Crash Bandicoot 5: The Cancelled Spyro Crossover & The Fall of Crash Team Rumble

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Today on Game History Secrets, Liam talks about his journey uncovering the development of the cancelled Crash Bandicoot 5, and the fall of Crash Team Rumble. Crash 5 was planned as a crossover with Spyro the Dragon, but the game never came to fruition.
Liam Robertson is a video game researcher and archiver. In his spare time, Liam creates videos and articles for various outlets, and will also be contributing to the Did You Know Gaming channel.
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#crashbandicoot #spyro #toysforbob #activision

[@WayWardWonderer]

It breaks my heart that Spyro and Crash had both made great comebacks only to be shelved once more.

[@BOSSposes]

0 profile bot

[@stormranger528]

Canadian guy eh is gonna be p*ssed about this

[@kingemerald4622]

​@stormranger528 He debunked all of it don't believe me then go and watch his video about it

[@SomeBsMovie]

@@stormranger528 he's more than happy to make like 50 or so speculation videos

[@EmmureMARIO64]

Greed that's why. F ACTIVISION!

[@Catspirit123]

As an artist, I can’t think of anything more soul crushing than getting my fun colorful project shut down and forced to work on call of duty.

[@HeilRay]

It sounds like a joke with wild punchline.

[@BeIlG]

SAME!

[@SquickWorks]

I had this same thought. So depressing and such a clear statement that leadership didn't care about them as artists or people at all.

[@RippahRooJizah]

​@SquickWorks Look, if they can't provide more worth to staff than the pets owned by said staff, whose fault is it?

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

Legends tell you can STILL hear Ravensoft sing "Lift Together" down in the COD Mines...

[@Mei-dos]

"It's my IP to sit on and do nothing with"

[@Termina2018]

"Oh I swear if I had my GWIMBLY GUN ON ME RIGHT NOW!!!"

[@revenile]

That quote hits me hard, less for this but more towards EA and the American McGee's Alice brand. "The IP is VERY important to us." (The original game isn't for sale anywhere, only the sequel), then approached McGee to make a third, he spent years making the design document (A gorgeous document that covers everything the game was going to be from story to mechanics) then said "lol nope" once it was presented.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

YEAH SHITTY MEMORIES

[@scr0ngle108]

​@@revenileamazing how EA seems like small potatoes compared to how evil Activision (and even Microsoft by association) are

[@moonwarrior3342]

Gwimbly tried warning you all.

[@apotato3263]

Activision: A bigger sequel to crash 4 featuring spyro the dragon ❌ A team based seasonal multiplayer crash game ✅

[@MizunoKetsuban]

Okay but they were building the team based multiplayer Crash game before even Crash 4, pay attention

[@chexmixkitty]

Unless you have some amazing ideas or have a super popular IP, companies should stop trying to make new hero shooters or battle royales.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

Crash team rumble was pretty damn funimo, but still such a letdown that we might not see anything else

[@MattBooth]

@@MizunoKetsuban Ok, but that's not the point they were making. They're talking about the trash Activision did greenlight vs what they didn't, not which idea was first.

[@General_Cap]

Gamers when they see a new crash game: 🥱 Gamers when they see the next 20$ half naked Mercy and Kiriko overwatch skin: 😍🤩 💰💵💰💵

[@WyrdKnight]

All this has taught me is 'never work for Activision'

[@eeveefennecfox]

wrong,you should never work for microsoft the game killers,everything was fine until microsoft decided to get their filthy paws on crash

[@WyrdKnight]

@@eeveefennecfox I mean, that's true. Fuck Microsoft too. But as far as this video is concerned, pretty much everything happened before Microsoft acquired Activision, not to mention Activision/Blizzard's consistent track record of just fucking their devs.

[@CarbyGuuGuu]

@@eeveefennecfoxActivision is just as bad as Microsoft, y’know. Pitching a game, especially with a smaller budget, is a big gamble to game corporations. They don’t see platformers as a “worthwhile investment” compared to live-service and larger-budgeted games.

[@thatguynobodywants3716]

​@@CarbyGuuGuu No wonder Microsoft bougth them, the studio known for forcing the minimun effort for the greater profit and exploiting their franchises to death at the expense of the developers professionality, reputation, health and mental state. "Great minds think alike" they say.

[@gregoryberrycone]

@@CarbyGuuGuu they are literally one in the same now

[@ScratchMyAnchor]

Crash 4 sold better than tons of AAA games but it still wasn't good enough to greenlight what would've been another great single player game that the developers were passionate about. Something the gaming landscape desperately needs as opposed to failed live service trash. Fuck Activision

[@Polku-hl3zr]

No, the bigger saying is to flip the ones of ignorance and greed to think that they are too big to fail but really can't see the bigger picture.

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

Yeah activisison also shuts down people trying to make good cod mods because they were scared of it being better than the slop they make every year and shut down the studios making the transformers games. They are the worst triple A company.

[@EyeoftheU]

It bears repeating: The suits are never content with some of the money, they want _all_ of the money.

[@callak_9974]

Guess the higher ups couldn't see a way to add micro transactions so canned the idea.

[@Armm8991]

It's insane how videogames aren't made to please players, they're made to please petty CEOs who reject everything they don't see selling 20 million in a day...

[@Dexter01992]

I still remember that game designer lady who worked who EA who presented an awesome concept to executives, only to be told "Fifa makes 1 billion dollars a year, where's your version of that?" Executives and investors are a parasite of these industries.

[@OhBeeBumbles]

Gamers got to start getting more angry at these guys in suits who don't understand fun and that the gaming industry is about innovation and risk, and that they have to back the people with passion and not just looking to make more money.

[@JeffBuilds]

Hence the name, Toys for Bob. Bobby Kotick.

[@Claydood]

This is why I mostly buy and play indie games these days

[@gregoryberrycone]

not videogames, only triple A games. the indie scene is where the good stuff has been for years now. its not even close

[@portalpiggy]

this video broke my heart... having one of my friends working at TFB for so long, hearing her tell me stories of all the amazing work she and the team did, hearing dev stories... seeing how willing she was to talk about her love of crash and spyro... then seeing her get shoved into the overwatch machine and fired in 2024. it is so upsetting to hear, but this is just what the games industry is like nowadays. this was an incredible video Liam, thank you for telling TFB's story.

[@saxofonistasgr]

That's so sad. I honestly thank her for her dedication to Crash Bandicoot and everything she and her team did❤

[@musicinmymind623]

I hope your friend has been able to move on to a studio that appreciates her more. It’s so unfair how Activision treats their employees

[@Finnishmanni]

That crash 5 evil academy game would have been amazing.

[@slimynaut]

All games look amazing on the ideas phase.

[@ACEtheGOAT1011]

Made me hyped even tho I knew it was cancelled

[@Vikumax]

Wow even the prototype of Team Rumble sounded more diverse and robust. It provably would have been more appealing if they would have been allowed to go with this idea

[@snowbunnie1113]

IDK it looked to me more like a bunch of rejected Skylander designs. Crash already had a massive roster of characters to use for Rumble and TFB just ignored them.

[@MaximusPowerz1012]

​@@snowbunnie1113I think they are talking more about the gameplay ideas, not just the character concepts

[@Vikumax]

@@snowbunnie1113 I mean more on gameplay. Bigger more interesting stages, the whole gliding parachute mechanics, unique stages rather than just reused Crash 4 assets, an actual story and the possibility of different modes. And hey, some characters still seemed decent enough to fit in Crash's universe. My point is that it seems to be a more filled package than what we ended up getting with Rumble. We have seen that when Crash spinoffs are made with love they can be great like Nitro Fueled. It's just a shame that they weren't even able to do that because of activision. Also keep in mind, the only reason Rumble ignored a lot of Crash's cast is cause again, it was built entirely out of reused assets. If the character didn't have a 3D model in Crash 4 or Spyro, they wouldn't be able to use it.

[@spaciouswheat4580]

​@Vikumax honestly I wouldn't have even minded if it stayed a free update to Crash 4. It would have been fun to play around with and if fun enough, if have put some money toward it

[@auggie4269]

It’s a tragedy how Toys For Bob were treated. They deserved so much better. I wish nothing but the best for them as independent devs, and I hope they’re able to achieve everything they hoped they could while they were chained to ActiBlizz

[@antonioc.5778]

That's Activision for you, if you don't make Call of Duty levels of revenue you are irrelevant. People give a hard time to TfB for Rumble, but that game was certainly pushed by Activision.

[@JaidynReiman]

​@@antonioc.5778It wasn't actually pushed by Activision according to the video. I guess you could debatably say it was, though. Toys for Bob scaled back their original vision for Wumpa League and reworked it into a GaaS in order to receive approval from Activision.

[@MattBooth]

Eh, watching this it's called into question a few decisions they did make. They really believed in this Wumpa League trash, whereas it was trash. They went for a new art style for Crash 4 and didn't want "a direct sequel to the N-Sane Trilogy" which is actually exactly what was needed, instead of what Crash 4 was.

[@turbotrup96]

@@MattBooth And gameplay in either of their games was nothing more than a "fine, I guess", at best. Also, the fact they added edgy Tawna showed they didn't really understand Crash's vibe, or were too blinded by the ideology they were following.

[@Sin_Alder]

They really didn't, though. The only decent thing they were responsible for was the N-Sane Trilogy, and even that had some questionable decisions.

[@lb8365]

At least the studio can live on without the strings from Activision.

[@Mr.Feather130]

But at the cost of the cancellation on crash Bandicoot 5

[@thatguynobodywants3716]

​@@Mr.Feather130 Activision would have cancelled the game anyway with or without Toys for Bob.

[@JaidynReiman]

​@@Mr.Feather130That game was canned long before Toys for Bob became independent.

[@jeremyriley1238]

@@thatguynobodywants3716 That is true, as they only care about Call of Duty nowadays.

[@GottaBGlitches]

​@@Mr.Feather130and wumpa league (technically) and a large number of their employees and their HQ

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

the modern gaming industry is honestly just the most depressing state i feel like gamings ever been in. its no longer about telling an amazing story, fine tuning addictive, fun game play. its about battle passes, micro transactions, and body-bagging the developers to save as much money as possible on the way out :/

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

At least we have Indie game Studios and that’s a good thing.

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

@@jonahabenhaim1223 You're 200% right the Indie teams have been firing on all cylinders and seriously dropped some fantastic games recently - i find there honestly the only games i get hyped up for these days

[@bobipineman]

they were like that since the begining

[@Ninja1Ninja2]

at least with black myth wukong tens of millions of gamers got to vote with their wallets and tell these companies they wanted singleplayer games

[@TheMetastasia]

I mean, it is the state of most Triple-A Companies. When you want the mentioned, you better stick to Indie studios or very young ones that a not assimilated to one giant publisher.

[@9Maciej]

Honestly the concept of Crash game going into his villains psyche sounds like a great idea for a sequel, while the crossover with Spyro would probably work as a spin-off. Honestly I really like those and it's a shame we might not see those realise ever.

[@mrshmuga9]

@@9Maciej Both ideas sound great. To be honest though, it sounds like _too_ much to stuff into one game. I can’t imagine they could do both justice with the same size of a regular game.

[@snowbunnie1113]

@@mrshmuga9this is a continuous pattern with TFB. Crash 4 is all over the place with its story. Way too much is going on, with no time to explore on any of it. N. Tropy becoming the main villain and partnering up with an alternate version of himself, Brio defecting from the villain team again, playable Dingodile, the concept of alternate Tawna, Cortex going back in time to stop himself from creating Crash in the first place are all interested ideas on their own. But they are all pushed together and none of the ideas get a chance reach their full potential.

[@collapsedlung_]

Do people not remember there is already a Crash and Spyro crossover game?

[@9Maciej]

@collapsedlung_ yeah, but people want a good crossover game.

[@Ninja1Ninja2]

it kind of seems like its a natural progression but once a company pitches that game its the touch of destruction and causes that generation of crash bandicoot games to be lost in developer hell for the next team to revive ten years down the line

[@IAmMightyMike]

The fact that we only got a crossover in the form of GBA link cable related games is just so sad

[@Austinator0630]

Spyro was a playable character in the GBA version of Crash Nitro Kart.

[@saintsfan5796]

Have a cameo from Spyro in Twinsanity.

[@Austinator0630]

@@saintsfan5796 Correct. He was also a parade balloon in the crash bandicoot 4 level off beat.

[@majinya6199]

Spyro is playable in the CTR remake

[@KaiserAllen]

Skylanders: Imaginators?

[@quietrioter]

What this has taught me: i hate Activision

[@jimbob3332]

Welcome to the party

[@mem7562]

I do since 2019

[@koikarppa]

I hated them already since they ruined cod zombies

[@TheLazarusOperation]

​@@koikarppaFucking THIS

[@Despoina_Nyx]

The amount of great cool devs they sent to the cod mines is a tragedy

[@chaddwickfincher5835]

A crash/spyro crossover platformer game would be pretty cool.

[@animezilla4486]

Cannot believe they did not go through with this

[@falconeshield]

And it would've been an unofficial rename of the gba games

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

Not even a Crash/Spyro crossover, a Crash/Spyro crossover that was a loveletter to Twinsanity & had Psychonauts inspiration

[@misterkyler]

I always find it funny Activisions excuse for not wanting a new IP or Crash games is that its "too risky" Like yall don't have millions from CoD skins and Battlepasses

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

Yeah they don't even let cod do anything well either. They just do the same safe slop every year and fired anyone who actually made good games in the past

[@SammEater]

They don't want to make money. They want to make ALL THE MONEY. Unless it is a money printing machine like Warzone or Fortnite, the suits won't care.

[@Ninja1Ninja2]

if you watch the video it seems like they didnt like the idea of the multiplayer crash game and were more interested in how crash 4 did

[@Yohoat]

Well yeah, they risk having to look at a smaller gold hoard. They risk having to let workers go instead of adjusting the managerial bonuses for 1 christmas. They risk having a healthy work environment instead of the profit machine they're trying to maintain.

[@JairusC]

I've never played a single game of Crash Bandicoot or Spyro, but the level of narrative expansion and artistic passion behind these franchises in preparation for its multiverse expanding these two (Crash 5) is AN ACTUAL FUCKING ROBBERY. Hearing about this was so exciting, but sheesh, it's an absolute travesty this didnt end up happening.

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

Maybe you should try at least one of their games out.

[@TopHatOnline]

If you have an Xbox One or Series X lying around, go try Crash N Sane Trilogy. It's on Game Pass...for now...

[@DougSalad]

seriously play them. fucking pirate the OG trilogies for PS1 emulation and just play them. they were THAT good. then play crash 4 and see how well TFB knew how to cook. you think this is a robbery now, wait until you really see what we lost.

[@Mr.Feather130]

Man the concept on crash 5 sound amazing,sucks it had been cancelled because Activision rather have the crash franchise died again

[@turbotrup96]

Nah, they were just expanding upon an already used or scrapped ideas. The "physically entering minds" concept was supposed to be a thing already back in Twinsanity. And even if we did give them credit for that, they'd just continue on going with other cliche ideas you see everywhere else; just look at the concept art of Cortex's family members - generic and cliche as hell. The actual levels look nothing special either, based on the art shown to us in this video.

[@snowbunnie1113]

@@turbotrup96yeah, sadly I think you’re right. TFB is full of “Tumblr people” (in interviews they are more concerned with adding gender diversity and DEI to Crash than focusing on story or gameplay). The sort of people that saw Psychonauts was popular as few years ago and thought “let’s copy that!” From the whole going into people’s minds to fix their trauma, to Cortex’s sister being a mad dentist. It just seems suspiciously similar.

[@turbotrup96]

@@snowbunnie1113 Honestly, I could see that just glancing at their faces, but didn't know they were THAT open about their wokeness. So, in the end, it's good they've lost rights to Crash, especially considering they've been making CANON content for the game! Ugh.

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

No it’s not… it’s bad news Considering that Activision is a part of Microsoft, But it was for the better considering that all Activision cares about nowadays is live service games. Yeah, you could make the argument that these characters could be canon, but with fleshed out personalities, the cortex family could’ve been good characters.

[@turbotrup96]

@@jonahabenhaim1223 They would be a safe, cliche characters you see in modern Pixar/Disney/whatever movies that you would soon forget about.

[@SimplyMattic]

Everyday I'm convinced more and more that Activision is a horrendous company that no developer should ever work for.

[@cjcoachzx8841]

We all knew this was going to happen when they a acquired TFB. They're the worst company

[@Gugamsos]

34:54 After having listened to about 10 minutes of ambitious ideas, beautiful concept art, and even a test demo, hearing this felt like a bullet to the chest.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

We missed out on a crossover that could have brought back the mascot platformer! 😢

[@RhythmGrizz]

Mascot Platformers have been back in as full force as they're going to get since Mario Odyssey

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@RhythmGrizz true

[@theLikou1]

There is a lot of mascot platformers out there. Crash and Spyro would have no influence on that.

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

Maybe, as a community...we can get them to uncancel it? Let TfB work on the game THEY truly want to make, & Crash 5 be their Swan Song? (But if ONLY it were that easy...)

[@Polku-hl3zr]

​@Mekboy_ComputerMonster, what do you mean: if only that were easy?

[@Eamil]

The quote at 40:00 really rings true especially after what happened to Vicarious Visions. They knocked it out of the park with both the N. Sane Trilogy and Tony Hawk back to back only to be told their reward is "we're stripping away your identity as a separate studio, you're Blizzard now, help them be less shit at remasters." It's messed up.

[@ZaronNitro]

As a life-long Crash (and Spyro) fan. Seeing how the IPs kept being squandered due to Activision interference is devastating - and now being in Microsoft's hands doesn't help the matter at all (Tango Gameworks and Hi-Fi Rush...). Toys for Bob going indie was such a great move on their part and I hope more great studios in a similar position uses that opportunity as well. I pray for Crash and Spyro to get the justice and love they deserve with so much potential left untapped. With that said, this deep dive was an amazing watch!

[@Crashmarco]

No matter what happens, I'll always cherish this series from my heart. Crash is my favorite videogame character and after many cancelled projects, stupid company decisions and world pandemic situations, I know Crash will always rise for the best.

[@jonaskristiansen781]

It's genuinely depressing seeing how badly the employees were treated. Being let go and receiving that information through a news outlet and not from your boss. Such a travesty. The Spyro remake trilogy and Crash 4 were amazing. The games ooze, passion and talent. I hope whatever project comes next that the devs never lose that creative spark and continue to deliver passion projects like those I mentioned. The industry as a whole is in dire need of more passion projects seeing the light of day.

[@RyoShiki64]

Activision be like, “Now it’s all DLC and micro transactions, F**K you! Do you wanna chicken nugget?”

[@TheLazarusOperation]

ILL ALWAYS BE THE ICONIC MASCOT OF THIS DAMN STUPID COMPANY

[@StocktonJustin95]

Oh, I swear to god if I had my Gimbly Gun On Me!!!

[@frostsplash]

As a long time Crash fan, this video HURTS, but the coverage is excellent! Activision fully screwed over these devs, it's genuinely awful.

[@setsers1]

Tell me about it. Let's just hope we're rid of Bobby Kotick someday.

[@lemon5000-tj6nv]

@@setsers1 he’s already gone after the Microsoft buyout

[@novustalks7525]

​@@setsers1he's gone but nothing will change

[@LordArikado]

@@novustalks7525 "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"

[@MightyMurloc]

Every piece of concept art shown is just SO gorgeous! What wonderful artists they have.

[@TheMrLeoniasty]

So basically, we could of had Crash 5 and the ultimate Spyro crossover, and also a very good chance of getting a Spyro 4 maybe opening the gates for a 3D platformer rebirth sparking maybe a Rayman 2 remake or a Rayman 4? But Activision said "yeah no, we don't want games that sell well and are adored by the community. We want to make milions of dollars on microtransactions and live service games. Oh and 30 people amazing artists from your company are fired."

[@thatguynobodywants3716]

You described Activision since the 90's. The sentiment of being a place for making good games was long gone.

[@cherryshade542]

More and more it feels like the only reason why Crash was even remade in the first place was because these studios had to literally beg Activision to make shit that wasn't Call of Duty or Overwatch. Probably begged so hard that Sony workers took notice and things just moved from there. That this was never an experiment Activision ever wanted to actually do and would've been happy just letting the likes of Crash and Spyro stay buried.

[@Jackattack359]

@@TheMrLeoniasty not saying you’re wrong but that whole Rayman 2 remake or Rayman 4 is just a teeny bit of overexcitement on your part. Not to mention, Rayman 2 has already been ported to multiple new consoles a million times already. What makes you think a remake would be any different?

[@ChronoSquare]

*could have, could've

[@TheMrLeoniasty]

@@Jackattack359 I'm just dreaming

[@AT7outof10]

As if we needed more evidence that ActivisionBlizzard is a mess no one should get involved in.

[@louiepikmin3184]

It's crazy how Toys for Bob made a franchise so successful it took over store shelves for years along with 2 super sucessful sets of remakes and a successful sequel, and in return, they got a large portion of their studio laid off thrown into the CoD coalmines and the only game they were allowed to make was a live service game that reused most of its assets... It's like activision/xbox hate money and hate capable devs

[@schmuckmcgee7294]

Now this is depressing. If any team could make a killer Crash/Spyro crossover, it’s Toys For Bob.

[@PrincessFelicie]

Sounds like a massive project that failed at conception by just never stopping for half a second to ask itself "Are Crash Bandicoot fans even interested in an arena pvp game?". Love the franchise, heck I even liked the often maligned Crash Bash as a kid, but I remember that when Crash Team Rumble was announced, the very first (and pretty much only) thing I felt in regards to it was immense disappointment. I just wanted Crash 5, not this -- I was convinced the existence of the game was out of touch executive orders from Activision... If I'd known it was a genuine passion project, well... I still wouldn't have bought it, tbh. I just wasn't interested in the slightest.

[@scacknewman]

Hearing that there was even a glimmer of a potential spiritual successor to twinsanity could make me cry, this is some excellent work

[@xRocketzFighterx]

39:45 I'd treat forced to work on a call of duty game as a form of punishment to.

[@MrWarners14]

This sounds like a cruel punishment towards people who made their work so successful. Like it felt utterly heartless both on ActivisionBlizzard’s and Microsoft’s sides. God, it sounds horrible how they were treated.

[@MasterSorez]

holy fuck the academy of evil, the mindscapes, cortex's family referenced in twinsanity, it could have been so GOOOD I hope someday, somehow, this gets made.

[@crushbeast29]

I agree furry.

[@user-tw3jm4sb3y]

​@@crushbeast29the fans can do a fangame about this

[@W_Tile]

This was such a horror story. My heart goes to the devs, they got done dirty.

[@DaSwagGoose]

Seeing how they wanted the game to have a more darker and dramatic tone along with a huge emphasis on connecting the previous cradh and spyro games to the lore only to be scrapped leaving us with only concept srt is criminal, it couldve been amazing if they were able to make this game

[@Charcoal2345]

God, why does this industry have to suck so much?

[@HeilRay]

Because its been too big for too long.

[@throwaway7679]

Because sheep eat garbage like CoD and FIFA up.

[@RadikAlice]

@@HeilRay It has always been bad. You ever look up what Atari got up to, even just in the 70s?

[@RadikAlice]

Caaaaaapitalism! 🎵

[@russellwestbrook462]

Because it’s so expensive to make games now that companies aren’t willing to take risks

[@pugman9672]

This is literally that smiling friends episode.

[@jonbeecee]

It's MY IP to sit on and do nothing with!!

[@chadisnotachad]

The original concept for Crash 5 and then CrashXSpyro would've been two great games

[@BR-jw7pm]

Now I wish we got Crash 5. Trim the fat from Crash 4 (ridiculous level lengths, maybe the difficulty, TOO many collectibles) and you’d be golden!

[@bloodbane93]

I really wanted to like Crash 4 but yeah, there was just way too much. Some of the crates were just way too troll for a game that expected you to also not die, unless you wanted to play all the levels 5 times over.

[@BR-jw7pm]

@@bloodbane93 I liked Crash 4 and consider it a good game but agree there was TOO MUCH of it. They really needed to trim some fat

[@Random1567]

I liked the level length, but I agree on too many collectibles. Thats the main thing I think they could trim slightly, but then again, it’s not like you have to do all of that anyway. So I don’t think they NEED to trim that either. It feels a bit selfish to ask for less content just so we can more easily 100% the game…when there’s no real need for us to 100% it in the first place 😂

[@Jackattack359]

@@bloodbane93can I maybe ask where any of that is required though? Last time I checked, it wasn’t

[@HeilRay]

@@Jackattack359 If you wanted to get the skins, you needed to get them and the way stragglers are laid in these levels, it quickly kills any drive for a 'semi perfect' run. Especially since the game wants you to replay the levels, and again, and again but reverse several times. Its a tedious slog. Theres just too much bloat that makes a smaller game feel bigger but its mostly tedium.

[@DoodleThis]

This is heartbreaking. Toys for Bob really felt like a company that just wanted to make good games

[@TravistheDragon]

I actually wish we got that crossover. It sounds like it could have had potential if Activision let them go through with it. Since they’re indie now, I’m hoping there will come a day where they can revisit the crossover idea.

[@Bluntbows]

Man I did not expect this much new / unseen information when I clicked. Excellent reporting. Can't imagine how much time and effort was taken to compile everything here.

[@LiamRproductions]

Thanks! It took literal years haha.

[@KrymsonScale]

@@LiamRproductions Thank you for your service!

[@snowbunnie1113]

Well this sucks. It’s strange, Crash as franchise seems to be a series of over ambitious plans, that collapsed due to studio interference. From the original concept of Crash Bandicoot: Worlds (which had to be scrapped to make WOC), the Twinsanity sequel that never got past concept, to Radical Entertainment’s reboot of the series: Crash Landed. Crash just seems to be destined to be stuck in no man’s land, never to get that big break that defines his franchise.

[@noahmartin7644]

He was even going to get an animated series, which wouldve been PERFECT for the series, but that got scrapped too

[@frankinglese7100]

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.😓

[@gaminglakitu]

I can't believe the joke Caddicarus made from his video was actually almost true lmao

[@thedrewster0408]

Wait… which joke?

[@gaminglakitu]

@@thedrewster0408 The one where he said they were gonna remake Crash Purple with an Inflatable Ripto

[@thedrewster0408]

@@gaminglakitu oh yeah that one

[@DSWYFT]

That villain mindscape plot is fucking amazing. Crash being owned by Activision is such a shame. You'd think it's provide Devs more time and money due to cod success, but all it does is sap everything else away.

[@codygagecampbell4521]

Man the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro community they are going to have a field day on this

[@novustalks7525]

What do you mean?

[@codygagecampbell4521]

@@novustalks7525 it's things like this that get the two communities all wound up

[@drwaffles5375]

Thank you, Liam Robertson, for actually putting in the work to get all this information instead of making a clickbait. "Crash 5 and Spyro 4 are in production!". I also appreciate how you never downplay the impact of most of the TFB staff being laid off, and you don't try and twist it into some kind of good news. I feel very sorry for the crash fans who have sent you hate in the past and will do after this video. Keep up the good work.

[@Terapagos3000]

The ideas and concept arts and characters for Crash 5 are, needless to say, exquisite. And this is not only the umpteenth deleted beautiful Crash game, but also possibly the most beautiful. It was also the first real reimagination of a new Crash game after Mind over Mutants, due to Crash 4 itself being too similar to the third. A true shame.

[@AllTimeScary]

The extremely poor sales makes sense because who was asking for a multiplayer esports Crash Bandicoot game? It’s so bizarre. Stick to what works and expand upon it.

[@lionliing.gamedev]

👍👍👍

[@FallenUmbra]

Having a standard Crash Bandicoot open platformer like a Twinsanity sounds great and it being taken place in one location as a hub with worlds with in the shape of Enemies minds sounds REALLY cool. All of this would have been fine by me alone but then they essentially wanted to add in an ACT 2?? Where you travel to Spyro’s dimension and help/play as him as a complete gameplay shift in mechanics?? So much potential that simply never saw the light of day :( 34:58 Also why does Activision even persist on keeping franchises like this if they don’t want to publish games that aren’t to their tastes??? I really wish Crash and Spyro were in someone else’s hands…

[@Polku-hl3zr]

There has to be a lawsuit who gets ownership of them because Activision has no active vision for fun and the pleasure of what games are meant to be.

[@RaySparkz]

Forcing to work on call of duty is a fate worst than death.

[@FanniSarosi]

It's because of ActiBlizz's greed. Crash and Spyro deserved better. Toys for Bob have been freed from ActiBlizz's chain, and I hope they can make their own games.

[@FROEZOEN]

"Wrath of Cortex didn't do as well as we had hoped"

[@thatguynobodywants3716]

History repeats itself

[@bandicootsmwcentral2950]

fish?

[@FROEZOEN]

@@bandicootsmwcentral2950 I lolled

[@apeacefulfriend2936]

Activision rn probably: "It's about time didn't do as well as we had hoped, but..... A free battle pass?"

[@AnangRabo]

Fish?!!!!!!!! 🐠 🐧💢 🐠 🐧💢 🔫 🐧!!!!!

[@mikeyokite]

I literally became a Spyro fan last year and this is what happens. All I know is pain.

[@EsPaRtAnO2009]

I been a spyro fan for years, you will get used to

[@disarisumbrus4492]

@@EsPaRtAnO2009 spyro fan since i could hold a controller here, and yeah... it sucks to say, but ya sure do.

[@jazzminrice]

my god crash 5 had an absolutely amazing premise 😭😭😭

[@ScarfKat]

Microsoft, Activision, and Sony are like the straight-up villains of western AAA. I'm so glad Toys for Bob has managed to go indie though, I feel like they have a lot of potential to make it on their own.

[@jonbeecee]

Don't forget Ubisoft

[@ScarfKat]

@@jonbeecee True yeah, they're trying to replace writers with AI lol.

[@SiggyTundra]

My thing is why did they think people wanted a multiplayer game for a traditionally singleplayer platformer series? It was a bit of a "why" thing.

[@anthonyrousseau8050]

To Activision it's never about what people WANT. It's about what seems to be making the most money and how they can copy it.

[@choo_choo_]

@@anthonyrousseau8050 Bro, no matter how you try to spin it T4B was working on the multiplayer game well before it was ever pitched to Activision. FFS it was the prototype for 4. Like did you not watch the same video? They took the battle game, and turned it into Crash 4. Activision, and the people that run it can burn in hell, but the idea for a multiplayer crash battle game was solely on T4B.

[@TakarieZan]

This argument makes 0 sense. Mario has muiltiplayer games and they succeed. If you look at the original version it seemed pretty cool. If you never play multiplayer that is fine, but there has and always will be people that are willing to play multiplayer games. The multiplayer audience is huge. The biggest difference I see from here is that what the original game was unique and quality, but it got reworked to something so Activision would green light. Since the video literally said the original vision was thrown into question after "disappointing" Crash 4 initial sales. So they reworked it.

[@LordArikado]

@@TakarieZan Mario's traditionally had excellent multiplayer games that supplement the mainline platformers. Even in Crash Bandicoot's heyday, the only Crash multiplayer game that got notably positive reception was CTR, and they were conceptualizing a primarily multiplayer-focused spinoff after two back-to-back remakes that were preceded by a near decade of no Crash games being made. Sure, TFB wised up and focused on getting a proper new mainline entry made, but the audience who plays competitive multiplayer games and the audience who plays Crash Bandicoot just hasn't historically been there like there has been for Mario, and Crash fans wanted the next platformer, not something that, regardless of the passion involved, came off as a cash grab with a recognizable brand slapped on it. It's like if, hypothetically, Capcom were to announce that the long-awaited next Mega Man game was a battle royale game instead of Mega Man 12 or a revival of one of the other Mega Man sub-series.

[@Game_Hero]

Ratchet and Clank 3 multiplayer mode is still fondly remembered today despite being a traditionally single player platformer.

[@novustalks7525]

These poor devs. Activision is an irredeemable company and it's awful to see how people are treated. I'm surprised and relieved to hear toys for Bob have survived though

[@Deadwolf27]

I wasn't terribly hot on 4 but I still would have eagerly accepted 5 and appreciate a lot of 4s achievements. This is such a shame.

[@Mekboy_ComputerMonster]

Even for ALL it's misguided backsteps in 100% Completion compared to WAAARPED, you can tell the game had so much soul/love put into it, & they were most likely going to improve upon that for a sequel.

[@DougSalad]

I don't get what people don't like about 4. like legit. it's tough, it's fun, the art is gorgeous, and the story is wacky.

[@Deadwolf27]

@@DougSalad the increased difficulty, the taken away abilities from 3, the weird momentum of the double jump, the absurd lengths you have to go to 100% even a single level and the lost toon aesthetic are all reasons why I'm not super hot on 4

[@burgerpocalypse]

i helped with making marketing videos for crash team rumble. the situation was pretty dire all throughout my relatively short time with the game before and after release, like hilariously limited tools for ingame capture and questions to the development team about solving major problems being met with silence. when the microsoft leadership team visited Activisions office shortly after the buyout happened, we were explicitly told to not work on any rumble projects in front of the executives. i dont think rumble was doomed to failure, but probably some higher ups couldnt have cared less about anything that was not call of duty

[@genexican9214]

Genuinely hurts to think about all the passion projects that have been shut down over the years due to Activision's unrealistic sales expectations. I'm glad TFB have since split off from them and gone indie. Means they don't need to worry about as much corporate meddling.

[@VilaToro64]

I hope they garner back the devs that left

[@peepeetime1]

That crossover idea for Crash 5 was gold! I'm really bummed out that they never got the opportunity to make it.

[@MrJuanrock89]

such a feel bad, I was so exited for Crash 5 after 4. Toys for bob did an amazing job and got punished for it as it too often happens on this terrible industry.

[@Realdeal958]

After seeing the beginning with how Reignited was made i genuinely feel like Toys For Bob really cared to make the game the best they knew how. I feel bad for being a bit hard on it in the past. I may not like some of the things in the remake of the game but it felt great to relive my childhood again in an updated coat of paint. Very sad to see what could have been for both Crash and Spyro. They both deserve better

[@ColinUTD]

They barely got the franchise back on it's feet then stupidly gambled on Crash Team Rumble

[@pleasecallmedaviddjs1298]

Now hold on they did bounce back when the release Crash 4 it’s about time

[@ajx2956]

Meh

[@ColinUTD]

@@pleasecallmedaviddjs1298 Exactly? they'd just made Crash popular again then released a game for a completely different genre

[@gamma064]

Tbh they didn't see it as a gamble, that's the thing all these live service games exist for is dollar signs

[@toasty_mann]

​@@ColinUTDthey wanted to release crash 5 and Activision shot it down. Crash team rumble is essentially just cutting on reusing assets, they weren't gambling it they were working with the tools they were given by Activision

[@jonathanjuarez5544]

Live service is the worst thing to happen to gaming in the modern era.

[@canaanhess]

They could have done an It Takes Two style for Crash and Spyro. That would have been sick

[@kingsora083]

This is the most depressing video I've watched in a bit. I really appreciate this information and research though. I've never hated Activision more for not allowing Crash 5 and League to be made. It's so disheartening seeing artists being put on such boring games just for profitability.😔

[@IllusionMaster17]

This story is simply a disgrace in every way you see it. Activision couldn't care less about Crash and Spyro at all. To think that we could have get a Crash and Spyro crossover after 20 years and one that actually feels both exciting, enjoyable and with plot importance to then be cancelled before even entering development is so criminal and unfair. Even worse, how they toned down Wumpa League's original concept to barebones, it's cruelty with no remorse. What really makes my blood boil is that they just leave all these projects die to satisfy games that already have too much attention like COD. Like, goddamnit Activision! This is no longer about profit, is about avarice and greed. What's worse, Spyro still is in a limbo with no standalone game. At least the Crash and Spyro crossover or Crash 5 as we call it too, would have been a perfect chance to make Spyro as relevant and a leading role as Crash and not just a cameo/guest. Truly, a shameful injustice orchestrated by Activision. Toys for Bob only wanted the BEST for Crash and Spyro. There is so much proof of it that is disheartening how unfairly they were treated all these years. I really wish them all the best of everything in their new Indie era. Stand proud Toys for Bob!

[@cuboid64]

Damn shame to hear yet another story of a developer being punished for not making lofty sales goals while being given fewer resources and time. It's amazing that Crash 4 came out as well as it did, and Team Rumble was a really unique and fun way to make a "competitive" 3D platformer even if it wasn't as big as they originally planned. If nothing else, i'll be paying full attention to whatever Toys for Bob does in the future.

[@mateusgreenwood1096]

Seasonal multi player shit ruins everything it touches, then the soulless businessmen just pull the plug when their shit ideas don't work.

[@thewiseoldfox]

The cycle keeps going. Unfortunately it's not feasible to be a large multi-billion dollar video game company without making baffling evil business decisions that affect a big chunk of their employees' livelihood

[@tazqball1605]

I hate Activision and will always hate Activision for cancelling crash bandicoot for the second time.

[@shaneseem-sin3856]

So basically if Activision is Konami, then Toys For Bob is Kojima Productions

[@SCr_20]

Crash had more cancelled games than actual games.What an achievement!!

[@TearMeOpenIBelieve]

And two cancelled cartoons as the cherry on top

[@otaking3582]

I remember when Crash Team Rumble was first announced, and I was baffled by the amount of people *excited* for a f2p live service game.

[@ColinUTD]

I remember saying at the time in a comment, it's not too late to cancel this 😭

[@TheStarBot]

It wasn't even F2P 😭

[@NeoTanner]

@@TheStarBot This. It wasn't F2P, but it sure as hell embraced the F2P mechanics like time gated battle passes. Everything is unlockable now after buying into the game with it being put on Maintenance Mode, but still.

[@lemon5000-tj6nv]

Crash team rumble wasn’t even f2p you had to pay for it and it was online only lmao

[@otaking3582]

​@@TheStarBotI didn't even know it wasn't F2P prior to this video. That makes it even worse.

[@Yoshhhhh]

Activision try not to ruin literally everything for no reason challenge

[@salmence100]

This is one of the most depressing videos I've ever watched about the gaming industry. Excellent work

[@LiamRproductions]

Thank you!

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

Activision really just cant make up their damn minds on whether these characters can stay on the market. And it genuinely angers me since Crash and Spyro had made pretty good comebacks.

[@GregCubed]

Crash 4 sold better than every single 3D Sonic game ever made, and matched the sales of Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 3D World. It also sold better than every previous Crash game besides 1, 3 and N-Sane. That's right, it outsold Crash 2 and that wasn't enough for Activision. We are cooked.

[@sonicmaster206]

We need to boycott activision bruv 😭

[@Vulcanfaux]

" they would provide support for call of duty..." a phrase I absolutely despise. A fate almost as bad as " and EA closed them down"

[@SammEater]

Crash returned so well with 3 straight games that were good only to die again. What a letdown.

[@lionliing.gamedev]

👍👍👍

[@MelRetro]

*Dang. All because of Corpos, we won’t get Crash 5* 😑

[@puffythedestroyer8878]

Since it was mentioned: The creators & lead writers of StarControll: Toys for Bob’s original founders Fred Ford & Paul Reiche, finally got the rights to the original series back, (now rebranded to “Free Stars”, & from their new indie studio, “Pistolshrimp games”, 30’s later are now developing the canonical sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters (SC2) dubbed “Free Stars: Children of Infinity”. Support them!

[@zaambas]

23:06 seeing these Academy of Evil concepts completely broke me...

[@laplap5744]

The issue with everything around "Crash 4 sales were below expectations" and its consequences about future games is that the game was a 3D platformer that was full-priced (unlike other platformers which were generally lower price) AND was barely on sale: its price remained pretty high even still to this day even with sales. Obviously the mainstream market would be less interested in a 3D platformer (a genre that's not as popular as before) that is the same price as some AAAs.

[@AluminumFusion22]

The game being super hard probably didn't help its chances. It's not hard in a fun way; it requires you to play through stages multiple times in order to earn all of the Gems and Crystals. The first three Crash games had backtracking occasionally (ESPECIALLY Crash 1 on its first island) but Crash 4 is full of it and bullshit hidden crates that you'd never see unless you were to comb through the stages multiple times. The N. Verted stages just feel like padding to extend game time.

[@bloodbane93]

The saw Mario Odyssey and thought a 20 year old mascot who was in licensing hell for two console generations could do the same.

[@Random1567]

@@AluminumFusion22You don’t have to get everything tho. Playing the game just to play and beat it is fine enough for me, no need to replay levels just to get everything imo, and it’s extra content for anyone who wants more to do.

[@otaking3582]

There's also the fact that it spat in the face of the previous entries, both by saying that they never happened and by giving Tawna an alternate-dimension redesign.

[@Ability-King-KK]

@@otaking3582 The previous entries after Warped were garbage, though.

[@user-pe7up5od7i]

The Crash and Spyro resurgence is over. It was fun while it lasted.

[@Scrubber89]

I wish a team like TFB with their love, passion and imagination for a series could have had free rein with the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Could have been so good.

[@danilog342]

I'll never recover from this

[@youngmaster5119]

Not worth it

[@amysel]

This is the most depressing video I've seen on this channel

[@BlulesBlue]

my brother told me multiple times i should try to get a job as an artist at blizzard, i was already like, fuck no, and this is another reason

[@danipatac7210]

Holy shit Liam, this was a big video well worth the wait! Long story short, Activision likes to punish their studios if they don't meet sales expectations...

[@thatguynobodywants3716]

Arbitrary and impossible expectations to be met. Just to left things clear.

[@LiamRproductions]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@correction64gay74]

A yes a nother chapter in how captlism destroyed art

[@Game_Hero]

Pajitnov not getting a penny for Tetris during the Soviet days. North Korea's monostyle monomessage art scene. China's big pains given against gamers and artists like Ai Weiwei. Autocracy too destroys art, regardless of the vibe they're going for. Don't get me wrong, CEO's and shareholders are also part of the problem : chaining what passionate people can and can't do.

[@65Reidlos]

4:45 just so gross, its well known greed but everytime you hear it ...

[@UshiUshiKakuThe2nd]

Man, hearing all those cool ideas for Crash 5 makes me really sad that we'll never get to play it. It's About Time is the kind of game I daydreamed about existing back in my childhood, and it was an absolute joy to play it as an adult. All the best for Toys for Bob; I'll be keeping an eye out for their next project.