Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy is out now and the reception has been great so far. In fact, there are already strong hints that this could be just the beginning of a new era of Crash games.
To begin with, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg left the door wide open to more Crash in an interview published today by GamesIndustry.biz.
We are experimenting with Crash. 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. So far, we are seeing some real passion for it, so that could lead to other things.
Of course, we are always trying to find the next big thing. But our first priority is to make sure we are servicing the communities that we are already lucky enough to have.
Needless to say, fans have already voiced their desire: to get a Crash Team Racing remaster (or sequel). If done right, this could be a real challenger to Mario Kart's huge popularity.
Chances of another Crash game being announced relatively soon seem very strong when you also consider N.Sane Trilogy's early sales. As Gfk Chart-Track wrote today, the game debuted at the first place in the UK charts. It even topped Horizon: Zero Dawn as 2017's biggest single platform launch while also securing the second overall place after Ghost: Recon Wildlands when taking into account multiplatform games as well.
This week sees 3 classic franchises back in the charts as the top 3 new releases. The first is a return for ‘Crash Bandicoot’ (all 3 original PS1 games from 1996-1998) as Activision’s ‘Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy’ for PS4 does what none of the originals did by debuting at No1. It’s not always about a strong debut though, as the original Crash Bandicoot games have helped the overall franchise of 16 different Crash titles to currently occupy the 24th position within the all-time UK franchise list (boxed software, unit sales since 1995 up to last week).
This wave of nostalgia is particularly interesting. Micro Machines World Series debuts at the second place this week in the UK charts, but other revivals like Wipeout Omega Collection and Tekken 7 also did very well in previous weeks. The question is, will the nostalgia last?
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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