Crash BandicootandSpyro the Dragonare both 90s icons who experienced a massive surge in popularity after their franchises were revived, but they have something else in common: bothCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeand theSpyro Reignited Trilogywere made by developer Toys for Bob. In fact, the devs went straight fromSpyro Reignited TrilogytoCrash Bandicoot 4, and the purple dragon helped bring the marsupial back into action.
According toCrash Bandicoot 4creative producer Lou Studdert in an interview with Nintendo Everything, theSpyro Reignited Trilogywas the team’s first time using Unreal Engine 4 in the fashion they chose. The experience of working on the newSpyrogames helped Toys for Bob hone its skills with both Unreal Engine 4 and its own tech tools. The results were so well received that gamers have usedCrash Bandicoot 4andSpyro Reignited Trilogyas proof that other platformers should return.
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Toys for Bob spent a long time examining theSpyrogames and figuring out exactly what made them tick - and thuswhat fans could expect from a newSpyrogame. When theSpyro Reignited Trilogywas finished, the studio carried the lessons it learned to its next platform adventure game. Reportedly, there’s always been a lot of love forCrashwithin Activision, and Toys for Bob jumped at the chance to bring a second beloved franchise back from the dead. Figuring out how to get a series so entrenched in the aesthetic of the 90s into the modern day was a complicated process, and Studdert claims the team owes their success to experiences with theSpyro Reignited Trilogy.
From a tech and design philosophy standpoint, Toys for Bob’s work onCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timewas an extension of the work it was doing on theSpyro Reignited Trilogy. The devs made sure they knew what these franchises' most essential pieces were before they began updating and overhauling key mechanics. The revival worked so well and drew so much attention that Studdert hopesCrash might appear inSuper Smash Bros.
Crash Bandicoot 4owing part of its success to theSpyro Reignited Trilogyisn’t much of a surprise considering the studio was working on those games concurrently for part of the development time. In fact, Studdert said the studio was so small there weren’t even separate teams - a few people at a time were simply carved off to pursue the development of another project. However, as theSpyro Reignited Trilogycame closer to completion, the team focused on seeing it through rather than continue to multitask. The future of both franchises is currently uncertain, but some of thevoice actors fromCrash Bandicoothave begun teasing a new project.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeis out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
