Spyro Almost Joined Crash Bandicoot 5

Crash Bandicoot 5 was reportedly shelved due to Activision’s new emphasis on the live service model. Read on to learn more about Crash Bandicoot 5’s cancellation, its purported cause, and what else Activision has pursued for the live service model.

Crash Bandicoot 5 Was Shelved Because of Live Service GamesCrash Bandicoot 4 Underperformed, Precluding a Sequel

A new report from DidYouKnowGaming's gaming historian, Liam Robertson, reveals that Crash Bandicoot 5 was in development at Skylanders developer Toys for Bob. Unfortunately, the project has reportedly been canceled due to Activision reallocating resources to prioritize its new live-service multiplayer model.

According to Robertson's detailed report, Toys for Bob—widely credited with revitalizing the Crash Bandicoot series—had already assembled a small team to begin conceptualizing the series’ future under the working title Crash Bandicoot 5. This project was envisioned as a single-player 3D platformer and a direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.

The report examined the proposed story ideas and purported development art for the unannounced game. The game was set in a school for wicked children and planned to include returning adversaries from prior installments in the series.

One piece of concept art even showed Spyro, another PlayStation legend revived by Toys for Bob, joining Crash in a battle against an interdimensional menace that threatened both their worlds. "Crash and Spyro were intended to be the two playable characters," Robertson disclosed.

The first indication of a potential Crash Bandicoot sequel's cancellation came from Nicholas Kole, a former concept artist at Toys for Bob, who hinted at the news on X almost a month ago. Now, Robertson's latest report indicates that Activision's decision to cease the development of Crash Bandicoot 5 may have been influenced not only by the shift toward live-service multiplayer games but also by the perceived poor performance of the previous game in the series.

Activision Rejects Pitches for Other Single-Player Sequels

It seems that Crash Bandicoot isn't the only cherished franchise to face cancellation amid Activision’s evolving priorities. According to another report by gaming historian Liam Robertson, a proposal for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, a follow-up to the triumphant Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 remake, was also dismissed. Instead, Activision reassigned Vicarious Visions, the studio behind the remakes, to work on the publisher's core franchises, including Call of Duty and Diablo.

Pro skater Tony Hawk himself offered insight into the situation in Robertson’s report, revealing that a second set of remakes was indeed underway until Vicarious Visions was fully integrated into Activision. "That was the plan, even up until the release date of 1 and 2," Hawk explained. "We were developing 3 and 4, and then Vicarious got absorbed, and then they were seeking other developers, and then it was finished."

Hawk further explained the decision, stating, "The reality 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, like, ‘What would you do with the [Tony Hawk Pro Skater] title?’ And they didn’t like anything they heard, and then that was it."