Crash Bandicoot 5 Allegedly Canceled After Studio Went Indie

Crash Bandicoot fans might be heartbroken to hear that Crash Bandicoot 5 was reportedly shelved, according to insights from former Toys For Bob concept artist Nicholas Kole. Dive deeper into what Kole had to say about the game that never came to be!

Crash Bandicoot 5 Supposedly Shelved

‘Project Dragon’ Also Scrapped

The gaming community was buzzing when Nicholas Kole, a former concept artist at Toys For Bob, hinted at a canceled Crash Bandicoot 5 via an X (formerly Twitter) post on July 12th. While discussing his other canceled project, "Project Dragon," which led to speculation from fans and creators like Sonic comic writer Daniel Barnes that it might be related to Spyro due to its name, Kole clarified that "Project Dragon" was a completely new IP developed with Phoenix Labs. However, he seized the moment to mention Crash Bandicoot 5, revealing 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.

The fanbase reacted just as Kole had anticipated, with many expressing their disappointment and heartbreak over the news. Comments like "Hearing any sort of cancelled project news breaks my heart, but hearing about a cancelled Crash in particular stings harder than anything.." flooded the replies.

Toys For Bob, the studio behind Crash Bandicoot, parted ways with Activision Blizzard earlier this year to become an independent entity. This move came amidst Activision Blizzard's acquisition by Microsoft. Despite their newfound independence, Toys For Bob has entered into a publishing agreement with Microsoft Xbox for their upcoming solo project, though details about this new venture remain under wraps.

The most recent mainline Crash Bandicoot game, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, launched in 2020 and achieved sales of over five million copies. Following that, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! was released in 2021 as an endless mobile runner, and Crash Team Rumble debuted in 2023 as an online multiplayer title. The latter concluded its live support with a final content update in March of this year but remains playable on next-gen consoles.

With Toys For Bob now operating as an independent studio, the future of Crash Bandicoot 5 remains uncertain. Fans are hopeful that it might eventually see the light of day, sparing them a prolonged wait for the next installment in the beloved franchise.