Remember when your biggest concern was collecting Wumpa fruit and avoiding TNT crates? Well, dust off those nostalgia goggles because Crash Bandicoot is making a comeback, and no, it’s not another remaster you’ll play for exactly three hours before abandoning.
Netflix is reportedly developing an animated series starring the genetically modified marsupial, though details remain scarce. While some outlets initially reported that WildBrain Studios (behind Sonic Prime and Carmen Sandiego) would handle animation, a spokesperson for the company has since denied their involvement. This marks the first time Crash will headline his own series, which is remarkable considering the character’s been around since 1996
What we know (and don’t know)
The streaming platform is playing this one close to the vest. No release date, no plot details, not even a teaser image. Just the confirmation that it’s happening, which in today’s entertainment landscape of constant cancellations and shelved projects, feels like a minor miracle.
The franchise now belongs to Microsoft after its $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition. Meanwhile, Toys for Bob—the studio behind some of Crash’s best modern games—recently went independent and hinted at a “possible partnership” with Microsoft for future projects.
Netflix’s gaming gambit
Netflix throwing money at video game adaptations isn’t exactly shocking anymore. They’ve built an entire cottage industry out of turning pixels into prestige TV. We’re talking Arcane (genuinely excellent), Castlevania (surprisingly violent), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (emotionally devastating), and upcoming adaptations of everything from Splinter Cell to Tomb Raider.
Heck, they’re even adapting board games now. Monopoly, Clue!, and Catan series are reportedly in the works, because apparently we’ve run out of original ideas and someone thought “What if we made Boardwalk and Park Place… but with character development?”
The bottom line
Will a Crash Bandicoot animated series work? Maybe. WildBrain proved they can handle high-energy video game characters with Sonic Prime, and Crash’s personality—basically a caffeinated Tasmanian Devil with better marketing—should translate well to animation. The real question is whether they’ll lean into the franchise’s goofy charm or try to make it unnecessarily dark and edgy.
For those of us who spent the ’90s guiding that spinning bandicoot through Warp Rooms, this could either be a nostalgic treat or another reminder that Hollywood will reboot anything with recognizable IP. Either way, at least Crash is finally getting his moment as a leading character.
Now let’s just hope they don’t mess it up.
Source: IGN