exclusive to the PlayStation 4 version and monthly timed Grand Prix races with additional unlockable characters at no extra charge. On June 21, 2020, the official ''Crash Bandicoot'' social media channels posted a teaser revealing the title of the next ''Crash Bandicoot'' game, '' Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time''; the game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 2, 2020, and for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
, and
Xbox Series X and Series S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
on March 12, 2021. '' Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!'', an
endless running game Endless or The Endless may refer to: Business * Endless (private equity), a British firm * Endless.com, an e-commerce website selling shoes and accessories * Endless Computers, an American operating system company Film * The Endless (film), ''Th ...
for Android and
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
, was announced in July 2020, after
soft launch A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it wi ...
ing on Android in select regions in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
on April 22, 2020 under the title ''Crash Bandicoot Mobile''. The game, developed and published by
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
in collaboration with Activision, was released on March 25, 2021. In December 2022, multiplayer game '' Crash Team Rumble'' was announced for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, at The Game Awards. The game was released on 20 June 2023. In 2024, video game leaker Liam Robertson claimed that Activision had cancelled what could have been a direct sequel to '' Crash Bandicoot 4'', submitting alleged artworks and story concepts as its proof. The project was pitched by ''Crash Bandicoot 4'' developer Toys for Bob, and was to feature
multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
elements and a crossover with ''
Spyro ''Spyro'' is a Platformer, platform game series originally created by Insomniac Games as an exclusive for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony's PlayStation (console), PlayStation console. The series features the adventures of the main protagon ...
''. Robertson argued that Activision canned the game in early stage of development because it considered ''Crash Bandicoot 4''s sales underwhelming and found live service games preferable.


Common gameplay elements

''Crash Bandicoot'' is primarily a platforming series. The goal of each level is to guide Crash from the beginning to the end, travelling either into the screen, towards the player or left and right in a side-scrolling manner. Several levels place Crash in unique situations which require the use of motorbikes, jet skis, submarines and various wild animals to complete the level. In the original '' Crash Bandicoot'', Crash's move-set is rather limited; he can run, jump and spin his way through treacherous environments and hostile creatures. '' Cortex Strikes Back'' introduces several new moves for Crash to utilize, including a high jump, high spin jump, body slam and slide attack. '' Warped'' expands on this by awarding the player with new abilities after each boss is defeated, which was carried over to '' The Wrath of Cortex''. The player can also spin and slide at the same time when pressing the right buttons.


Collectibles

The most common collectible in the series is Wumpa Fruit, which is found on the main path of most levels, as well as inside most crates. Collecting 100 Wumpa Fruits will award the player an
extra life An extra life is a video game item that gives the player another life. Extra Life may also refer to: * Extra Life (fundraiser), a fundraising event * Extra Life (band), an experimental band from Brooklyn * '' Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter' ...
. Wumpa Fruit takes on other uses in most spin-off titles, such as restoring
health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
in certain '' Crash Bash'' levels and increasing weapon power in '' Crash Team Racing''. In recent titles, Wumpa Fruit is used to replenish Crash's health, with Mojo effectively replacing it as the new main collectible item. By collecting Aku Aku masks, Crash can be protected from harm from most enemies and obstacles (though certain elements such as bottomless pits will cause him to lose a life regardless). Crash can collect up to two masks for two extra hits of damage, with an additional mask granting him temporary invincibility. When Crash collects two masks, Aku Aku will turn gold in most games; however, in '' Crash Twinsanity'', Aku Aku will sparkle. The other major recurring valuables Crash finds on his adventures include Gems and Crystals. Most Gems in the series are won by breaking open every crate in a level. Starting with ''Cortex Strikes Back'', an additional five colored Gems can be obtained by completing special tasks or finding hidden areas. ''Crash Twinsanity'' contains six colored Gems per level, most of which are earned by solving a small puzzle. Crystals, which play a key role in the plot of most ''Crash'' games following ''Cortex Strikes Back'', are usually required to make progress through most games. Relics, first introduced in ''Warped'', are earned in Time Trial modes, with more valuable relics earned for higher times. In the original game, players can also obtain two keys after completing two Cortex bonus rounds, which are used to unlock two extra levels.


Crates

Crates come in several varieties and can be found in abundance across Crash's world. Most crates will assist the player's journey through the game, providing Wumpa Fruit, additional hit points in the form of Aku Aku masks and extra lives. In most games, players will be awarded a gem if they break all the crates in a level. TNT and
Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitro ligand ...
Crates are the only boxes that can damage Crash. TNT Crates have a three-second fuse when jumped on, but Nitro Crates will explode instantly upon any contact with Crash or anything else that runs into them. Switch Boxes (distinguished by an
exclamation mark The exclamation mark (also known as exclamation point in American English) is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or to show wikt:emphasis, emphasis. The exclamation mark often marks ...
) are used to make previously invisible crates appear. A green Switch Box will detonate all Nitro Crates in the level. Crates marked with a "C" are checkpoints that Crash will return to if he is killed during play. Locked Crates are protected by a metal casing that can only be destroyed with Crash's body slam move, while Spring Crates allow him to reach high up areas by bouncing on them. Slot Boxes rapidly switch between multiple types of crates, and if they are not broken in time, will become metallic and indestructible. Time Boxes are a special crate found exclusively in Time Trial mode. They will freeze the clock for the number of seconds displayed on the box, increasing the player's chance of beating the time trial.


Structure

The original '' Crash Bandicoot'' uses a fairly linear structure in which Crash clears through levels on a map, with some areas accessible by locating gems. Beginning with ''Cortex Strikes Back'', the game usually takes place in a hub world called a Warp Room, with levels divided up into sets of five. To progress, the player must find and collect a Crystal within each of the stages, which can be played in any order, before facing the boss of each room. From '' Twinsanity'' onwards, the games took a more free-roaming approach, with Crash travelling various areas on foot.


Music

Numerous composers have contributed
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
to the ''Crash Bandicoot'' series. Mutato Muzika's Josh Mancell was responsible for the music of the first four games. After the fourth game, numerous other composers were responsible for the music in other games. Steve Duckworth composed music for ''Crash Bash'', Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra for ''The Wrath of Cortex'', Ashif Hakik and Todd Masten for ''Crash Nitro Kart'' and Spiralmouth composing
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
for ''Twinsanity''. The music for ''Tag Team Racing'' was composed by both Spiralmouth and Marc Baril, while ''Crash of the Titans'' and ''Mind Over Mutant'' were composed by Baril alone.


Developers and publishers

The first four ''Crash Bandicoot'' games were developed by Naughty Dog. '' Bash'' was developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software. '' The Wrath of Cortex'' and '' Twinsanity'' were respectively developed by
Traveller's Tales Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own games, it grew in profile through developing game ...
and its Oxford studio. '' The Huge Adventure'' (''Crash Bandicoot XS'' in Europe), '' 2: N-Tranced'', '' Nitro Kart'', '' Purple: Ripto's Rampage'' (''Crash Bandicoot Fusion'' in Europe) and '' N. Sane Trilogy'' were developed by
Vicarious Visions Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game development division of Blizzard Entertainment based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1991, the company was acquired by Activision in January 2005. In January 2021, Vica ...
. '' Tag Team Racing'', ''
Crash of the Titans ''Crash of the Titans'' is a 2007 platform game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' series not to h ...
'' and '' Mind over Mutant'' were developed by Radical Entertainment. '' Boom Bang!'' was developed by
Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''List of Dragon Ball video games, Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises ...
. '' Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'' was developed by Beenox. '' It's About Time'' was developed by
Toys for Bob Toys for Bob, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Novato, California. It was founded in 1989 by Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford (programmer), Fred Ford and is best known for creating ''Star Control'' and the ''Skylanders'' franchise ...
. The first five ''Crash'' titles were published worldwide by Sony Computer Entertainment. ''Wrath of Cortex'' up until ''Twinsanity'' were published by Universal Interactive (now the defunct
Vivendi Games Vivendi Games (formerly known as CUC Software, Cendant Software, Havas Interactive, Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing and Vivendi Universal Games) was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was foun ...
). '' Tag Team Racing'', '' Boom Bang!'' and ''
Crash of the Titans ''Crash of the Titans'' is a 2007 platform game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' series not to h ...
'' were published by Sierra Entertainment. All games since '' Mind over Mutant'' have been published by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
. From ''Wrath of Cortex'' until ''Nitro Kart'',
Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
handled publishing and distribution for the Japanese market and also co-published the worldwide release of ''The Wrath of Cortex'' for PS2. The Japanese versions of ''N. Sane Trilogy'' were published by
Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
for PS4 and by
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
of Japan for Nintendo Switch; Sega subsequently handled ''Team Racing Nitro-Fueled'' for Japan as well.


Other media


Manga

In 1998, Coro Coro Comics developed a
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series titled ''Crash Bandicoot—Dansu! de Jump! na Daibōken'', loosely based on the events of '' Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back''. The series was drawn and produced by Ari Kawashima, with only two manga volumes being published to date, leaving the total number of comics unknown.


Animation

During the production of ''Crash Bandicoot'', a pair of cutscenes featuring hand-drawn animation were produced by Universal Animation Studios to serve as the game's intro and outro, as well as act as source material for a potential animated series if the game was well-received and commercially successful. The hand-drawn cutscenes were dropped after
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
picked up ''Crash Bandicoot'' for publication, as Sony desired to push the PlayStation's 3D polygonal graphics. The cutscenes were uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
by producer David Siller in 2015. In 2007, The Animation Picture Company produced four web-short films, to promote the game ''
Crash of the Titans ''Crash of the Titans'' is a 2007 platform game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. It is the first game in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' series not to h ...
'', titled ''Crash Bandicoot: No Use Crying'', ''Crash Bandicoot Monster Truck'', ''Crash Bandicoot – Titan Idol'' and ''Crash Bandicoot – Have Another'', all lasting for about three minutes. These are available for free download on the Xbox 360 video service or are available to watch on the web, originally available for viewing on the ''Crash Bandicoot'' official website. Crash also makes a guest appearance in the '' Skylanders Academy'' animated series. At the end of the episode "The Skylands Are Falling!", due to the actions of the Skylanders, Crash is inadvertently pulled through a dimensional rift while battling Cortex, ending up in the Skylands. The episode "Crash Landing" features Crash allying with Spyro and the Skylanders to recover the dark relic needed to return him to the Wumpa Islands. Crash's appearance in ''Skylanders Academy'' differs from his appearance in ''Skylanders: Imaginators'', but unlike other appearances, he is capable of speaking full sentences with an Australian accent. The third season of ''Skylanders Academy'' brought the character back starring Rhys Darby, who replaces Eric Rogers due to stepping down as a showrunner. Crash returned in the episode "Days of Future Crash", in which Dark Spyro and Eruptor brought him to the future for different reasons, messing up their timeline in the process. After retrieving a new time travel device, they sent him home. Crash appeared again in the season finale, "Raiders of the Lost Arkus, Part II", where he and Coco (voiced by
Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...
) were brought from the Wumpa Islands by the Skylanders and Flynn to stop Kaos from destroying the Core of Light. Coco's appearance in the series is speculated to be a combination of her ''Titans'' and ''Mind over Mutant'' design: like Crash, she also speaks in an Australian accent and is only capable of building her own weapons but able to control technology to the point of utilizing a thought-controlled boomerang in battle. On January 13, 2021, test footage from a scrapped Crash Bandicoot series was leaked on
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
. The series would have been a co-production between Activision and Amazon Studios. The series was allegedly canceled due to a script dispute.


In science

The earliest-known bandicoot fossil, from the Miocene of Australia, has been given the binomial '' Crash bandicoot''.


Reception

The ''Crash Bandicoot'' series has been a commercial success. As of 2007, the series altogether has sold over 40 million units worldwide and grossed over $1 billion. According to ''
Gamasutra ''Game Developer'' (known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021) is a website created in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget and acted as the online sister publication to the print maga ...
'', the first ''Crash Bandicoot'' game had sold 6.8 million units as of November 2003, making it the tenth- best-selling PlayStation game of all time. ''Cortex Strikes Back'' sold 3.85 million units in the U.S., while ''Warped'' sold 3.74 million. The last 2 games on the PlayStation console, ''Crash Team Racing'' and ''Crash Bash'', sold 1.9 and 1.1 million units in the U.S., respectively. According to a Sony press release, the first four titles had sold over 20 million units altogether worldwide by July 2000. ''Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex'' has sold 1.56 million units in the U.S. On February 12, 2019, Activision announced in a press release for its "4th quarter and 2018 Financial Results", that ''N. Sane Trilogy'' has sold-in over 10 million units since its initial release in 2017. The ''Crash Bandicoot'' series is one of the few Western video game series to find blockbuster success in Japan. ''Cortex Strikes Back'' and ''Warped'' sold 1.3 and 1.4 million units in the country, respectively, while the PlayStation 2 version of ''Wrath of Cortex'' sold 212,000 units.


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{Universal Interactive Activision Blizzard franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1996 Video games set on fictional islands Activision games Naughty Dog games Video game franchises