With today’s tease of a Crash Team Racing Remake (or whatever catchy name Activision decides to spin up for it) reveal set for The Game Awards, it got us thinking about previous teases and releases, as well as the evidence right in front of us. If everything pans out, then Crash Team Racing Remake (title pending) will probably be launching on June 21, 2019.
Here’s how we came to that conclusion.
Noticing other people’s orange die from Activision, I have a theory about the release date of [PROBABLY #CrashTeamRacing REMAKE] regarding the numbers on the dice themselves. https://t.co/tFtwiHcgqT
— Chandler Wood (@FinchStrife) December 4, 2018
When I got my own set of fuzzy orange dice, I noticed that one of them had missing dots. “Probably just a poor glue job,” I thought to myself, halfheartedly looking through the box for them before deciding to snap a quick picture, post it on Twitter, and get back to work. It wasn’t until I started noticing other outlets posting their own pictures of the dice that the missing dots caught my eye (Fun fact: These dots are called “pips.”).
In every picture I have found of them, the die with the missing dots seems to always just have the “6” side full, with everything else blank. The other die has the full pips on every side. This means that there are six pips on one die, and 21 dots on the other. 6/21. June 21. Okay, so that could just be a massive coincidence, right? Actually, it might not be.
The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy released for PS4 back on June 30, 2017, which was a Friday. One year later, the PC, Switch, and Xbox One release came on June 29, 2018, also a Friday. June 21, 2019 is also a Friday, and would fall closely in line with those previous Crash Bandicoot release dates, which makes us think that the Crash Team Racing Remake release date will land on June 21, 2019. From the number of different outlets that have received these dice (including PC and Nintendo-exclusive sites), it looks like multiple platforms could be announced with a release on the same day.
It’s also entirely possible there was just a massive materials shortage and they couldn’t produce the requisite number of pips needed, but somehow I strongly believe that’s not the case. At any rate, we’ll know more within just a couple of days, as The Game Awards live stream is set for Thursday, December 6 2018.
What do you think of this theory? Do the number of pips on the dice directly relate to the release date for whatever they are teasing, or are we reading into a small detail of these marketing materials way too much? Let us know your thoughts on the Crash Team Racing Remake release date and announcement in the comments below.
Crash Bandicoot Retrospective
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Crash Bandicoot (1996)
The 1996 original was the right game at the right time. The PlayStation was a console without a real mascot, and Crash Bandicoot was able to fill that spot. It helped that the game he starred in was great, as its 3D platforming was innovative at the time of release.
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Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997)
Since Cortex Strikes Back released only a year after the original, it was hard for the sequel to break new ground. That was absolutely fine by gamers, though, as PlayStation fans couldn't get enough of Crash Bandicoot at the time. While there weren't huge changes, it did feature more polish than its predecessor, and managed to be a better game overall.
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Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998)
It's truly incredible what Naughty Dog managed to do with just 10 months of development time, as Crash Bandicoot: Warped managed to introduce three new gameplay mechanics (airplane, jet-ski and motorcycle levels). This led to a game that still featured the 3D platforming that fans had come to love, while also feeling fresh thanks to the many new ideas. It was a great way for the trilogy to end.
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Crash Team Racing (1999)
After starring in three well-received platformers, Crash Bandicoot took an unexpected turn into the world of kart racing. Despite the sudden shift in genres, 1999's Crash Team Racing actually ended up receiving a better critical reception than previous titles in the series. It showed that developer Naughty Dog had the chops to do more than just platformers, and would be their final Crash game even if fans didn't know it at the time.
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Crash Bash (2000)
Considering that Crash Bandicoot was essentially Sony's answer to Mario at this point, it made sense that he'd challenge the mustachioed plumber in another genre. This time around it was party games, as Crash Bash was the closest thing that PlayStation gamers had to Mario Party. Developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software, it ended up being a solid collection of mini-games, filled with the series' signature charm, but wasn't up to the same level of past games. It also has the distinction of being the final Crash game published by Sony.
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Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001)
Crash Bandicoot's return to platforming was originally meant to be a free-roaming title designed by Mark Cerny, but that project never saw the light of day due to the end of Vivendi Universal's deal with Sony. As such, Traveller's Tales was contracted to create a new entry in the series. As they only had a year to develop The Wrath of Cortex, the game ended up going back to the original's gameplay style. This made it feel like more of a knockoff than a true step forward.
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Crash Nitro Kart (2003)
After a rocky start to the new era of Crash, Vicarious Visions got the series back on track by releasing two very solid platformers on Game Boy Advance. They then developed the next console game, Crash Nitro Kart, which was a sequel to Crash Team Racing. While it wasn't a bad game, it once again failed to live up to the expectations of gamers, who expected another top-notch racing game.
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Crash Twinsanity (2004)
As Vicarious Visions went back to working on handheld Crash Bandicoot games (this time working on a crossover with Spyro), Traveller's Tales was ready to give the series another shot. In order to compete with modern platformers, Crash Twinsanity was set in a free-roam environment similar to games like Jak and Daxter. While this evolution of the gameplay was probably the right move, Traveller's Tales once again failed to deliver a top-notch product. Instead they created a forgettable 3D platformer that couldn't compete with a genre that was rapidly evolving.
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Crash Tag Team Racing (2005)
After another disappointing outing, Vivendi looked to developer Radical Entertainment to breathe some new life into the series. This resulted in a new racing game called Crash Tag Team Racing, which added new mechanics such as being able to fuse together with an opponent's car in order to take control of a turret. Despite some cool ideas, the game once again failed to be something special.
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Crash of the Titans (2007)
Two years later Radical Entertainment would create their first Crash Bandicoot platformer. Called Crash of the Titans, it took the series in a new direction as combat became the core focus. This decision met a mixed response, but even those that liked the combat recognized that the series once again failed to reach its past heights.
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Crash: Mind over Mutant (2008)
Radical Entertainment's third and final Crash Bandicoot game ended up being the last title in the main series to be released. Building upon Crash of the Titans' combat, Mind over Mutant now allowed players to take control of Titans, and took place in a free-roaming environment. Despite these enhancements, it was yet another mediocre entry in the series, and was the final console entry for nearly a decade.
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Skylanders Imaginators (2016)
Crash Bandicoot made his long anticipated return to gaming as a character in Skylanders Imaginators. It wasn't exactly what fans were waiting for, but since they knew remakes of the original trilogy were in development, they were able to enjoy the guest appearance for what it was.
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Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)
After all these years, Vicarious Visions is finally getting to work on a Crash Bandicoot platformer for consoles. It's fitting that the studio finally gets a shot, and if done well, the remake could signal a great comeback for gaming's most beloved bandicoot. People are excited for the N. Sane Trilogy, and it's shaping up to be one of the year's most anticipated games.
