The gaming community was recently hit with the disheartening news that Crash Bandicoot 5 may have been shelved, according to former Toys For Bob concept artist Nicholas Kole. Dive into the details of what Kole revealed about this potential sequel that never came to be.
Crash Bandicoot 5 Supposedly Shelved
'Project Dragon' Also Scrapped
In a revealing X (formerly Twitter) post dated July 12th, Nicholas Kole, once a concept artist at Toys For Bob, hinted at the existence of a now-canceled Crash Bandicoot 5. While discussing his other scrapped project, "Project Dragon," which sparked speculation from fans and professionals like Sonic comic writer Daniel Barnes that it might be related to Spyro, Kole clarified that "Project Dragon" was an entirely new IP developed with Phoenix Labs. However, he seized the moment to mention Crash Bandicoot as well, suggesting that it met a similar fate.
"It is not Spyro, but some day folks will hear about the Crash 5 that never was and it’s gonna break hearts," Kole stated poignantly.
The fan reaction in the comments was as Kole had anticipated—filled with dismay and shock. Tweets such as "Hearing any sort of cancelled project news breaks my heart, but hearing about a cancelled Crash in particular stings harder than anything.." echoed the sentiment of many.
Toys For Bob, the developer behind Crash Bandicoot, parted ways with Activision Blizzard earlier this year to become an independent studio. This move occurred amidst Activision Blizzard's acquisition by tech giant Microsoft. Despite their newfound independence, Toys For Bob is collaborating with Microsoft Xbox to publish their first independent project. Details about this new game remain under wraps.
The last major installment in the Crash Bandicoot series was Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, released in 2020 and selling over five million copies. Subsequent releases included the mobile game Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! in 2021 and the online multiplayer game Crash Team Rumble in 2023, the latter of which ended its live support in March with a final content update but remains playable on next-gen consoles.
With Toys For Bob now operating as an independent studio, there's hope among fans that Crash Bandicoot 5 might still see the light of day. Only time will tell if this beloved franchise will return to thrill gamers once more, hopefully not keeping them waiting for too long.
