Crash Bandicoot 5 and Spyro the Dragon have been cancelled

According to an in-depth report from Did You Know Gaming (full video) hereToys for Bob was previously working on a Crash Bandicoot 5 game that would have been a crossover game with Spyro the Dragon. However, the project was eventually cancelled.

The idea behind Crash Bandicoot 5, besides the return of the evil academy from Crash Twinsanity as a main background, was the return of Uka Uka, who had previously appeared in Crash Bandicoot: Warped and was in the secret ending of Crash Bandicoot 4. Uka Uka had gained access to an interdimensional portal where he would travel to Spyro’s world, use his magic on the Dragon Elders, and send that world into chaos while also threatening Crash’s home world. Crash Bandicoot 5 was considered a bit darker compared to the previous title – in terms of visuals and storytelling – with a greater focus on the series’ lore.

Crash and Coco then embark on an adventure to and from Spyro’s world in hopes of stopping Uka Uka. Naturally, they meet Spyro himself and rebuild the Dragon Elders.

Toys for Bob were thinking about various ideas for a Crash Bandicoot 5 x Spyro the Dragon game at the time. These ideas included returning Realms from the original Spyro influenced by Uka Uka magic, collecting dragon feathers, bringing back some old Spyro characters like the Gnorcs, and more gender-swapped alternate characters similar to N. Tropy in Crash Bandicoot 4.

Aside from Crash and Spyro, other playable characters like Nina, Cortex, and Coco are also under consideration. Crash and Spyro could potentially be played separately, but there has also been discussion about using them together. One idea even involved Crash riding on Spyro’s back.

The Toys for Bob team only worked on Crash Bandicoot 5 for three to four months. The team focused heavily on concept art and some early demo environments at the time. This was done between the summer and November 2020, all in pre-production. Unfortunately, Activision subsequently canceled Crash Bandicoot 5 — partly due to Crash Bandicoot 4 not meeting the company’s high sales expectations and a move away from big-budget single-player games.

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