Rumors are swirling regarding a huge wave of expected announcements coming next week. Not only is The Game Awards 2019 airing on December 12, but Sony has also announced a new State of Play video presentation to air on December 10. Both events have confirmed that they'll have a ton of new reveals and game announcements. One game, in particular, seems to have a growing amount of evidence that it will be announced next week, that game being a new Crash Bandicoot title.
This rumor has some weight behind it. Not only have their been rumors about a new Crash Bandicoot game since 2018, off the back of the surprisingly successful Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy remaster, but there have been several new developments to the rumor. First, several advertisements released in late November revealed new Crash Bandicoot marketing material, including a new look for Crash and an unknown floating mask. But it's this second development that specifically points to either State of Play or The Game Awards 2019.
The latest update comes from a range of #CrashPartner influencers, implying an ongoing sponsored advertisement partnership. The influencers have all received Crash Bandicoot toys with Santa hats. And, of course, they've posted photos of them and their new Christmas-themed toys to Instagram. Almost all of the posts notably mention Crash Team Racing, but not all of them. The advertising push is remarkably similar to a similar one that happened in 2018 with Crash cookies instead of toys, ahead of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled's announcement.
What's being hinted at is the announcement of a new Crash Bandicoot game at either the State of Play event or The Game Awards 2019. The new game would seem to be a modern sequel to Crash Team Racing, though it's possible that it's instead DLC, an expansion, or an "Ultimate Edition," so to speak. There's also a possibility that it's a different type of new Crash Bandicoot game, but it seems unlikely given the focus of the recent advertising.
The big question then is whether Sony would announce a new Crash Bandicoot game at its own State of Play event or at The Game Awards 2019. The PlayStation-focused event does seem more appropriate, but The Game Awards 2019 is likely to have a bigger audience and more hype around it. PlayStation fans have a simple solution for the situation, though -- just watch both.
Sony's State of Play airs December 10 at 6:00 am PT. The Game Awards 2019 airs December 12 at 6:30 pm PT.