Crash Bandicoot Merchandise Leaks, New Game Could Follow

Could a brand new trip to Wumpa Island be on the horizon for fans of Crash Bandicoot?

The popular anthropomorphic bandicoot first introduced in his self-titled PlayStation game in 1996 has seen an increase in online merchandise recently. From mugs and keychains to beanies, statues, and more, the visibility for Crash Bandicoot has been quite steady over the past few years.

However, since 2010’s “Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2,” the character hasn’t been in a completely new game title. Video game characters usually get some merchandise tie-ins to hype the launch of a new title with icons like Mario, Sonic, Link, and other iconic crossover stars as the exceptions rather than the rule.

Since that 2010 appearance, Crash made a triumphant return in 2016’s “Skylanders: Imaginators” followed by “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” (a collection/remake of previously released games) across a number of platforms. The same can be said for 2019’s “Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.”

If what Wario64 reports is true though, a new game starring Crash and the evil Doctor Neo Cortex might be looming, according to Comicbook.com. Whether that comes on the PlayStation 4 or coincides with the launch of the PlayStation5 during the holiday season remains to be seen.

After the release of the previously mentioned “Nitro Kart 2,” the character took a significant break, where not a lot of merch was accessible to fans, says Comicbook.com. As an unofficial mascot for the original PlayStation, Crash has appeared on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, thus increasing his appeal to fans of those gaming consoles.

Currently developed by Beenox and King and published by Activision, the eponymous eastern barred bandicoot who was subjected to the Evolvo-Ray has certainly had his share of the limelight in the past. Not even a redesign in 2007 that received mixed reviews from fans could keep him down for long. In fact, Crash even became the mascot of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “School and Youth” programs to promote the battle against blood cancer.

The decade-long hiatus has certainly left Crash’s fans aching for his return in a title all his own. As sure as he loves Wumpa Fruit, none of the companies behind him can deny that Crash's appeal remains all these years later. What we have now though is the anxiousness of waiting even longer for that long-awaited title.