Last month saw the return of "Crash Bandicoot" to the gaming world, much to the delight of its loyal fan base.Following very positive reviews from critics and casual gamers alike, fans may have more to look forward to as publisher Activision hints at more "Crash" games in the future.
"We are experimenting with Crash," Activision publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said in an interview with GameIndustry.biz. "We know there's a vocal fanbase that wanted that to come back. But you never know if that is emblematic of a larger audience or just this niche, nostalgia-based community," he added.
Hirshberg knows the important role that the gaming community play in the development and success of games and franchises. He stated, "These games have a long life with our fans. You don't always know on the day you release it how long that life is going to be, so you have to respond to the behaviour from the community. That's what makes this business unique. The choices and behaviour of gamers is part of our creative process."
In June, the company released "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" for PlayStation 4. It is a remaster of the original three games that were developed in the 1990s — "Crash Bandicoot," "Crash Bandicoot: Cortex Strikes Back," and "Crash Bandicoot: Warped." It features and same gameplay as the original games, with drastically improved graphics in 4K resolution. The new release also sports remastered audio from new recordings done by the original voice actors.
The nostalgia-driven support from the fans helped the title top the U.K. sales chart, grabbing the number one spot during its first week of release. It may be the same nostalgia that can fuel the development of more "Crash" games, as Hirshberg himself is a huge Crash Bandicoot fan. In 2011, he stated, "I don't have anything official to announce, but I can speak as an individual, I love Crash Bandicoot. Those were some of my favorite video games growing up. And I would love to find a way to bring him back, if we could." Bring him back they did, and hopefully, there's more to come.
