Cancelled Crash Bandicoot 5 concept featuring Spyro leaked

Now, new details about the rumored Crash Bandicoot 5 have surfaced online, and they are truly amazing.

First, the details are presented in a new video from the YouTube channel DidYouKnowGaming, which explains the concept for Crash 5, including a planned crossover with Spyro the Dragon, as well as the shortcomings of Crash Team Rumble and other details. It's a really fascinating video, full of information and statements from developers that make it absolutely worth watching.

Crash 5 had two concepts in the works

As shown in the video, two different concepts were in the works before Crash Bandicoot 5 was canceled. The first concept would see Crash return to the Academy of Evil, a famous location from Crash Twinsanity. These plot elements from Twinsanity would be explored again, according to the reveal, with the larger sections of the Academy of Evil serving as a sort of central world.

The teaching staff of this nefarious school would be made up of previous Crash villains, and the game would take a cue from Psychonauts by allowing Crash to explore the innermost conflicts of his enemies by traveling through their minds. Pinstripe would return, for example, and Crash would go through a 1930s gangster level as he explores his past.

Over time, however, these ideas expanded greatly, leading to a possible team-up with Spyro. In this concept, Uka Uka would be the antagonist and an interdimensional portal would allow Crash and Spyro's worlds to cross. The two video game mascots would join forces to defeat Uka Uka, with both characters being playable.

Additionally, it was revealed that there would be team moves, such as Crash riding Spyro or Spyro carrying Crash. Apparently, it would have been a darker sequel, with a focus on exploring the lore of both universes.

So what the hell happened?

Unfortunately, Crash 5 never made it past pre-production. According to the video, the sales of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time are to blame.

This is because before the release of Crash 4, the first three Crash games were re-released as the N. Sane Trilogy. To date, this collection has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. However, Crash 4 was not as successful.

For comparison, Crash 4 sold 402,000 digital copies in its first month after release. The N. Sane Trilogy reached over 520,000 units sold on the market in just one day. That just wasn't good enough in Activision's eyes, and so the project was put on hold in favor of multiplayer Games-as-a-Service (GAAS) titles.

This brings us to where we are now, with no Crash 5 and certainly no Spyro sequel. Perhaps one day these concepts can be revisited as they are truly unique and would have brought both series into the modern age. Until then, though, all we have are the concepts of some really creative people.