After years on the gaming sidelines, the star of Spyro the Dragon could be coming back as a guest character in Crash Team Rumble. Before earning higher praise for its work on the Ratchet and Clank series and Marvel’s Spider-Man, developer Insomniac put itself on the map with the first Spyro the Dragon game for the original PlayStation in 1998. The snarky purple reptile quickly became one of PlayStation’s defining mascots, though Spyro would eventually cross over onto other platforms as the years went on. Along the way, Spyro would gain numerous sequels, headline a more serious reboot series in the Legend of Spyro trilogy, and spawn the Skylanders spin-off franchise. Spyro’s magical flame would soon dim though, and the franchise entered a lengthy period of dormancy that was only briefly broken by the release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy in 2018. This update of the Insomniac-developed Spyro games was successful enough to spark speculation of a new adventure starring the spunky little dragon, and this was recently bolstered by Activision updating its social media banner to include Spyro earlier this year. While there is still no official confirmation of a new Spyro the Dragon game in development, he might just be making an unexpected comeback with the help of a fellow PlayStation icon.Twitter user and Spyro-centric YouTuber KrystalVixon recently noticed some interesting details in Crash Team Rumble’s concept art and inaugural Battle Pass that point to Spyro making a guest appearance in Crash’s new multiplayer title. A pair of crystal dragon statues resembling the ones from the first Spyro The Dragon game can be seen in the background of the "Dragon Vision" banner, which will be unlocked in the battle pass’s 71st tier. The name “Dragon Vision” itself could also be a hint at Spyro’s presence, but it’s worth noting that dragons have appeared in the Crash Bandicoot series before.
This wouldn’t even be the first sign that Spyro the Dragon could appear in Crash Team Rumble. A banner on the game’s official website featured emblems from characters that were left out of Crash Team Rumble's initial launch line-up - including a wing that resembles Spyro’s and a necklace that could represent the dragon’s long-time nemesis Ripto.
If Spyro the Dragon is indeed joining Crash Team Rumble, it would be strangely fitting given the shared history between him and his orange marsupial counterpart. Aside from both mascots making their debuts on the original PlayStation before being picked up by Activision, Crash and Spyro have crossed over quite a few times thanks to Skylanders and a series of Game Boy Advance spin-offs in the early 2000s. While nothing official has been confirmed yet, Spyro the Dragon could be finally making his long-awaited return to the gaming world - at least in a supporting role.
Crash Team Rumble is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
