Toys for Bob artist Nicholas Kole has revealed that Crash Bandicoot 5 was in development at a different studio, but was canceled. The revelation came during a conversation about a separate project that Kole was working on, which was recently canceled after three years of work.
Crash Bandicoot 5 cancellation will ‘break hearts,’ says Toys for Bob artist
Over on X, Kole was mourning the loss of something called Project Dragon, which was canceled after internal attempts to save it failed. The word “Dragon” led fans to assume that it was a Spyro game that Toys for Bob had to cancel, prompting Kole to clarify that it wasn’t a Spyro game and it wasn’t in development at Toys for Bob either. He then dropped the bomb about Crash 5 unprompted.
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
Project dragon is a totally different cancelled project from a different studio— Nicholas Kole (@FromHappyRock) July 13, 2024
It is not Spyro, but some day folks will hear about the Crash 5 that never was and it’s gonna break hearts— Nicholas Kole (@FromHappyRock) July 13, 2024
It’s unclear how long Crash 5 was in development, where it was being made, and why it was canceled.
There is some speculation that Crash Bandicoot 4‘s sales may have contributed to Crash 5’s demise. While it’s true that the game didn’t quite see the same success as the N. Sane Trilogy did, design director Toby Schadt previously revealed that Crash Bandicoot 4 was “well received” and sold over five million copies.