darkSpyro

Really? Nobody's talking about this yet? I'd figure y'all would have heard by now. :) Well, here ya go!

Sony Considering Bringing Back Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon

(This is not a hoax. Sony spoke to The Telegraph about it and IGN has reported the story as well.)

From the original Telegraph article:
While rival manufacturer Nintendo has recycled many of its most successful characters and franchises, including Zelda, Pokemon and Super Mario time and time again, PlayStation has left some of its most beloved games unvisited. Will we see a Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon revival anytime soon?

"This is very dangerous ground," Mr House laughs. "In concept, it is something we've been thinking about and discussing, and this is a shift for us. We've started to say that maybe there isn't anything wrong with going back and looking at characters that people still talk about, that were a big part of either their childhood or their youth. I definitely wouldn't close the door on that."

This is the best news I've heard all morning.

Omg! Yes!

The way the Sony CEO talked about it, this sounds pretty plausible and serious, which has me a little bit hopeful. Mind, they'd still have to buy back both the Crash and Spyro franchises from ActiVision, which can be difficult, especially with how much Skylanders auxiliary merchandise focuses on Spyro. Fingers and toes crossed anyway. :)

What if Activision don't want Sony to bring back these franchises...?

Then we'll just be where we are now. With big companies and franchises, it's tricky. Some companies will buy a franchise just to have it and sit on it forever, doing nothing with it (this is what EA has done to a lot of popular games and why BioShock exists; when the creators of System Shock weren't allowed to make new games with that franchise, they just had to start a new one). If Sony is willing to pay what ActiVision wants for Crash and Spyro, they'll get the two franchises back and they might sit on them and do nothing, too. There's really no way to know what will happen from here, we just know that it's not impossible we'll see Spyro and Crash back now and that's it.

So Spyro and Crash are going to be a Playstation exclusives again, huh?

it would be great if we get get both legend like and origial or a mix between the two with a great story of epic proportions

cool are they gonna make new skylanders games

If it happens and a game from one of the two franchises comes to Vita, then I'll be hyped.
If it happens and games only go to PS4, then I probably won't bother. Sony has lost a lot of good will from me with their treatment of the Vita and I'd rather not buy a $400 machine and then run into the same issues.

Crash is pretty obviously the primary goal of Sony. He would be the most profitable and has more legacy to him and the PS1 than Spyro (just barely), and so most money Sony may throw at Activision would be done to get Crash back.
Spyro is less plausible, not only for the above reasons (he'd be seen more as a secondary goal; something extra to go with Crash), but also because unlike Crash he was recently brought back to do the ribbon cutting for a new franchise.

OH RIGHT. And I hope you guys aren't expecting Naughty Dog to work on Crash again. Insomniac.....maybe.

Quote: jackie_boo

cool are they gonna make new skylanders games

If Sony got the licenses back for these franchises the games would most likely be throwbacks to the previous games or Rayman Origins-style series reboots. No Skylanders.

EDIT: Also keep in mind that he was on the spot in the interview, and he isn't going to risk bad PR by outright saying "no we can't do that". It's certainly a possibility that they are looking to buy the franchises back as to win back the old crowds while also getting more kid-friendly franchises to accompany LBP. But it's also not something to put money on happening. He could just be giving us a vague answer that isn't outright saying yes or no.

I highly doubt Sony would re-hire Insomniac as the dev team for Spyro if they got that license back given that Insomniac doesn't even do games like that anymore. But it's still a huge "maybe" if they even get Spyro back, so I'm not even going to bother speculating until we get more official verification (which would be a long time in coming, if ever).

I don't think it's likely at all to be honest. They can say "oh, we're interested in doing it" but that's nothing if you just "say" it. But, for a moment, let's look at this hypothetically

If they did anything, I think they'd do remakes rather than new games to the franchise. A remake is cheaper, had an already established audience of the people who played the games when they were first released and it means that a developer just has to look at a source material and try to recreate it. It cuts out a bunch of the creative involvement in having to come up with level and enemy ideas, story ideas, dialogue, challenges etc. that the original developers would have had to do.

Given Sony have been very open with 'HD Collections' for the PS3 and then remasters for the PS4 (Like TLoU, R&C 1 and Grim Fandango and talk of more) then I wouldn't be surprised if something like this was happening, but I just couldn't see it happening to be honest. There are so many hoops that they'd have to jump through.

Example: Activision own Spyro and use it for Skylanders. Would introducing a new Spyro game be confusing to people who didn't know about the original names? Especially to those who play Skylanders on Nintendo and Microsoft platforms? Those who would be missing out on a Spyro game because it's exclusive to a Sony platform?

If anything, Crash would be more likely than Spyro but even then I couldn't see them doing Crash because Crash... Really hasn't aged well. You release a game like the first Crash Bandicoot in 2014, where you had to complete a level without dying or you couldn't complete it 100%, and people would moan about it being too difficult. So what do they do? Tone it down? And then risk upsetting the fans who liked the original games?

But, then again, that would be under the assumption that they would make a remake. Of course, if they made a new game then a Spyro game would have the same issue as a Spyro remake (if it was a Sony exclusive) and... Well, be honest, would you guys want a new Spyro or Crash game? You had plenty of them after the original trilogy and (for the most part) you didn't like them. People live under the illusion that "No guys, they need to make a new Spyro game! It'll be great!". Like ETD? Like TLoS? History has proven that Spyro wasn't good because of the games, it was good because of the people behind the game and you give it to someone who doesn't understand how it works and it's not good.

Skylanders is great. It's great because it was like Toys for Bob took the things that they liked about Spyro and then changed them around a bit to make something that was their own. Whereas Check Six, Eurocom, Krome and ELB (well, ELB less than the others) were all working off a formula that was made in 1998 and riding on it's success.

^ Pretty much this with one thing added: we wouldn't even get an HD remake because that is not a thing anybody can do with PS1 tech. In order to do a remake, a studio has to be hired to literally recreate the whole game from scratch. It's why Tomb Raider Anniversary isn't identical to the original Tomb Raider and why the Silent Hill 1 remake was different (and on multiple consoles).

Given that Sony is talking directly about Crash and Spyro up there, it's not impossible that they are trying to get those franchises back for...something. What that something is we will not have the faintest clue about unless it starts to become a reality (and it is just as likely not to happen at all).

Quote: bionicle2809

If anything, Crash would be more likely than Spyro but even then I couldn't see them doing Crash because Crash... Really hasn't aged well. You release a game like the first Crash Bandicoot in 2014, where you had to complete a level without dying or you couldn't complete it 100%, and people would moan about it being too difficult. So what do they do? Tone it down? And then risk upsetting the fans who liked the original games?

Most fans prefer Crash 2 or 3 because of the toned down difficulty, so I doubt anyone would care if a new game wasn't as hard as the first.

hope it will be true,I'm a true spyro fan and found skylanders great but not spyro anymore,what I want is something not too much in the old era(skylanders is somehow into that),epic story like the tlos with an open world and more exploration(elb add it done..almost) and characters having importance in the story!I know that for activision with lots of characters it's nearly impossible but I would love if they manage to do that,for the ones saying no remakes can be made they could remake the tlos with less errors and add more difficulty to anb.

Upon reading the original article, I honestly think the quote was blown way out of proportion now. Sony is basically just giving a vague "yeah, maybe" answer and they are not the ones who brought up Crash or Spyro, that was the article's author. This is looking more and more like "nope, not gonna happen".

Quote: Razz

^ Pretty much this with one thing added: we wouldn't even get an HD remake because that is not a thing anybody can do with PS1 tech. In order to do a remake, a studio has to be hired to literally recreate the whole game from scratch. It's why Tomb Raider Anniversary isn't identical to the original Tomb Raider and why the Silent Hill 1 remake was different (and on multiple consoles).

I know they wouldn't upscale a PS1 game, I meant a complete remake when I said "HD remake". But, even then, it is a much quicker process than making a new Spyro/Crash game from scratch because you can skip a lot of the process that has already been done for you with the original games. They spent time and effort designing Spyro, designing the way Gems looked, designing gameplay elements and how enemies react to these elements. All of that kind of stuff would be done for them.

Alas, it would not. Doing an HD remake of a PS1 game is often more work because everything must be rebuilt, redesigned, and added to for the new generation all while keeping in the important homage parts for the older fans (and you'd need to figure out what those parts are on top of having to make your game from the ground up). It's why there are so many HD remakes of PS2 games (because that code can semi-easily be reworked into a PS3 title) and only two for PS1 games (that I know of).

I've given up on seeing a new game about Spyro, I just want a new Crash eventually. I don't have anything to say about how or why Sony would bring Crash/Spyro back, because I frankly don't care about it, so optimistic post about what I think of modernising them ahoy!

I don't care if a new Crash game is exactly like the old ones- but it should have a similar goofiness and the gameplay should utilise his spinning and jumping skills. A TwinSanity/AHT-esque modernisation would actually be really nice, in my opinion. While I haven't played through TwinSanity (but I've seen some of it and it seems good), I think AHT had some great ideas on how to modernise Spyro, while still keeping a similar spirit to the older games. I have problems with AHT, but "this isn't similar enough to the old games and is a waste of the character!" ain't one of them. (My issues/praise for AHT are another post)

Skylanders has a similar charm to the old Spyro games and the gameplay style would pass, but simply put: because none of the gameplay is centered around Spyro's abilities specifically (any Magic Skylander can unlock what he does) and he has no other special role in the gameplay, it feels like he's a generic character, so I don't see it as a Spyro game. I don't like it. It really feels like he's tossed in there (and in my opinion, is just an average-feeling character beyond nostalgia). [/vent]

I don't have huge hopes for a Crash game either, but it's not like Spyro where I've completely given up because Activision have him in a series they'll inevitably milk 'till it's dust.

If it's not on a Nintendo platform, it's not where the audience is.

Skylanders is already doing way too well. They've sold over $2 billion in toys so far.

Crash would definitely have a higher chance at getting a comeback. If it's a Playstation exclusive, I will buy a PS4.

lets give it up for hope, that is awesome news, I hope we do get more of Spyro, and I guess Crash, since im not as much of a fan of Crash.

If they're actually thinking about it, that's awesome news. But really, at this point I just really want a new exploration-based 3D platformer, which I haven't seen done well outside the Mario series in the longest time (and even then, Mario hasn't done it with a focus on 3D exploring since Galaxy 2). I don't care who the main character is. It'd be amazing if it was Spyro, but with Skylanders... I'm not sure Activision is willing to sell his rights with him being a major Skylander.

And even if they did, would his figure no longer be playable in future Skylanders games? Or would they just have to stop producing new figures of him? Would Cynder and the Sparx magic item share the same fate? While I personally don't care for the core gameplay of the Skylanders games (dungeon crawlers aren't my cup of tea) and wouldn't mind if that happened (I might just not buy future Skylanders games, in that case), removing those characters could be removing some children's favorite Skylanders from the series. They might be playing it on Nintendo or Microsoft consoles and not have access to the new Spyro games. It'd probably be as upsetting to them as having our favorite childhood hero mutated and shoved into a game where he isn't even the main character(not my opinion, but I've seen it commonly enough).

The kids wouldn't understand the reason why. I'd be just like if some other company bought Charizard (for example) and then all future Pokemon games didn't have Charizard in it. No explanation, but your Charizard from when you first played FireRed can't go to the new region, and any Charmeleons will never evolve there either. People would be upset, and so would the kids if Spyro and related characters were removed from Skylanders.

But I digress. If they're actually serious about at least bringing Crash back as he was, there'd be hope for more 3D platformers in the future, and that would make my day. I really miss that genre, and hope to see it return.

Ok I've been pessimistic enough. Time to play the optimist.

Quote: bionicle2809

If anything, Crash would be more likely than Spyro but even then I couldn't see them doing Crash because Crash... Really hasn't aged well. You release a game like the first Crash Bandicoot in 2014, where you had to complete a level without dying or you couldn't complete it 100%, and people would moan about it being too difficult. So what do they do? Tone it down? And then risk upsetting the fans who liked the original games?

Skylanders is great. It's great because it was like Toys for Bob took the things that they liked about Spyro and then changed them around a bit to make something that was their own. Whereas Check Six, Eurocom, Krome and ELB (well, ELB less than the others) were all working off a formula that was made in 1998 and riding on it's success.

They could go the Rayman route and give the franchise a new style while still maintaining the series' original roots. It wouldn't be a high budget AAA game, allowing for more risk and the ability to target a single audience (those who liked Crash before) while also perhaps getting other people to want to give it a try and learn how the genre works.
In other words, like Dark Souls, but obviously less difficult and punishing.

Skylanders is not a new take on Spyro, but rather a new franchise altogether in which the Spyro name was used to help give it publicity. It is not Spyro.

And Skylanders being great is VERY debatable on its own.

EDIT: For the record I do want more Spyro and Crash games. The LoS series was polarizing but still great and AHT had a lot of promise to it and overall still holds up. As for Crash, Wrath of Cortex is easily one of the best installments in the series (better than the first game and perhaps better than the second).

I hold the belief that if the franchises were to come back to Sony, Sanzaru Games would be the developers. And from what I hear Sly 4 was a good representation of the series, so there would be hope.

Quote: Dyno-Mite

If it's not on a Nintendo platform, it's not where the audience is.

Except the audience in this case would be older gamers who grew up or are familiar with these franchises.

They wouldn't be meant to be Skylanders spinoffs.

Quote: Matteomax

Skylanders is already doing way too well. They've sold over $2 billion in toys so far.

What does that have to do with Spyro? His character and likeness was used to get the franchise going, but since Giants we haven't seen him and his role in the franchise diminishes with every passing game. It makes it pretty clear that Spyro was used merely for his brand recognition, and Activision had no real plans for him afterwards.

Skylanders should not be considered an extension of the Spyro franchise. It has become its own thing.

Except for the majority of the people who played Spyro as a kid don't play video games anymore.

The odds of anything happening are incredibly slim, and if it were to, it would be with Crash. Spyro is in a huge franchise right now, and I sincerely doubt Activision would give him up.

Plus, if they did try to get Spyro, would that mean Sony would try to buy the rights to Cynder as well?

Doubtful. Video games have become a major entertainment medium that is constantly appealing to new demographics. I'm certain that people that played games during PS1 days still in some way play them today. If they didn't, Rayman wouldn't have sold for crap when it got rebooted.

EDIT: @Dyno-Mite

I've actually read everything that you guys said. I've taken your opinions to consideration, and I'm just going to say this:

I know it's going to be hard for Sony to buy back the rights for Crash and Spyro. I know that Spyro's a "happy part" of Skylanders now, but that doesn't mean that Spyro can't make it back to his own franchise. I think it's unwise to completely go back to the beginning, now. Who wants to see the roots of something these days? It's like you're trying to get a child to look at and admire the roots of a tree that you liked when you were little. That just won't cut it. We'd have to stick with the latest updates. Downgrades (like with Sega's recent Sonic games, excluding Boom) are just not affordable anymore.

However, I'm hoping that, if those two guys DO go back to Sony, the assigned devs will at least bring a taste of the roots into action. What I'm saying is that the classic versions of both characters come back, and they will have bits of elements from every single one of their classic games, but they also have the abilities of their later-gen games (Crash still gets Titans, but not too often, and Spyro gets the multiple destructive elements that TLoS Spyro got). This will also mean that Crash still wears the tattoos, but both of the earlier two Spyros will need to team up at some point, (though, hearing myself now, the devs might not take the Shadowstone into consideration). To REALLY give that nostalgic kick, the devs should introduce important characters that are younger than the star characters (some toddler bandicoot for Crash's game, and dragon hatchlings for Spyro's game). You know, we have Crash still fight like a man, and we give TLoS elements to classic Spyro, but Crash and Spyro will pair with others who will have their earlier abilities. This way, we can still have a bit of the roots experience.

And I know you guys would want the guys to go back to their original devs, but, let's face it... Naughty Dog has been focusing on cinematic action, so since Crash has been more comedic with his later games, Crash wouldn't be suitable for Naughty Dog anymore. Crash would be more suitable for Insomniac, who's been squeezing in as much humor as possible with Ratchet and Clank (and continuing to do so with Sunset Overdrive). Since Insomniac's been that way, and since they ran out of ideas for Spyro, they wouldn't take Spyro back in. Plus, Spyro's been on the cinematic action route, so, ironically, he'd be suitable for Naughty Dog instead.

If Activision really won't give the guys up, then I'm thinking that Sony would need to break their rules and promise multi-platform games for the guys. What Activision doesn't even realize is that, if they want to let devs bring back Crash and Spyro in their own games, they could actually promote the characters and their upcoming games by having them become playable Skylanders characters. Hell, to further promote Crash and Spyro's games, Activision can do this thing in which the players collect enough portal crystals to temporarily play as Skylanders in the Crash and Spyro games. The bonus will be a temptation to Skylanders players of all ages. I know you guys know me to kind of dislike Skylanders, but I think that, if any of this happens, it might work. It's a crazy idea, but it might work.

It wouldn't be half bad if Sony managed to get Crash's IP out of the grave even at the cost of another exclusive series I'm not playing for a long time(can only afford one company's console per era,etc etc). Spyro is a LOT less likely, because he's tied to Skylanders, but no one said Sony couldn't outright buy Toys For Bob and take the whole package.
Problem is, Acti visibly likes to sit on IPs for no reason when they could be making mad cash with it. Sony might have huge interest in bringing them back to their console of birth, but if the IP holder says no, the IP holder says no.

(but it would be freaking awesome if Sony bought Crash and Spyro's IPs AND Toys for Bob. Without Acti's silly management we could get all three series and get everyone happy(in theory) because their franchises actually do spinoffs well. Bam Skylanders with Crash and Spyro figures but they get their own games and everyone can empty their wallets in joy.)

Quote: Bifrost

Without Acti's silly management we could get all three series and get everyone happy(in theory) because their franchises actually do spinoffs well. Bam Skylanders with Crash and Spyro figures but they get their own games and everyone can empty their wallets in joy.)

I kinda said that in my last post, Bifrost.

Quote: LocoGuy107

What Activision doesn't even realize is that, if they want to let devs bring back Crash and Spyro in their own games, they could actually promote the characters and their upcoming games by having them become playable Skylanders characters. Hell, to further promote Crash and Spyro's games, Activision can do this thing in which the players collect enough portal crystals to temporarily play as Skylanders in the Crash and Spyro games. The bonus will be a temptation to Skylanders players of all ages.

I mean, really... I want to see THIS guy back with Spyro, too:

Loco, I'm not obligated to read your posts, I have an opinion which isn't always about agreeing or disagreeing with you.

And Sparx's gameplay in AHT is so bad I really don't want to see him playable until they find something useful for him other than health bar/aesthesics. He comes with the IP anyway.

Maybe he can store health magic, so he can heal Spyro later on (without needing to find butterflies).

I hope they're going to bring Spyro back for real.

Also, am I the only one who would love to see Spyro have his own series again, but still be a part of Skylanders at the same time?

Quote: RaymanTwilight

I hope they're going to bring Spyro back for real.

Also, am I the only one who would love to see Spyro have his own series again, but still be a part of Skylanders at the same time?

Like I said...

Quote: LocoGuy107

What Activision doesn't even realize is that, if they want to let devs bring back Crash and Spyro in their own games, they could actually promote the characters and their upcoming games by having them become playable Skylanders characters. Hell, to further promote Crash and Spyro's games, Activision can do this thing in which the players collect enough portal crystals to temporarily play as Skylanders in the Crash and Spyro games. The bonus will be a temptation to Skylanders players of all ages.

I really don't mind Spyro still being in Skylanders as much as I used to. I still wish he can get his own game, though.

I can see it now, a new tricked out new gen spyro title with the glitz and glamour from an actual studio that makes
actual games for actual people. Knowing Sony if they were to go through the trouble of requiring an old IP they'd
end up dumping a lot of dough on it (for better or worse).

Someone has to pull Spyro out of the gutter sometime, I mean....sheesh....

Quote: SpyroFanatic101

I can see it now, a new tricked out new gen spyro title with the glitz and glamour from an actual studio that makes
actual games for actual people. Knowing Sony if they were to go through the trouble of requiring an old IP they'd
end up dumping a lot of dough on it (for better or worse).

Someone has to pull Spyro out of the gutter sometime, I mean....sheesh....

Yeah, he's been in a crystal for too long.

Quote: Matteomax

Skylanders is already doing way too well. They've sold over $2 billion in toys so far.

Crash would definitely have a higher chance at getting a comeback. If it's a Playstation exclusive, I will buy a PS4.

Me too..

They're more likely to get Crash back. Since Skylanders is doing well in terms of cash and what not. Crash has not had a game in years, so... Yeah. And I did hear about rumors about a Crash game for the PS4. So...There's a possible Crash game coming up.

i think this is just a lot of talk and nothing more... it would be great to have these two characters back but not gonna happen anytime soon.

I'm with RaymanTwilight: it'd be awesome to have Spyro still in Skylanders AND in his own game again. Maybe that might be a thing Sony would consider if they actually do want to get the IP back.

I'm really wondering how many people read my post. Was it a TL;DR post?

It sounds interesting, but I dare not get my hopes up. There have been companies who have confirmed games and then cancelled them, so just a 'we're considering it' isn't enough to make me go 'YES FINALLY'.

It's also a little vague, and very easy to interpret in a different way depending on how you look at it. Either way though, like I said - interesting.

I'm going to take the "You need stronger evidence than that to convince the court, Mr. Wright," approach. Lots of people in the game industry say they want stuff to happen and it never does. While it certainly helps this is SCE's lead man, I don't see anything panning out. Maybe Crash has more of a chance. The lush jungle environments his games take place in are ripe for some of the engine technology available today.

Frankly, I'm not even sure there's a Western studio out there who would really know how to handle the Spyro franchise. Maybe an indie team? I'm not counting Vicarious Visions and Toys for Bob because Skylanders is its own distinct franchise with its own distinct style. (Side-note: With the reveal that Trap Team is apparently being developed primarily for last generation, INCLUDING the seriously underpowered Wii, I'm going to question whether or not Activision is starting to get too cocky with their newest AAA franchise).

While it does spark a tiny bit of hope, I doubt anything will come of it, sadly. I'd like to see Spyro back in his own games as much as anyone else (though I'm okay with Skylanders) but I just don't see it happening, at least not anytime soon. As it is it feels like he's become so small, being one out of a very large number of other characters and not really being a significant part of the games since Spyro's Adventure. It makes me sad, but I'm not sure Spyro would still exist at all right now if not for Skylanders, since apparently Acti didn't have any better ideas for his own game after TLOS ended. I'm not sure Sony would or could take him back.

However, I would absolutely love to be wrong about this. If they did bring him back, I'm sure almost everyone would be jumping up and down about it.

Quote: HIR

An Indie can't afford the IP,though, even with a kickstarter.And after the Skullgirls Curse, who even wants to work indie on a game from another company, it's legal issue after legal issue.

Quote: Bifrost

Quote: HIR

An Indie can't afford the IP,though, even with a kickstarter.And after the Skullgirls Curse, who even wants to work indie on a game from another company, it's legal issue after legal issue.

What if a new Indie company came out of nowhere to make a new IP that focused on animals, yet delivers AAA quality gameplay that can be compared to today's games? You think Activision might notice?

Quote: Bifrost

Quote: HIR

An Indie can't afford the IP,though, even with a kickstarter.And after the Skullgirls Curse, who even wants to work indie on a game from another company, it's legal issue after legal issue.

The Skullgirls incident was a one time thing.

Not that I'm saying it's perfectly safe for indie devs to work on an established IP. Skullgirls wasn't even an established IP.

Quote: jackie_boo

cool are they gonna make new skylanders games

Don't worry, Skylanders will keep coming because it makes money but it will be Toys For Bob and Vicarious Visions that makes them.