For a while, Crash Bandicoot followers have been eagerly awaiting the heavily-rumoured announcement of spin-off multiplayer sport Wumpa League.

One of many key sources for these rumours was YouTuber Liam Robertson, who had been tweeting about Wumpa League for a prolonged interval and at last produced a video in November with what seemed to be very early prototype footage of the sport in motion.

In keeping with Robertson, Wumpa League had been in growth for some time – even since earlier than Crash Bandicoot 4’s launch in 2020 – however was primarily shelved when developer Toys For Bob was moved onto the Name of Obligation collection.

Nevertheless, in Robertson’s video, he claimed that he had seen sufficient info to counsel that Wumpa League could have resumed growth, and by this level, all of us knew one thing Crash-related was being deliberate for The Recreation Awards because of fake pizza packing containers despatched to press and influencers.

Positive sufficient, when The Recreation Awards came about in December, it was formally introduced that Wumpa League can be launched in 2023. Um, besides that it wasn’t known as Wumpa League anymore.

The sport’s official title has now been formally introduced as Crash Staff Rumble, a extra becoming moniker that matches in with Crash Staff Racing and provides Activision the scope to probably make ‘Crash Staff’ its personal spin-off model of video games.

Earlier than it will possibly do this, nevertheless, Crash Staff Rumble must be a hit, and there are nonetheless loads of unknowns about this multiplayer tackle the Crash Bandicoot method. What we do know is that the sport is a 4v4 team-based affair, which seems to be a cross between a regular Crash Bandicoot platformer and the form of Seize the Flag occasion you’d usually discover in an FPS sport.

Every workforce of 4 has to seize as a lot Wumpa Fruit as they will, with the successful workforce naturally being the one with essentially the most fruit collected by the top of the spherical. In an effort to seize the fruit, they’ve to gather it and take it again to their Wumpa Financial institution, the place it’s stockpiled with every thing else they’ve collected thus far. As is the norm in Seize the Flag video games, gamers even have to stop opponents from filling their very own Wumpa Financial institution.

This implies the sport will inevitably be a balancing act as groups determine when to press on and acquire extra fruit, and when to show their attentions to the opposite workforce to cease them both catching up or constructing an unassailable lead.

Admittedly, none of this sounds revolutionary at this stage, however the easy proven fact that it’s a team-based model of Crash Bandicoot – the footage proven within the announcement trailer seems to be very very like your typical Crash sport – ought to nonetheless make it compelling to followers.

So too does the revelation that every of the sport’s characters has their very own distinctive abilities and skills, which means the choice of which hero or villain to decide on will come all the way down to extra than simply choosing the one you most just like the look of (so hopefully this implies we gained’t be seeing 4 Crash Bandicoots taking over 4 Dr Neo Cortexes).

Talking of playable characters, eight have been confirmed thus far. On the heroes aspect, you’ve obtained Crash, his youthful sister Coco, Tawna and an as-yet unnamed character who seems to be half bat, half cat. Then, on the villains there’s Cortex, Dr N Brio, Dr N Tropy and Dingodile.

Crucially, though the sport’s trailer seems to be pushing the ‘heroes vs villains’ narrative its major art work exhibits two good guys and two unhealthy guys on both aspect, so it seems to be such as you gained’t should decide to good or evil do you have to want to type a workforce with your mates for some on-line multiplayer (which is cross-platform, by the way).

What stays to be seen, nevertheless, is whether or not the character roster will likely be restricted to those eight characters or whether or not gamers could have extra of a alternative – both at launch or within the months that observe.

“Every of the sport’s characters has their very own distinctive abilities and skills, which means the choice of which hero or villain to decide on will come all the way down to extra than simply choosing the one you most just like the look of”

In any case, nowadays, a sport targeted primarily on team-based multiplayer – particularly one revealed by Activision – will virtually actually be constructed with dwell service options in thoughts, which means we wouldn’t be shocked within the slightest to see a gentle stream of latest characters, skins, phases and the like for a while after launch.

Provided that, over time, the remake of Crash Staff Racing finally featured a complete of 56 playable characters and practically 400 unlockable skins, it’s plain to see that Crash Staff Rumble has the potential to develop exponentially if there’s sufficient urge for food. Time will inform whether or not this urge for food will proceed for some time – we’d wager that the sport will want greater than only one mode to make sure this.

Up to now, then, every thing sounds simple sufficient, although it must be famous that Crash Staff Rumble doesn’t should reinvent the wheel to be able to be entertaining. So long as it delivers a strong sufficient spin on the standard Crash format it may very well be a viable technique to maintain followers of the collection occupied whereas ready for an additional mainline entry.