Crash Bandicoot is a long-running franchise that played a significant role in many gamers’ childhoods. In 2017, a series of Crash Bandicoot titles received remasters in the form of the N. Sane Trilogy. And now, it appears that Activision wants to take things further and fully bring back the hype for the fan-favorite marsupial, especially after the franchise has been dormant for how many years.
After releasing Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the most recent entry in the series, developer King and Activision are set to release yet another brand-new Crash Bandicoot game for mobile devices, and it’s expected to release very soon—next month!
The upcoming mobile title, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, is a free-to-play endless runner—somewhat similar to other popular mobile games such as Temple Run and Subway Surfers. As such, you can expect to find the hyperactive Crash and friends traverse through different kinds of levels, crafting weapons, collecting Wumpa Fruit, and taking power-ups along the way. Of course, they will still be trying to defeat Doctor Neo Cortex—that’s a given, no matter what Crash Bandicoot game you’re playing.
That being said, it’s worth mentioning that even though the upcoming title is going to be a free-to-play one, it appears that King won’t be offering any kind of loot box to the players.
Developer King recently had a Q&A during a hands-off preview event hosted by Apple. During that event, King revealed all kinds of interesting details about Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!. For one thing, you can expect to find a variety of over 100 skins for both Crash and Coco. The most interesting detail of all is King’s confirmation that there will be “absolutely no loot boxes at all.”
These days, many individuals—whether or not they’re a part of the video game community—have begun turning their backs on loot boxes, as they find that it’s too similar to gambling. As a matter of fact, there have been instances where someone even went so far as to file a lawsuit against video game companies that utilized loot boxes.
A game that comes to mind is Star Wars Battlefront 2, an action shooter video game that underwent intense controversy for its loot boxes a few years back, so much so that even politicians got involved in the chaos. With that in mind, fans are curious to know how they will be able to obtain new skins in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, especially since studios usually include new cosmetic items in loot boxes.
It’s also worth mentioning that even though it’s going to be a free-to-play mobile title with no loot boxes, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! will still have microtransactions, as it will feature seasonal events and will even have a battle pass, among many others.
King also talked about Coco’s base in the Q&A, which is a very interesting resource management mode. This mode will give you the opportunity to develop and customize your very own personal space that you can decorate with the different trophies you earn as you progress through the game.
Pre-registrations for Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! are open now for both iOS and Android devices. Doing so will earn you a special Blue Hyena skin for Crash as soon as the game officially launched on March 25, 2021.
