Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timerecently received an action-packed reveal trailer, confirming its October 2 release date and getting fans of the classic platformer franchise suitably hyped for its long-awaited return. However, some fans may have noticed an interesting detail at the end of theCrash Bandicoot 4reveal trailerthat confirmed the new game is essentially retconning and ignoring most of the franchise.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeis a direct sequel toCrash Bandicoot: Warped, ignoring all the titles that released after that game. This means that essentially all of the non-Naughty DogCrash Bandicootgames no longer happened in theCrashuniverse. This is made apparent when the mask at the end of the trailer asks Crash and Coco how many times they’ve fought Dr. Neo Cortex at this point, to which Coco replies, “Three.” The mask then says, “Really? Only three? Funny. Seems like more,” a tongue-in-check reference to the game essentially being a soft reboot of the franchise.
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It’s no secret that most of theCrash Bandicootgamesthat came afterWarpedwere poorly-received. With Naughty Dog no longer at the helm, developers seemed to struggle with creating worthwhileCrash Bandicootexperiences, eventually leading to the franchise becoming dormant for seven years after the release of 2010’sCrash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart 2on iOS mobile devices. However, there are still some fans who enjoyed the post-Naughty DogCrashgames and may be sad that their stories are being wiped from the franchise’s canon.
One game in particular may be a source of contention for fans, and that isCrash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex. While it received mediocre reviews, especially compared to Naughty Dog’sCrashgames,Wrath of Cortexwas the franchise’s debut on PS2, and so many fans still have a nostalgic soft spot for it. It being essentially removed from theCrashcanon may upset some, though others may just be happy that a brand newCrash Bandicootgame is coming out at all.
Prior to the reveal ofCrash Bandicoot 4, there were rumors that Activision was working on aCrash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortexremasterinstead, but it seems as though those rumors were unfounded.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timewill launch on October 2 for PS4 and Xbox One.
