Crash Bandicoot is steadily going strong with its recent momentum. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy sold 20 million copies globally this year, which is as impressive as selling over 500,000 copies in its launch month. Not only was the remake hitting achievements this year, but Crash 4 It’s About Time broke through 5 million copies, demolishing Toys For Bob’s expectations. These achievements are fantastic for any revived franchise, though that momentum doesn’t seem ideal to Crash’s IP owners, Activision.
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Crash’s success rate didn’t reach the IP holder’s expected goals, relinquishing their interest to continuing support. There was news about Toys For Bob preparing their next Crash sequel for production, but the idea was denied. With how well the series revived, it seems a waste to completely shut down what Toys For Bob intended, especially for a popular franchise like Crash Bandicoot.
9 Major Platforming Icon
Well-Known Wacky Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot is a huge 90’s icon with a significant impact on the platformer genre. He’s one of the few characters many casual consumers remember as much as Mario due to his design, colorful levels, secrets, and exquisite platforming. The series probably won’t get as many sales as Call of Duty, but it does bring a lot more positive reception.
Crash Bandicoot's name is still strong due to its already-established audience. Throwing away a well-known IP could be risky as a brand-new IP has a greater chance of not gaining a bountiful community. It seems beneficial to allow Toys For Bob to continue supporting what they helped raise its active popularity in the current market.
8 Variety To Activision’s Library
Expanding Scope For Consumers
Crash Bandicoot is the only series in the Activision studio bringing polished variety to its modern lineup. The main IPs for Activision Studios itself are preferable to the age of at least teens, such as Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Call of Duty.
Compared to other series in the library, Crash is currently the most impactful franchise to accumulate a wider range of audiences. The entire Skylanders was very successful with its copies and toys sold, though its prime success slowed down once the interest aged. After the release of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, more interest was regained from the younger audience. Without supporting the Crash Bandicoot IP, the larger audience shrinks again for the parent company.
7 The Series Potential In Sales
The Beloved Bandicoot
Crash 4 It’s About Time still had strength remaining to sell within the gaming market. Its launch sales reached only 400k copies total on PS4 and Xbox One, which is 100k sales lower than Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on PS4. These results greatly disappointed Activision, diminishing their faith in the series. These results shouldn’t be underestimated, especially when considering a major effect on its slower sales.
Crash 4 It’s About Time was released at a busier window in October 2020, competing against popular IPs like Star Wars Squadron and WWE 2k21. One game that competed earlier in the platforming market is Mario 3D All Stars, a remastered trilogy of 3D Mario games. This packed time frame affected Crash 4 It’s About Time's immediate launch sales, performing lower than its predecessor despite being on two platforms.
For a single-player platformer, it’s still an impressive feat for Crash 4 It’s About Time to reach for one new game rather than a remade collection. The sales greatly improved with the Nintendo Switch and next-gen console versions, still beloved by fans willing to support the title for sticking to the franchise’s format. This shows that a sequel has the potential to earn impressive success with an overwhelmingly favorable reception in the long term.
6 The Main Antagonist’s Return
Aku Aku’s Most Concerned Issue At Large
Uka Uka barely had any time to interrupt Crash’s recent adventure. His greatest action in the game was getting the right attempt to open the portal for N. Trophy and Dr. Cortex to escape, leaving him out of commission. It wasn’t until the end of the game that it hinted at his return, looking very menacing with a devastating scheme in mind.
He’s been a major threat to Crash but has never shown how through Toys For Bob’s implementation. This is an opportunity for this Uka Uka to finally reveal why Aku Aku fears his brother’s involvement, especially his past. There’s a lot of room to expand the history of the Aku Uka brothers, from their peak relationship to their broken bond.
5 Characterizing Dr. Cortex
Understanding His Main Motivation For Evil
Dr. Cortex had time to shine with his past in the recent Crash entry, though there’s more depth to be explored. The new entry could introduce ideas of what made Neo Cortex the way he was before bandicoot experimentation. Various expandable insights could include his childhood with his family, the start of his villain career, the main source of his evil knowledge, and others.
There’s still his relationship with Crash and his vision for the future between the two. In Crash 4 It’s About Time, he broke down to his nemesis after his defeat, showing his vulnerability. Experiencing so many failures made him question how to break the tiresome cycle. After the end of the game when he got punished, he gave himself some rest rather than scheming to escape. It’s best to see how Dr. Cortex could develop with the next Crash game, seeing if he falls back to his evil ways or finally allies with his creation like in Crash Twinsanity. How long their bond will last depends on how much Cortex can endure his vengeful grudges or evil temptations.
4 Growing Depth Of The World
Expanding Beyond Dimensions
Crash 4 It’s About Time introduced a decent chunk of its characters and vibrant locations, but more can be implemented for an expanded experience. The level designs were unique with familiar mechanics like the jetboard, chase scenes, and polar bear run. Every level oozes creative diversity, especially when considering the inverted levels and character interference that change perspectives.
Along with the expanding world should be a larger character roster. The game did well with balancing screen time in its current cast, though more can be improved. The character with the least impact in the plot was Nitros Oxide, an antagonistic racer who debuted in Crash Team Racing. He was forced to serve under N. Tropy for his dimensional timeline takeover, but didn’t interact much with Crash’s crew. He could have more relevance in the next game, similar to other characters like Nina Cortex, Ripper Roo, Tiny, Crunch, and several others. There could even be cameos from other realities if the next sequel handles a bigger dimensional scope. They're willing to expand what Crash 4 It's About Time has laid out.
3 Toys For Bob's Capable Hands
Ambitious Desire To Improve The Sequel
Very few developers can perfectly continue the series with as strong consistency as Toys For Bob. When a different developer picks up what the original series left off, it’s challenging to balance both a familiar and new experience in a sequel. Some differences range from huge changes like Jak and Daxter's The Lost Frontier to smaller ones like Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. The developers should not only know the series’ significant staples but also understand what makes them fun and engaging for the fans.
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Toys For Bob kept many significant factors for Crash 4 It’s About Time’s familiarity with the platforming levels while expanding unique inclusions like more playable characters and quantum mask powers. The developers showed their capability of fulfilling the fans' demands for an improved Crash sequel.
2 Toys For Bob’s Commitment
Willing To Change For The Series’ Betterment
Toys For Bob’s commitment to Crash was clued during the seasonal updates of Crash Team Rumble. Within later seasons, new characters like Spyro, Elora, and Ripto were canonically added. Season 3 of Spyro was the last official season before Toys For Bob created one final update to include a bountiful battle pass for players to grind for free.
The acquirable awards were skins, backpacks, emotes, banners, and more, which included ideas planned for Crash Bandicoot' s future. Several art pieces showed Crash exploring an area with roaming dragons while others included Crash being accompanied by Spyro himself. Some artists even showcased concept art within the pre-development phase, hinting the the developers’ intent for the series' direction before the pitch's denial.
1 Long-Awaited Dream Team
Crash Crashes With Spyro
Another influential platforming mascot that rivals the dance-loving bandicoot is the mystical dragon, Spyro. They didn’t directly interact as much in the older entries except during kart races like the GBA version of Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. The largest crossovers were Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy. The two games showcased the protagonists’ perspectives of the overall story involving their main nemesis' team-up but never allowed them to be playable simultaneously. Each game was locked to one protagonist.
The new Crash sequel would be the first for the duo to finally work together directly to face a grander threat. The crossover is ideal since both series were successfully brought back, especially Spyro Reignited Trilogy for achieving 10 million sales last year before its 25th anniversary on September 9. Teaming both mascots would produce grand success and positivity for the franchises, accomplishing a dream both communities yearned for years.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
- Released
- October 2, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Toys for Bob
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
