The legacy of Crash Bandicoot was discussed at Comic-Con in San Diego during the Crash Bandicoot: Then and Now panel on Thursday, July 20, 2017. The panel was hosted and moderated by Geoff Keighley, a games journalist who is known for hosting the annual Game Awards.

The panel was primarily made up of current and former game developers who have worked on the Crash franchise over the last 20 years. These included Charlotte Francis and Justin Monast of Naughty Dog, Taylor Kurosaki of Activision (formerly of Naughty Dog), and Dan Tangury and John Paul Rhinemiller of Vicarious Visions.

Discussions on the panel focused on how the original Crash Bandicoot was developed in the late 1990s versus how the new, remastered N. Sane Trilogy was developed for its 2017 release. Panel attendees were treated to a look at the game developers bible, which included character sketches and other assets from early development. There were also a number of side-by-side comparisons between the original and the remaster that showed off how the new game stayed true to the original.

A couple of announcements were also made at the panel. First, Dark Horse Editor Ian Tucker was on hand to announce that the original developers bible will be reproduced in full and released to the public in the form of The Crash Files: How Willy the Wombat Sparked Marsupial Mania. Dark Horse will be publishing the book for a March 2018 release.

In addition to that, the infamous “Stormy Ascent” level will be officially released for the first time in the form of DLC for the N. Sane Trilogy. The level had been finished but ended up being locked away on the original game’s disc by the development team, who felt that the level would be too difficult to complete for an average gamer. The DLC will be free for 30 days and is available right away following the panel.

The panel proved to be a highly entertaining hour and its high attendance - with a jam-packed room - goes to show that Crash Bandicoot is as relevant in the gaming industry as he’s ever been.