Summary
A new report has claimed that Toys For Bob’sCrash Bandicoot 5was canceled due to Activision wanting the developer to focus on live-service titles. Earlier this year,Crash Bandicootfans had some disheartening news when a former employee who worked onCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timerevealed that aCrash 5was at some point in development, but was canceled behind the scenes.
TheCrash Bandicootfranchise has been through a lot of troubles in the past two decades. After a tumultuous period of mixed-quality games in the mid-2000s and early 2010s, theCrash Bandicootremake trilogy andCrash 4were seen as a return to form.Crash 4in particular was seen as a great continuation of the classic platforming franchise, being praised for its story and revitalization of the series' gameplay. Following this release, the franchise struggled to gain any momentum again after the release ofCrash Team Rumble.Toys For Bob later split from Activision in February 2024, which was later followed up by the reveal ofCrash 5being canceled by Activision. The reason behind whyCrash 5was recently discussed in a new report.
In a new video by DidYouKnowGaming and Liam Robertson, he reported what had happened behind the scenes at Toys For Bob and whyCrash Bandicoot 5was canceled. According to Robertson, the development ofCrash 5was canceled early in development due to what was considered “underwhelming sales” forCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Former Toys for Bob designer Tony Schadt revealed thatCrash 4’s sales were a bit better than expected, crossing five million units, and that it was financially successful. However, these figures didn’t please Activision enough, which resulted inCrash 5being canceled. Following this, Toys For Bob was thrown to work on supporting its live service titles, likeOverwatch 2andCall of Duty: Warzone. TheCrash Team Rumbleproject was then put forward as a live service title reusing assets fromCrash 4.
Crash 5’s Canceled Concepts
The concept behindthe canceledCrash 5was also shared in this video, with the game set to be a direct sequel toCrash 4. Concept art and story drafts reveal that the sequel was going to revisit the Academy of Evil fromCrash Twinsanityas its main setting, and even would have featured a number of returning villains like N. Bryo. Another element included in this concept was Crash visiting the minds of these villains, like Dr. Cortex, Pinstripe, and Tiny Tiger.
The most ambitious element of this canceled game was the potential ofCrash Bandicootcrossing over withSpyro the Dragon, thanks to the machinations of Uka Uka. This early element then became the backbone behindCrash 5, which included various possibilities of the two being playable at the same time, or separately in a multiversal adventure. Unfortunately, these only existed as concept art before it was canceled, with Toys For Bob doing support work forCall of Dutyand developing theCrash Team Rumblespin-off.
Crash Bandicoot
The Crash Bandicoot franchise began in 1996 with the intention of being Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic. The series kicked off with three iconic platform games from Naughty Dog, along with one of the best kart racing games of all time, Crash Team Racing.The series' quality has been inconsistent since Naughty Dog left, though it seems to have found its feet again in recent years.
