When Activision released the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy last year, fans of the lovable marsupial and his platforming antics were delighted. The new remasters gave them a chance to play through Crash Bandicoot's whacky adventures again, albeit with much-improved graphics and a slightly different physics system.

Fans will also be delighted that a new report suggests Activision has a lot planned for the future of the Crash Bandicoot franchise. Max Arguile, the licensing manager of European licensing merchandise company GB Eye, spoke to DHX Brands for the Licensing Source Book Europe (Spring 2018). During the interview, Arguile reveals that Activision has a "five-year plan" for Crash Bandicoot that will run right through until 2022.

According to Arguile, Activision is planning to release the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2018. Moreover, fans should expect a brand new Crash Bandicoot game in 2019.

Arguile's comments don't confirm whether the game will be released on all major platforms (Switch and PC included) at launch, rather than coming to PS4 first like the N. Sane Trilogy. He also doesn't state whether the new game will be as hard as the N. Sane Trilogy, as opposed to the slightly easier gameplay of the originals.

Since Arguile is not an Activision representative, Crash Bandicoot fans should take the executive's comments with a pinch of salt. That said, if anyone outside of Activision was to know about a new Crash Bandicoot game, it would be a licensing company.

Several pieces of new merchandise were announced following the release of the N. Sane Trilogy, including the Crash BandicootFunko Pops. It's clear that Activision and its partners see huge potential in Crash Bandicoot merchandise and in order for companies like GB Eye to build on that, they will need to know the publisher's plans for the franchise well in advance.

There's also the fact that it just makes sense for Activision to release a new Crash Bandicoot game. The N. Sane Trilogy sales were phenomenal, selling millions of copies despite having "no marketing spend," according to Arguile.

Nostalgia and word of mouth were enough to get everybody excited and getting gamers to buy the games. Imagine what could be done if Activision spent a substantial amount of money marketing the game, appealing to longstanding Crash Bandicoot fans and newcomers who have fallen in love with the franchise all over again.

Source: Licensing Source Book