Activision "wants to invest" in new Crash Bandicoot games

Crash Team Rumble
(Image credit: Activision)

The creative director of the new Crash Bandicoot game says that Activision is keen to invest in new games in the franchise.

In an interview with VGC, Crash Team Rumble creative director Dan Neil said that "there's a core ethos of games that Toys for Bob have demonstrated they're excellent at producing over the decade." As the studio behind Skylanders, the Crash and Spyro trilogy remasters, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Toys for Bob has certainly made a name for itself as a developer of mascot-driven titles, but that name is far from all-important.

"It's not only about what we're passionate about," Neil continues. "It's that Activision is supportive and they continue to want to invest in new titles for this franchise. They also have a belief that we can do exciting new things."

It's likely that Crash Team Rumble, a multiplayer effort, is part of those "exciting new things," putting a spin on the traditional Crash Bandicoot formula. Whether we're getting standard Crash experiences in future remains unclear, but it's definitely nice to see Toys for Bob return to its strengths - not that long ago, it was pulled in to help with Call of Duty: Warzone along with multiple other Activision studios, marking a significant departure from the games that made it famous. 

Neil says that the experience from that period was important in the development of Crash Team Rumble, and that the studio's flexibility in moving between those two projects is a benefit, but if one stance leans towards more Crash, I'm all for it.

Keep ahead of the game with our list of new games 2023.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

Read more
Rift Apart
Retiring Insomniac boss says developers should still tackle new genres, but it's much riskier these days due to time and money
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle artwork
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was successful enough that Disney reportedly "picked up the phone and wants more"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Ape Escape
After Astro Bot paid tribute to dormant classics, PlayStation's CEO is "looking at opportunities to leverage past IP"
A Helldivers-inspired bot in Astro Bot placing a flag into the ground.
After Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot success, live service and family games are genres PlayStation wants to "expand in the future"
Batman Arkham
After Suicide Squad's $200 million flop, Rocksteady's reportedly back to working on the Batman games that made it a household name
Latest in Games
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"