Activision's release of the remastered versions of the first three "Crash Bandicoot" platform video games, called "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy," has been met with generally positive reviews from gamers and critics worldwide. Several reports have speculated that the success of the remastered games may finally persuade the publisher to perhaps order a brand new entry into the franchise or to remaster more of the classic titles. However, most fans would agree that a new installment in the franchise would be much more welcomed seeing as that the last game that was released for the series, "Nitro Kart 2," was more than 7 years ago.
Possible new project
In a recent interview with Activision Publishing Ceo Eric Hirshberg, it was mentioned that the publisher is actually talking to its developers to "experiment" with the property. While the statement is quite vague, it might indicate that the companies may be planning to either develop a brand new title or perhaps remaster some of the other popular past installments in the franchise.
Uncertain market
However, the CEO further explained that they have yet to determine if the overwhelming interest in the remasters equates to a Mass Appeal for the franchise or if it just comes from a small market of die-hard fans. Hirshberg acknowledged that the fanbase for the new release has been quite vocal about their interest in more "Crash" games, but further research has to be made to determine if the noise is not only coming from a niche community drunk on nostalgia.
Future of the franchise
At the end of the interview, Activision's CEO explained that they are of course always trying to find the next "big thing," but their focus is still towards servicing the fans that they currently have. "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" has had some criticism since its release, mostly pointing to the fact that the games themselves only seem to appeal to long-time fans who have actually played the original games.
However, for most players who are new to the franchise, or those that haven't played the games in a while, the nostalgic element may not help them appreciate the game as die-hard fans do.
The video game compilation was released late last month, on June 30, for the PlayStation 4. It contained the remastered version of the first three titles in the series, namely "Crash Bandicoot," "Cortex Strikes Back, " and "Warped." The games were released from 1996 to 1998 and were developed by Naughty Dog for the original Sony PlayStation.
