Yesterday, Microsoft announced it's planning to buy Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion. The implications of this landmark deal are many and wide-reaching, and we don't fully understand them yet.
For now, it's clear that Activision Blizzard's wide roster of franchise will become Xbox-owned IP. That means the likes of Call Of Duty, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro could all become Xbox exclusive in the future.
It's worth noting that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has floated some vague corporate guff about not wanting to take any franchises away from PlayStation, but the fact remains that if it makes financial sense to do so, that's exactly what they'll do. See: The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield.
This is, undoubtedly, a strange new world. The idea that Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, formerly PlayStation mascots back in the 90s, could now be Xbox ambassadors is brain-meltingly strange. Unsurprisingly, the more hardcore Crash fans out there are currently in chaos over the news.
The Crash Bandicoot subreddit seems deeply divided at this early stage. Many users see the buyout as a positive sign for the franchise, believing it will allow studios like Toys For Bob to step away from Call Of Duty and get back to making new Crash games. Others are afraid that Microsoft will neglect Crash in the same way it's been neglecting to do anything with Banjo Kazooie or Conker for the last few years.
"I really don’t believe Microsoft isn’t gonna do anything with Crash and Spyro, they’re way too big to be ignored," reasoned one user. "Plus, it’s not as if Activision was gonna do anything further with them anyways."
Others, presumably those without access to an Xbox, are arguing that PlayStation is Crash's spiritual home, and that it'd be wrong to see him only on Xbox.
"Crash (even more than Spyro imo) is very much tied into the PlayStation brand, it would really suck if it went back to being an exclusive property and it was for Xbox," one fan wrote. "It would suck for Cod or Overwatch also, but Crash feels like a special case."
One fan even went so far as to unironically suggest Crash fans start a "riot" to keep the character on PlayStation, which seems like a lot. To be fair, they did admit they might be overreacting, which I think makes their bizarre ravings slightly more okay?
TLDR: Stay inside and lock your windows and doors when Xbox inevitably announces the next Xbox-exclusive Crash Bandicoot game, cos it's gonna be like the Purge out there.
Featured Image Credit: Activision/MicrosoftTopics: Crash Bandicoot, Xbox, Activision