Crash Bandicoot debuted on the Sony PlayStation in 1996 and became an instant hit, with fans falling in love with the platforming, wacky nature of the game and the amusing cast of characters.
Originally created by Naughty Dog and passing through the hands of companies such as Eurocom, Traveller's Tales and most recently Activision, the series has seen many interations over the years, featuring a total of 18 games across multiple platforms. However, all that appeared to come to an end in 2010 with the release of Crash Nitro Kart. A new entry hasn't been released since then, leaving fans to wonder about what ever became of the much-beloved furry protagonist.
Now, it seems Crash Bandicoot might be making a comeback if some reports are to be believed. Whether it's the product of an early E3 2016 or a retailer responding to rumors, Swiss retailer Alcom has listed a new entry for the Crash series for the PlayStation 4.
As with all rumors of its ilk, this rumor needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, many leaks do come from various European sources. For example, Europe's PEGI (Pan European Game Information) leaked the now-confirmed Batman Arkham HD Collection in April, and a European trademark was the first indicator that Nintendo would be showing off Pokemon Sun & Moon in its direct event the very next day.
However, unlike official sources like PEGI and various trademarks, Alcom is just a generic retailer and it also has listings for The Last of Us 2 and Half-Life 3. The first seems believable, albeit quite early, while the latter seems like a shot in the dark. Of course, its not like Swiss retailers have a bad track record when it comes to leaks. Retailer World of Games once leaked Ubisoft's 2014 game Assassin's Creed Rogue ahead of its official reveal.
While the listing is dubious, its certainly didn't come out of the blue, as there has been plenty of talk about Crash Bandicoot in recent months. On April 15, PlayStation Latin America posted a picture of Crash for Throwback Thursday. At first glimpse the photo would appear to display new artwork; however, it's actually an old magazine scan that was retouched, leaving many to question why Sony would put so much effort in a simple tweet.
Before that, in February, a toymaker at the New York Toy Fair said Sony was bringing Crash Bandicoot back. Of course, he later backtracked from the statement, saying he meant that if Sony was bringing Crash back, then he'd like to do figures.
The most recent incident came from Naughty Dog in Uncharted 4, which featured Crash Bandicoot in various forms throughout the game. Not only was he referenced in collectibles and inspectable objects, but there is also an entire level from the PS 1 title playable in-game. Most interesting of all is that Activision wasn't credited whatsoever. Many took this reference to mean that Naughty Dog reacquired the rights to Crash, which prompted Sony to announce that the series still belonged to Activision.
With all that said, is Crash Bandicoot really coming to the PlayStation 4? Any "evidence" so far has been rumor and conjecture, so we'll just have to wait until E3 this year to find out.
