Highlights
- A canceled crossover title called Crash vs. Spyro Racing for the original Xbox was discovered, sparking excitement among fans who would have loved to see the game come to fruition.
- Both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro had successful beginnings but experienced a decline in quality. However, recent revivals have brought hope for the future.
Bits of a canceled crossover title by the name of Crash vs. Spyro Racing were discovered inside a devkit for the original Xbox. It isn't the only time a Crash Bandicoot product loaded with potential has been scrapped.
Both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro were breakout video game series during the fifth generation of gaming, revolutionizing the 3D platformer via several PlayStation exclusive titles, before undergoing a dip in quality after switching to third party. Both series attempted edgier reboots in the 2000s, through Crash of the Titans and The Legend of Spyro trilogy; branched into other genres through spin-offs; became Activision properties; and ultimately went dormant until their original trilogies got HD remakes in the late 2010s.
Australian YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer posted an 11-minute video in which they explain the prototype for a canceled crossover title by the name of Crash vs. Spyro Racing. It was found inside an Xbox development kit's hard drive, which the user had already dumped and rooted through in a previous video. This crossover is the third game found on that hard drive, alongside a Fast and the Furious tie-in title, and a Chevy vs. Ford racing game prototype. The video reveals footage of a generic racer on a generic outdoor track, with only the classic sound effects from the crates lying around clueing in the viewer on what franchises it's supposed to involve. However, a rough FMV is also included, showing various CrashBandicoot and Spyro characters in karts together.
This title would have likely marked Spyro the Dragon's first foray into the racing genre, something he would not ultimately do until the GBA version of Crash Nitro Kart in 2003, followed by the Spyro-themed DLC in the Crash Team Racing remake. Many commenters appeared enthralled by this discovery, not only praising MVG for making it, but also stating that they would've been hyped to see this crossover and played it to death had it come to fruition. One user noted how the test course's aesthetic was similar to the Dragonfly Dojo from Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.
It's never fun to see a game with such an interesting concept get canceled, especially if it's already been announced beforehand. Given how game and console preservation works, such games can be discovered in the weirdest ways. Seeing how both franchises did take an extended hiatus, it's more than likely that more scrapped games existed during those years. But with the critical and financial success of both Crash and Spyro's recent revivals, the future is looking decently bright for both mascots.