Crash Bandicoot 5 Would've Had Spyro As Playable Character

News broke that a planned Crash Bandicoot 5 was canceled, reportedly due to Activision's focus on live-service games. Let's delve into the details surrounding its cancellation, the reasons behind it, and Activision's broader shift towards this model.

Crash Bandicoot 5: A Casualty of the Live-Service Shift

Crash Bandicoot 4's Performance and the Sequel's Demise

Gaming historian Liam Robertson of DidYouKnowGaming revealed that *Crash Bandicoot 5* was in early development at Toys for Bob, the studio behind the *Skylanders* series. However, the project was shelved as Activision prioritized its live-service multiplayer strategy, reallocating resources accordingly.

According to Robertson, Toys for Bob—instrumental in the Crash Bandicoot series' resurgence—had assembled a team to conceptualize Crash Bandicoot 5, envisioned as a single-player 3D platformer directly following Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.

Robertson's report details proposed storylines and concept art. The game was set in a villainous children's school, featuring returning antagonists. Concept art even showed Spyro, another PlayStation icon revived by Toys for Bob, battling alongside Crash against an interdimensional threat. Robertson stated, "Crash and Spyro were intended to be the two playable characters."

Former Toys for Bob concept artist Nicholas Kole hinted at the cancellation on X a month prior to Robertson's report. Robertson suggests Activision's decision stemmed from the perceived underperformance of Crash Bandicoot 4 and the company's shift towards live-service games.

Activision's Rejection of Single-Player Sequels

The Crash Bandicoot series wasn't alone. Robertson also reported that a pitch for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, a sequel to the successful Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 remake, was rejected. Activision redirected Vicarious Visions, the studio behind the remakes, to work on its flagship franchises, Call of Duty and Diablo.

Tony Hawk himself corroborated this in Robertson's report, confirming plans for 3+4 until Vicarious Visions' absorption by Activision. Hawk stated, "That was the plan, even up until the release date of 1 and 2… We were doing 3 and 4, and then Vicarious got kind of absorbed, and then they were looking for other developers, and then it was over."

Hawk further explained, "The truth of it is [Activision] were trying to find somebody to do 3 and 4, but they just didn’t really trust anyone the way they did Vicarious. So they took other pitches from other studios… And they didn’t like anything they heard, and then that was it."