Back in the PS1-era,Crash Bandicootreceived three excellent games;Spyrogot a similar trilogy of games. Next,Crash Bandiootwent cross-platform and got several more sequels from a wide array of different developers with varying levels of quality, whileSpyrogot the exact same treatment. The two franchises went on to echo one another for the better part of the next decade, with both franchises getting Gameboy Advance and DS spin-offs, soft reboots, and then eventually both fading into obscurity.
That is, until 2017 hit andCrash Bandicootgot reborn with theCrash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy. Spyroquickly followed suit by receiving a remake as well, with theSpyro Reignited Trilogyin 2018. Crash then got another remake in the form ofCrash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueledin 2019, but Spyro has no such equivalent. This hiccup doesn’t mean the pattern is over, but with the upcomingCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time,it seems that fans now have a new question: what of Spyro will follow this newCrashgame?
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What Crash 4 Establishes
Before discussing Spyro’s future, an examination of the orange bandicoot’s is in order.Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeis coming and soon. The game is set to launch on October 2, less than a month away, and looks to be somewhat of a direct sequel to theN. Sane Trilogy. The brilliant thing about the upcoming title is that it appears to still capture the look and feel of the original games, while still expanding on the franchise in new and creative ways. The levels inCrash 4look similar to the original trilogy (especiallyWarped, with a time-traveling aesthetic), but the overall art design is a bit different, giving the game a unique vibe overall. The gamethrows in tons of new features and abilities as well, such as the slow-motion ability, new playable characters, and more. In short, it’s new territory for Crash.
What That Means for Spyro 4
As previously stated, the unspoken rule has always been that whatever happens to Crash, the same happens to Spyro. Seeing as thatCrash 4essentially ignores all of the series' later sequels, fans can assume that a newSpyrogame would also undo all of its most recent entries as well. This makes sense, asEnter the DragonflyandA Hero’s Tailare both generally viewed as bad games by most fans and critics, and since there have already beenrumors going around that a newSpyrogame is in development, there is some merit to this idea.
Given thatCrash 4shares so many similarities with the PS1 originals, fans can probably expect something similar out of the next Spyro game. As already mentioned, Crash 4 still manages to set itself apart from the original games by introducing some new abilities, new playable characters, a slightly different artist direction, and more. Therecently revealed Tawna redesignis just one example of how the new entry attempts to really set itself apart, andSpyro 4would hopefully do the same thing.
New abilities, new playable characters, and new imaginative worlds would all be welcome additions in the nextSpyrogame. And as fans of the series may know,the thirdSpyrogame introduced several new playable characterswith new unqiue abilities and movesets, so it’ll be interesting to see what direction the next title takes the series.
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When Can We Expect It?
Looking at Activision’s release schedule, it appears that the newSpyrogame could be arriving as soon as 2021.N. Sane Trilogyarrived in 2017, thenReignited Trilogyin 2018,Nitro-Fueledin 2019, and nowIt’s About Timein 2020. Crash appears to be receiving twice as many titles as Spyro so far, which makes sense asCrashgames are both smaller in scope and the more popular one out of the two franchises. A 2021 release would be giving three years' time betweenSpyroreleases, plenty of time for developers to make the game.
The franchises have been seeing very different release times, with the first twoCrashgames both releasing in the Summer time, but bothReignited TrilogyandCrash 4have released in November and October, respectively. This means that the nextSpyrogame could release at any point in 2021, with the second half of the year being the most likely. It’s also very possible that the game may not happen next year at all,due to Covid-19 related delays.Because of it, developers have experienced delays all over due to the worldwide pandemic, so it’s important to still keep one’s expectations in check.
The Future of Both Franchises
The futures for both Spyro and Crash look incredibly bright; so far, every new entry for both games has been received incredibly well by both fans and critics alike,and have boasted equally as impressive sales numbers. As long as the games continue to retain their high-level of quality sustained thus far, it doesn’t appear that either franchises are going anywhere any time in the near future. And this is exciting for any Spyro fans, as it’ll be the first truly new entry in the series in thirteen years (not includingSkylanders).
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time!launches for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Jun 22, 2025.
