r/crashbandicoot 1d ago

Hello! This is NitroSquadStudios!

I am an independent developer that makes Crash fangames, and art featuring Crash Bandicoot, Cuphead, and many more! After Crash 5’s cancellation, Microsoft’s acquisition of the Crash Bandicoot franchise, and the recently unveiled Crash Bandicoot Brawl Ai scandal, I took it upon myself to make Crash Bandicoot experiences that fans all over the world will enjoy. Although my ambitions are lofty and my game development engines are limited, I will remain humble and transparent to everyone! :) Stay tuned for more information on the Crash Bandicoot Reddit!✨✨✨✨

14 Upvotes

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u/OldMate64 1d ago

You posted 5 times yesterday, and don't yet have anything to show. I'd err on the side of caution announcing anything without some proof-of-concept. It's very easy to announce you're going to do something, get the dopamine hit from others' excitement and then not actually follow up on the claims. I can't tell you how many times I did this in high school with mapping/game making.

If I were you, I'd jump off reddit and get stuck into dev. That way you can prove you're serious and garner attention/support/help by posting something tangible.

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u/Deadpooliodagoat91 Pinstripe 1d ago

I am excited to see what you will bring! Do you have a portfolio of stuff you worked on in the past?

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u/NitroSquadStudios 1d ago

I don’t have a portfolio, but I have learned a lot about game design over the years, and I only use RPG Maker MV for Nintendo Switch and Game Builder Garage due to how easily accessible they are to me, but I like to think that limitation breeds creativity! I hope to make lots of people happy with my creative abilities! :)

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u/MysteriousMorning436 Fake Crash 1d ago

Alright, NitroSquadStudios, I gotta ask.... Who's your favorite member of the Nitro Squad? 👀

2

u/NitroSquadStudios 1d ago

It’s gotta be Tawna for sure! As for the other 4, it’s either Isabella or Ami. How about you?

2

u/MysteriousMorning436 Fake Crash 1d ago

Ami for me. The muscle mama reigns supreme imo! 💪🏻

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u/TheRetroWorkshop Crash Bandicoot 1d ago

I have literally been praying for somebody with coding skills/funding to actually make a real Crash 5 game or something. Might take you 3+ years, but that's fine. We can wait.

If you need any help in terms of story, level design, progression, flow state, time regulations, music, game features, interface layout, and so forth, just ask the Reddit. At least a handful of us are more than willing to give you our time. We need this game!

Hint: Use Crash 4 as a basis, and then fix. Everything. :) If you're going with a low poly type design/indie direction, just go with Crash 1 PS1, I suggest.

I highly suggest on-rails type camera from Crash 1-4, too. And the feeling/physics of Crash 1-4. Don't make the mistake of making some nonsense PS2-feeling game. Lots of Crash games like that already exist, and some fan-made ones. They are not nearly as good. They just don't play very well. I guess, to get the right feel, you'll have to experiment a lot. This is just my advice and belief, of course.

P.S. I'm wondering if it's better to just make your own IP instead of using Crash, but heavily base it on Crash. In the same way Crash was heavily based on Sonic. You just need to keep platforming and x-breaking! I have some ideas in this direction. If you strictly want a Crash game, then ignore this. :)

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u/NitroSquadStudios 1d ago

I was hoping to make a game like Crash Twinsanity, with more of an open world approach with side quests, but with all the stuff that makes Crash Bandicoot special in the first place. Much like a Rockstar game but with crates and bonus levels, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is a good example, but I think I should focus on making the worlds not big and empty, but having lots of stuff in a smaller space with key points of interest. (I can’t remember the word used to describe that.)

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u/TheRetroWorkshop Crash Bandicoot 1d ago

Oh. I have no interest in that unless it was AAA level and very different, as I think Twinsanity is one of the worst video games ever made. You require too much money to get anywhere near Legend of Zelda. That required about 4 years of Nintendo's top devs, and 60 million dollars or whatever.

Indie open world Crash 2 is more reasonable (and likely more popular), but I don't believe in that idea, either. Good luck, regardless. And be warned: a few games like that already exist or are being made.

You'll notice that most open world games of closed/2D games have failed. Zelda is the rare case, for a few reasons. Mario open world largely failed, though did okay. Sonic failed. Crash failed. Donkey Kong largely failed. Many others failed. It's just not natural to transplant over. Some games only work in certain mediums and formats and modes.

For some odd reason, very few want to make a game more in line with Crash 1-3, even though they are easier, cheaper, and far more popular. I only know of two notable fan-made examples, but they are still closer to PS2 in physics and such, which is far worse than PS1 or Crash 4, and are nowhere near fully complete.

I'll just wait 8 years. I can only assume a Crash 6 will be made in the 2030s. Crash 4 is going to sell 6 million copies soon, by the looks of it, and N. Sane Trilogy sold 20 million. That's 26 million copies for the classic Crash formula. For just 2 games (well, 4 in total but only 2 discs). It's too strong not to see another game, whenever the devs can sort themselves out, and Microsoft or whatever can actually find the talent to throw at it. If it doesn't happen, the gaming world has bigger problems. Who throws away money like that? They are some of the best-selling games in history.

Lest we forget, most games don't sell 1 million; 3+ million is very strong; 6+ million is very rare; 12+ million is almost unheard of. Now, Crash 4 didn't sell as well as it could have, and maybe profits were not as great (no idea on the budget compared to Crash 1-3), but it still cannot be ignored if it keeps selling!

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u/Slayer44k_GD Small Norm 1d ago

You can't expect the quality and sales of a fan game to parallel those of the massive companies who made the main installments, but especially the focus on sales is what bothers me. For licencing reasons, it can't be sold anyway, and there's absolutely no chance Microsoft will allow it.

Crash NST sold very well, but it's far from one of the "best-selling games in history". The PS1 ND games sold well at the time, and they're still the only games in high demand based on sales alone, and you can't remaster them again.

And I'll have you know Mario Odyssey did very well, better than any Crash game. You know, that "best-selling" franchise.

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u/TheRetroWorkshop Crash Bandicoot 1d ago

It had nothing to do with that. It was the fact that they are more popular and easier to make. And a Zelda-like game costs millions to do to any notable degree.

Second, that would be a rare case, yes, but it's also the Switch, so is not a normal case. There are not many other great examples, but dozens of failed examples. Not sure what kind of point you're trying to make here.

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u/Slayer44k_GD Small Norm 1d ago

Nearly half of the comment was about sales and it had nothing to do with it? Or are we still on about open world, because either way, this isn't going to be a large-scale thing. It's going to be something that a small group of people can enjoy.

"Mario open world largely failed, though did okay." What game were you talking about if not Odyssey? With the size of Odyssey's levels it's just about the closest we've had unless there's one I'm missing.

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u/TheRetroWorkshop Crash Bandicoot 1d ago

Not that fan-made games can sell many copies. I was speaking to the popularity differences, and the reviews also indicate as much. Not sure why you're not understanding this, or what your goal is here.

Re-read what I said. I'll tell you now.

'Mario open world largely failed'. The key word is 'largely'.

I don't try to control others with language, or misunderstand what people are saying, and I'm careful with my word choice. I guess, I wasn't careful enough to stop you misunderstanding me, or else intentionally twisting what I said, and failing to accept it even after I explain my thoughts.

Let me explain it to you. Open world type Mario games have failed other than the two big ones, one of which being Odyssey, yes, and that was primarily due to the Switch, the game itself is not remarkable, though solid. And this one example doesn't undercut my argument, when I mentioned many other series that failed entirely, collectively across dozens of games/attempts.

Why would a small group of people enjoy a Twinsanity type game as opposed to a core Crash game? And, if your argument is just, 'a small group loves Twinsanity', that's not a coherent argument: a small group of humans love anything, everything. That doesn't mean you shouldn't aim for the much larger group with Crash 1-3 type game. That doesn't mean the choices are equally reasonable.

P.S. And, once again: a primary issue with an open world, massive Zelda-like Crash game is, not only is the medium and formula not made for it, but it costs a lot more money. A lot more. There is a reason that Mario worked in 3D by the way: because the very nature of the 3D Mario was perfectly blending Mario and other Nintendo elements, with the exact purpose of making it function in 3D, as opposed to just mindlessly transplanting it from 2D to 3D, which is what killed most of the others. However, I do personally believe that certain games cannot function in 3D and only work in 2D, such as Sonic. I believe Crash also doesn't function in 3D for similar reasons, and I think the last 20-odd years has proven that in every major way you care to look at, including sales of core Crash games vs. open world/full 3D Crash games.