It has been four years since the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, leading many fans of the series to wonder how much longer they will have to wait for the next installment. However, it has been discovered that the next Crash game may have been quietly canceled behind the scenes, according to an industry insider.
Nicholas Kole, an illustrator and character artist who has worked with Toys for Bob on both Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, recently took to Twitter to discuss Project Dragon, an unannounced title in development at an unknown studio, which Kole had worked on for three years before its recent cancellation. While discussing the same, in response to a fan wondering if Project Dragon was a new Spyro title, Kole clarified that it was not, but continued by mentioning “the Crash 5 that never was”, adding that “it will break hearts” if and when people find out. Presumably, Crash Bandicoot 5 was in development at Toys for Bob, before being quietly canceled. Kole clarified in subsequent tweets that Crash 5 and the Project Dragon he had mentioned earlier were two separate projects at different studios.
WELL. Our cancelled project of the last 3 years is officially, truly dead as of today (internal attempts to save it failed), and the embargo on the whole body of portfolio work has been lifted.
RIP Project Dragon. Brace yourselves for the largest ever art bomb of work I loved 👁️
— Nicholas Kole (@FromHappyRock) July 13, 2024
2024 has been an eventful year for Toys for Bob. Under the new parent company Microsoft, the studio was hit by significant layoffs in February, but shortly after, it was announced that Toys for Bob had been acquired by Activision and Microsoft and was ready to become independent.