PlayStation may not get Crash Bandicoot and Spyro after Xbox deal

By Kes Eylers-Stephenson,

Microsoft has announced that it is set to acquire Activision Blizzard in a nearly $70 billion deal. Uncertainty is mounting on exactly what games Microsoft will bring to PlayStation in the future, as along with Activision Blizzard go two seminal gaming IPs heavily associated with PlayStation: Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.

As part of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal, all of its major IPs will be in the hands of Xbox. This includes some multiplatform monsters, like the Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises, but also two IPs that are ingrained in the PlayStation DNA with Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. However, it is now unclear if these two legendary franchises will ever see PlayStation again, as Bloomberg has reported that Microsoft “plans to keep making some of Activision’s games for PlayStation consoles but will also keep some content exclusive to Xbox."

CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, has stated: “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: it’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remain committed to that.” There has been no indication of what will happen with specific IPs on PlayStation platforms.

Both series started life as PS1 classics that helped the Sony machine develop a different identity to that of Nintendo all those years ago. In fact, the first three games in the cheeky Bandicoot series were developed by PlayStation Studio Naughty Dog (as well as Crash Team Racing), making this whole thing odder.

However, with this deal, the future of these two characters is no longer exclusively on PlayStation. Fans had long wondered if Sony would have been able to wrangle the IPs from Activision Blizzard, who long seemed content to do nothing but make toys with either character. Over the PS4 and Xbox One generation, we did finally see a multiplatform version of both games after a long break for both iconic characters with remasters like The N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited, and Crash Team Racing Nitro Fuelled, along with the fourth Crash game.

What do you think of Microsoft's loose stance on what game will come to PlayStation? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Editor Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and other gaming news. He writes about exclusives like The Last of Us and God of War, PS Plus news, and his favourite games — The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, and explosive racers — before an evening swim.