Naughty Dog: After Uncharted, Return to Crash Bandicoot

Naughty Dog should go back to one of its first hit classics - Crash Bandicoot. Which games in the series should they go back to?

[-Foxtrot]

It would be nice. They have two teams now so if one does something realistic like the Last of Us while the second does fun, colourful platforming games then it could work and help keep each release feel fresh.

Hell you could incorporate a Crash Bash styled multiplayer to Crash if they wanted.

[Austin48]

U lost me at multiplayer lol.

[-Foxtrot]

Obviously not played Crash Bash. Its not a shooting game, just a collection of mini games. Online would be fantastic

[naruga]

@ Austin ..agreed..@foxtrot wut? Crash bash had no relation in quality with its previous entries ..it was a bit fun but mediocre game generally

[-Foxtrot]

@Nargus

What? Crash Bash was great. Not like the others but fun

[battlegrog]

Dude Crash bash was very fun. Had pretty similar elements to mario kart.

[DarkOcelet]

@naruga

Crash Bash was amazing. I cant believe people hated that game. This was my most played Crash game ever even though i loved every other Crash game on PS1 more than it.

[Davi123]

@battlegrog

Mario Kart? I think you are confusing Crash CRT with Crash Bash.

[JEECE]

I was under the impression that with all the shakeup that happened during 2014-2015ish (Amy Henning and all those people leaving), they had moved away from the two team structure. Hopefully I am wrong though and they already have a team knee deep in a new IP or Last of Us 2.

[deaddragonz]

I wad under the impression they moved back to a single team after Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us too.

[zeuanimals]

They only have two teams when their workload allows it. And I'm pretty sure it's not like they have equal amounts of devs on each game. The first people to stop working on Uncharted 3 to work on TLOU instead were probably the creatives while the people working on tech were wrapping up Uncharted. Right now, I don't think they have another directing team to work on a new game like they did when Amy Hennig and Justin Richmond were there, but I don't actually know the team's structure, so maybe they could. But I doubt we're gonna get a game in 2 years like we did between Uncharted 3 and TLOU. Development for the PS4 seems like a different beast.

[scark92]

Am I the only person here who enjoyed Crash Bash? haha

I agree, it is about time a new Crash comes out and if anyone can make it good, it is ND

[DaDrunkenJester]

I hope they go back to colorful games... I like UC because it was a fun game, but they added too much TLoU in UC4 and I didn't like it.

[Sparta07]

@ jester, 10 million people disagree with you. And that's just TLOU sales.

Do troll every Sony article? My lord man take a break

[Sparta07]

Let ND do a new ip now that they finished with uncharted. Crash could be made by another studio. ND ain't going back to crash, they moved on.

[OrangePowerz]

I think they have outgrown Crash Bandicoot. As much fun as Crash is, for ND that would be a side project because if you change a lot it's not really crash anymore and to keep it like it is with updated graphics could be done by another studio.

[Herbalistic]

ND aren't into creating games like Crash anymore

[Thatguy-310]

I agree. They've outgrown those type of games. Don't necessarily think they want to either.

[TRS_Gear]

This was my exact thoughts when clicking on this article.

ND is now in the business of making epic masterpieces. A game like crash would be greatly under-utilizing their talents and expertise.

While I have always loved Crash games, you can't exactly say it was because of the bone chilling story telling.

[Imalwaysright]

Why can't platformers be epic masterpieces?

[garrettbobbyferguson]

"Business of making epic masterpieces"

Did you imply the Crash series isn't amazing? Please. Crash Bandicoot > generic action adventure game.

[Utalkin2me]

Wow, thats kind of being short sighted. It's obvious anything ND does they do it well and best to their ability. So creating a Crash, would by far be better off in their hands then letting some other Dev do it. They would make sure the reboot was done properly and fits the new generation of platforming and more then likely add story telling in a manner such as Ratchet in clank.

[Davi123]

Looks like you don't believe very much in their talent and expertise.

[DaDrunkenJester]

And that bums me out... I'm not liking that they are going all serious tone now. I didn't like what they did in UC4, Uncharted us to be fun...

[OrangePowerz]

I don't really think the tone is that different. All previous UC games had plenty of more serious portions. There are still a lot of fun parts in the game that make me laugh.

[Picnic]

UC4 is fun when the sun is shining in a level, which is quite a lot of them.

[Imalwaysright]

True and Sony doesn't own the IP.

[Testfire]

It would be a serious waste of talent if ND made another cartoon style game. With masterpieces like TLOU and Uncharted people really want them to do a Crash or J & D game? Let another Sony studio do those, besides the talent at ND isn't geared towards those games anymore.

[Fin_The_Human]

Yup the concept art that was shown for Jak and Daxter were so completely different and relastic that Jax almost looked human than an Alien.

[DarXyde]

Sounds like they want to keep the simplicity. I'm all for the revival of Crash, but it really seems off course for modern day Naughty Dog. Just feels like a step backwards. They've moved past Crash and I, personally, see it as underutilizing their current prowess.

The fact is, Naughty Dog is doing astonishing work as is. They have shown a very powerful talent doing what they do now. Sony has plenty of other studios that are up to the task. Heck, why not tap a long time partner like Insomniac to handle it?

Then there's the matter of simplicity as the author suggests. I actually worry that if the mechanics are too simple (as they were back then) it wouldn't do well by modern standards. It'd have to do something cool to make it successful. I wouldn't mind Naughty Dog acting as a consulting figure to pitch ideas to the developing studio, but having them make it? No doubt it'd be great, but again, just feels like a waste.

To put it into PlayStation terms, it would be like playing God of War II with the Blade of Olympus on the easiest difficulty. Perceivable overkill.

[Utalkin2me]

Thats the exact reason why i think ND would be good for a reboot. Seems ND loves trying to challenge themselves and this is why they put out some of the best games. Whats more challenging then bringing Crash to the new generation and adapting a way they tell a story and set pieces to crash. Like Insomniac does with Ratchet n Clank, but x10.

I feel most dev's that would do it, will try to keep the nostalgia feel and look and not try anything new cause it's "crash". But i think ND would take risk and push the envelope, but keep the core of the game.

[AnubisG]

I think the main problem here with you DarXyde is your lack of faith in ND and your lack of imagination on in what could be done with a reimagined Crash Bandicoot by it's own creators.

I find this disturbing (with Darth Vader voice)

[DarXyde]

It's not at all a lack of faith. I don't think you get what I'm saying.

I'm saying they've proven that they can do things much, much bigger than Crash. It'd be wasteful of their talents in my opinion. If they did a Crash game, I think they'd knock it out of the park as they're ones to do. As I said, perceivable overkill.

They very likely don't want to be pressured into doing another Crash and Sony very likely wouldn't force them because they're such an incredible studio. Crash simply wouldn't have the narrative Naughty Dog is known for nowadays.

They're a very different studio today than they were about 20 years ago. They COULD make a great Crash game, but I'd rather someone else do it.

[AnubisG]

You still don't get it.

They were limited on PS1 to that architecture. The PS4 is so much more powerful and they can do so mich with Crash. Again, you have no imagination my man.

[DigitalRaptor]

Naughty Dog ain't going back. They just ain't.

This is going to be produced by them at the very most, with a developer like Sanzaru being contracted for it.

[JEECE]

Seriously. We will only get a limited number of games from them, and I want to see them do Last of Us 2 or a new IP. Have 4-5 people from ND work with someone like Sanzaru or Ready at Dawn (Yes Order wasn't good, but they have done well with other devs' IPs) on Crash, but ND shouldn't spend their resources on this.

[Davi123]

Now i get why so many people don't like the possibilty of be ND do it!
If ND do the new Crash.
I think everyone will feel shame when the first trailer of the new Crash appear.
Because all of you will recognize, that didn't believed so much in the talent of ND, as many say.

[Austin48]

The last of us 2 with a amazing story and another new ip with a amazing story they tell the best stories bring it on ND

[princejb134]

I honestly don't see why people want a crash reboot. I think it won't sell well. I remember when people wanted a banjo kazooie game from rare. When rare finally did it it barely made any sales.
I rather have the last of us 2

[JEECE]

Lol you just compared Crash to Banjo and Naughty Dog to Rare (also that Banjo reboot was on Xbox, when the old games were on Nintendo systems; this would be the return of a PlayStation franchise to PlayStation fans). While you are wrong in the sense that a PS exclusive Crash game from a competent studio would actually be very successful (see this year's ratchet and clank), I agree that ND should focus on other things.

[Vanfernal]

Banjo didn't sell because instead of a platformer like the original, they made a game about building vehicles.

[Fin_The_Human]

I half agree with you...if done right it will sell, might not do Uncharted numbers but will do Rachet and Clank numbers which is good enough depending on the budget.

[NotanotherReboot]

No they shouldn't. Jak and daxter however, allows for a great and complex story to be told. crash is too simple for current ND.

[JEECE]

They shouldn't do a platformer at all, but if they do it should be Crash. Jak is ND's weakest series (even though it is still good), as it never lived up to Crash and felt like a replacement after Sony lost the Crash license.

[jstark]

im sure almost all the original naughty dog developers are gone at this point so i dont see them ever going back to making platformers if anything i could see insomniac making a new crash game though

[Dogsuferer24]

Naughty Dog will never make another crash game. Jak and Daxter was the next step in platforming games for them. If anything they would do a new Jak game before a new crash game. Crash is a basic platforming game by todays standards. ND has moved on and so have gamers.

[fei-hung]

It's a trap!

As much as people are crying for A crash game, I doubt there will be as many people who buy a new Crash. If ND go back to Crash, the only thing that will come from it is disappointed.

If Crash returns, I think it should come from a different studio. Sanzaru might do a good job.

[JEECE]

It wouldn't do Uncharted numbers, but it would easily sell the most of any console platformer of the last few years. I agree that it should come from another studio, though.

[Kaneki-Ken]

Unless Playstation make a sister studio for NaughtyDog, like Guerrilla Games which have a sister studio called (I think is) Cambridge Studio and they are one that made Killzone Mercenary for PSVITA and they also took over Killzone Main series since Guerrilla Games making their new games.

[SmirnHof]

Hope not, it was always a mediocre platformer and is fueled by nostalgia, people who play it today will realize how bad it was. Games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo have aged well, games like Crash are the opposite, aged horribly.

[nevin1]

Crash 3>Mario 64

[SmirnHof]

Maybe if you have down syndrome

[JEECE]

Crash 2>Crash 3>Mario 64. Looks like we have an "N64 fan" on our hands. I wonder if they actually owned one in the nineties or if they just bought it on eBay five years ago to play Beerio Kart with the bros. My money is on the latter.

[BlackTar187]

Dude I'm a huge PlayStation fan but come on Mario 64> most things platformer. It defined a generation in it's genre and is widely considered the pinnacle. Tbh I feel like it had a huge hand in making Nintendo and Mario a permanent memory in people. Yes I get the Mario NES i get it but to cement it's self for a third version goes a long way Mario 64 was a game most people will remember forever

I wish pandemonium on ps1 got more love personally.

I'll expand on my comment about making Mario and Nintendo who they are. People of younger generations could tell their kids about Mario and how amazing it is. That goes along way to making Mario an icon but what grows his status exponentially is when the new generation gets to see Mario in Mario 64 and how good it was putsMario and Nintendo deeply in 2 generations of consumers. That is huge like huge huge. You get confirmation that the game you've always heard about is as good as advertised.

End rant.

[AllRoundGamer36]

funny on twitch ppl still play mario 64 same cant be said about crash bandicoot, also mario 64 shaped the 3d platform/adventure era and why sega followed suit with sonic. also if memory serves me right mario 64 released before the first crash bandicoot.

[JEECE]

The exact opposite of this is true. Mario 64 hasn't aged well (though the 2D Marios are still excellent), and no one cares enough about Banjo to play it anymore. Crash on the other hand, still plays well, and is the only one you play on a modern-feeling controller. There's a lot of revisionist history from the Nintendo crowd on the N64. So many people claim that that was their console of choice now that it has become cool and retro, yet it sold about a third of what the PS1 sold.

[Imalwaysright]

Yeah N64 sold 1/3 of what the PS1 sold and yet Super Mario 64 sold around 5 million more copies than either Crash 2 or Crash 3. You can say "oh but COD sells millions and is crap" but at the time of its release Mario 64 was one of the best games ever made.

Not only that but Mario 64 changed gaming forever and is without any doubt one of the most influential games and you can see its influence in gaming even today. Also Mario 64 is perfectly playable with a Wii pro controller so I have no idea of what you're talking about,

[BlackTar187]

I'm always right I agree one million percent. Mario is considered the pinnacle of it's genre to this day. The guy above says it hasn't aged well? People are staying playing it and trying to achieve goals on it today on the internet. New secrets are discovered every year recently. That kind of stuff happens and it's still grabbing people's attention means it's level of impact is huge. The Mario 64 community still exists.

[EnzHienz]

Nearly fell out of my chair laughing at this. Super Mario 64 hasn't aged well? Must explain why the game has a huge modding and speed running community even today while no one cares about Ass Bandicoot and his crappy games except for those who made a poor choice picking a PS1 over an N64 and have buyers remorse 20 years later. In fact I still remember seeing the commercial for Crash Bandicoot, wanted a PS1, went to Costco and played on the kiosk and stopped playing after 10 minutes when I realized even as an 8 year old how bad the game is. Nintendo even use a modified version of the SM64 engine on games like Super Mario Galaxy and guess what? They end scoring a 97 on Metacritic for both Galaxy 1 and 2.

And apparently more people care about Banjo as they often request a sequel for it to the point where Playtonic is making a spiritual successor since MS isn't doing anything with the IP. Meanwhile Crash and Jak are rotting in their graves as they should be.

If ND made a new Crash Bandicoot game, it would be a sub par game just like the PS1 games were and just like Jak and Daxter were. The linear design, the awful controls, horrendous sound and art style, and that God forsaken fixed camera angle would crush those childhood memories and make all of the fans cry when they realize how bad the game is compared to what they remember. It kind of reminds me of Shadow of the Empire on the 64, great memories but would rather sit on a rusty nail then play it today.

The PS1 did sell more, but Mario 64 sold a lot more than any Crash game did, pick your poison.

[AllRoundGamer36]

JEECE

heres the thing ps fanboys always bring up sales but the truth is the n64 had one of the best games ever made... golden eye and trust me if the N64 had been a cd based console the playstation brand wouldnt have been here today, only reason playstation caught on was because it was easier to program due to its cd drive and more data could be crammed on cds at the time compared to cartridges so most 3rd party devs jumped ship. also sony took the rumble feature and analogue sticks from the n64 controllers.

[Sevir]

No thanks, they are far too talented to return to something that limiting. Continue with the Last of Us and give us the New Ip they've been in pre-production

[TheDreamCorridor]

First Naughty Dog game you played was Uncharted, huh?

[Sevir]

No it was Crash, but I'm not caught up in the crash love affair, it's archaic and was designed very straight forward, . It simply can't be made modern in the same way Ratchet, Sly and Jak can be. But thanks for your worthless presumptuous question.

I'd much rather see them utilize their skills and talent on something worth their level mastery.

Leave the bandicoot on PS1 where he belongs.

I'd be far more enthusiastic if they returned to the Jak and Daxter Franchise, because that Ip could benefit from modern game play practices and their new mastery of developing video games with gripping story and action, much the same way Ratchet came back to impress on PS4.

[Chaos_Order]

If a new Crash does happen, I don't think it should be ND who does it. They've moved a long way away from the original Crash games, I don't know how comfortable they'd be going back to it .

With that said, if Insomniac made a Spyro PS4 I would be first in line.

[Relientk77]

do it

[smashman98]

To everyone who says naughty dog shouldn't do a crash or jak and daxter game because they've evolved past that. I'm gonna have to call Bs. I think that naughty dog should challenge themselves and revisit one of these old franchises and do something that both reminds us of what naughty dog used to do and why naughty dog is so great. Because whos saying crash can't be epic or have a story and whos saying jak can't do that. Because I remember playing those games and being so immersed in both the world's and the gameplay. And I think that naughty dog can revisit and create one of the most compelling platformers yet again.

[Elwenil]

I'm going to call BS on your calling BS. Why would you "challenge" someone to do something so outdated? Should we "challenge" you to go back to kindergarten? Also, Naughty Dog is great now, but that's mainly because of Uncharted 2 and the games they have made since. Even the original Uncharted was not really a big deal when it released and no one then considered Naughty Dog to be the "elite" developer they are today. So I really don't think many people, if any, considered Naughty Dog to be "great" because of Crash Bandicoot.

I also can't help but laugh at you saying you were "immersed in both the worlds and the gameplay" of Crash and Jak and Daxter. Do you understand what the term means? I could almost believe Jak, but Crash? You ran down a jungle path that looked like it doubled as a checker board. How "immersed" could you be? Did you really think you were running down that checked path with a boulder following you? Seriously?

I totally get the nostalgia for games like Crash Bandicoot, but honestly, they don't sell well today. And no, the people screaming for a sequel or remake are not in the majority, nor will even half who are talking about actually commit to buying it. Most will say "it's not worth $60" or some other excuse others just don't realize how much gaming has changed since the days of the PS1. I have very fond memories of playing my Pong game, my Atari 2600, NES, Genesis, PS1, 2 and 3 but quite honestly, I have no desire to relive those memories. That's fine if you do, feel free to go pick up an old PS1 and a copy of Crash, but most of us expect more from games today and are not going to be satisfied for long with nostalgia. For me personally, it takes about 10 minutes and I'm done. Others may hang in there longer and even enjoy themselves and I am happy for them, but the majority of us are content to keep our memories because going back is never the same. Like Thomas Wolfe said, "You Can't Go Home Again."

I think all this pressure to revisit the past is unfair to Naughty Dog. They have said they don't want to go back to games like Crash and I think their fans should respect that. They don't owe anyone another Crash game, they have already given you what they wished to make and they have moved on. Why can't you?

[smashman98]

How do you type that much but say so little? Allow me to further break down what I was saying for you. When I say they should challenge themselves what I mean is they should take Jak or crash and add a bit of the modern naughty dog flavor. Make a crash game that has cinematic platforming set pieces with awesome boss fights and cool imaginative locales. Make a Jak game with heated gun battles awesome platforming and great driving segments in a vast openworld with a deep and moving story and with that trademark humor that Jak and daxter is loved for,

To your other point about me being immersed I was 5 when I played the game and that was nearly 20 years ago soooooo...

Finally to your last point about naughty dog not wanting to do it Im not arguing in the case that ND doesnt want to do it im arguing against that they shouldn't do it because they're better than that. I don't believe any dev should work on something they don't have their heart in.

[AllRoundGamer36]

if crash was so amazing to ND why did they pass it on to universal/telltale games?

[TheDreamCorridor]

If you think Naughty Dog shouldn't single-handedly develop the next Crash Bandicoot game, that means that you started playing Naughty Dog games when Uncharted 2 came out.

[JEECE]

Or it just means that you enjoyed each era of ND games for what they were, but want to see them continue to make new IPs.

[AllRoundGamer36]

TheDreamCorridor

you cant be to clued up yourself to be honest... naughty dog sold the rights for crash to travellers tales/vivendi universal. its not as simple as ND going back to make a new crash game.

[TheDreamCorridor]

Naughty Dog never owned anything, ever.

Naughty Dog was enlisted by Universal Interactive Entertainment to create a platformer for the PlayStation as Universal and Sony created a partnership.

Sony had publishing rights while Universal owned the IP -- same thing with Spyro the Dragon.

The partnership ran out, Sony bought Naughty Dog and Crash and Spyro went with Universal.

That's the story.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Crash is owned by Activison https://mobile.twitter.com/...
I would like a sequel to the Last of Us or a new IP.

[DaDrunkenJester]

I wish they would go back, but unfortunately we are stuck with super serious games like TLoU and UC4... I don't want my games to be super serious movies, I want fun.

[AllRoundGamer36]

buy a ps1 then and live in the past my friend, these new consoles were built for movie like games not half assed 3d platformers with no depth in story or gameplay.

[Vanfernal]

Well, we think we want Crash Bandicoot.... But we really don't. Some article made me see the light. /s

[Retroman]

@ DaDrunken

Yeah, it seems like we're STUCK on Super serious movie games.......i too want fun back.

[Hozi]

I really feel like Naughty Dog could easily do a remake for Crash Bandicoot. They are like Super Game Developers and I believe it wouldn't take too much time away from their other projects.

[arkard]

I want them to go forward. I want another new IP. I want to see what else these guys can do!

[nevin1]

Can I argue making a new Crash can be considered a new IP considering ND hasn't made a crash game since the PS1 days.

Hell didn't Jak and Daxter skip the entire PS2 era?

[Joe913]

Would be nice but hudge waste of talent

[gamer7804]

No. Sometimes the nostalgia is better than the real thing. I'd rather them.work on a new original title. similar to what quantum dream does.

[Skankinruby]

Maybe I need to dig out this one again. I just remember a silly pointless button masher but people keep pushing this like it was something so amazing.

[Germany7]

I will say it again, studios like Sanzaru Games and Japan Studio can handle Crash Bandicoot.

[showtimefolks]

After how well ratchet and clank remake did I am all for ND doing a crash game

[BlakHavoc]

I don't understand how anyone could want ND to do a platformer anymore

[milohighclub]

Definitely would be nice to play a new crash game I stopped playing when naughty dog stopped making them so been a while.

***********$!!!!!!!!WARNING POSSIBLE UNCHARTED SPOILER BELOW!!!!!!!********depending how you look at it******* avert your eyes!!!!!!!!!

I know this is off topic but I was thinking nd wanted to leave uncharted in a state where no one could continue drakes story well you know how in uc3 there's the news paper tlou Easter egg. What if they were to have the infection kick off in the dlc? Tieing the game together then in tlou2 have a uc character cameo or playable like uber old or something. That way it's moving on from uc permenantly. As much as I want them to do another after 4, they've said they are moving on.

[DFresh]

I think Naughty Dog should do a reboot of the series. Include some type of co op and innovative multiplayer. Use the same Engine as Uncharted 4.
Put all of that together at 1080p/60 frames per second and you have struck Captain Avery Gold.

[EnzHienz]

Jak and Daxter and Crash Bandicoot were average games at best that are fueled off of nostalgia. Mediocre level design, awful controls, some of the worst art design and sound. Naughty Dog knows this hence why they won't make a new Crash or Jak game, because once people played them they would realize how sub par these games truly are, their nostalgia and good memories would come crashing down and they would blame Naughty Dog for the fact that the games aren't as good as they remembered. It would severely hurt Naughty Dog's brand and image.

People can hate, but deep down they know I'm right.

[AnubisG]

I'm sorry but you are just plain wrong. At the time those games were released they were pushing rhe systems to their limits. The gameplay in both series still hold up. You might be too young to remember those games or wasn't even alive when they were released.

[Picnic]

After looking at their jungle designs in UC4, I wish they could make a 3D Donkey Kong game for NX.

[Livecustoms]

Nope, dont get me wrong i want to a Crash game but Naughty Dog are just soo good at making mature games and their talent would be wasted on a Crash game. I want TLOU 2 or a new I.P next please.

[AnubisG]

So this is what I don't understand. Why would it hurt many of you if ND reviwed Crash Bandicoot? I think I know one possible answer though.

You grew up with the PS2 and your first ND game was J&D and you are butthurt if ND isn't doing a J&D revival, instead they do Crash.

Or you just want TLoU2 so bad that you want both teams at ND to focus on that game alone.

I don't see why it would be a problem if one ND team created a new Crash Bandicoot game and while the other worked on TLoU2.

If anyone can make Crash awesome again, it would be ND.

Besides, PS4 needs a mascot and new Crash Bandicoot would be a great candidate.

[jay2]

Uuim....acti own the ip not nd

[senorfartcushion]

Those who can't right properly shouldn't be allowed to title articles.

[overrated44]

You meant to say "write" rather than "right" like you said when criticizing the author's ability to WRITE a title, correct? Oh, and his title is perfectly fine.

[senorfartcushion]

Get it? :D

[One-Shot]

God no don't do that. Talk about a huge waste of thier talent that have matured far past a simple platformer.

[ajax17]

What I would really love is if Sony reacquires the rights and have some developer (likely Bluepoint games since they're great at it) do a remaster. Much like how Oddworld was remastered; using the same assets from the original. I'd gladly pay $20-30 for that. Or $60 for a PS4 quadrilogy remaster.

[Nivekki]

ND are all about moving forwards, not backwards. This wouldn't work.