During an interview look back at making Jak and Daxter series, developer Naughty Dog revealed that it could not continue to make Crash Bandicoot games further Crash Team Racing because the relationship with the then IP owner, Universal Interactive, soured.
In conversation with GamesRadar, co-founder Jason Rubin reveals that after realizing they could no longer work with Universal, several Naughty Dog developers quietly began working on a new game engine, which continued to lay the groundwork. form of Jak and Daxter.
‘Our relationship with Universal was at a point where we could not continue to make Crash Bandicoot games, ”Rubin said. ‘Although we loved Crash Bandicoot and we loved working with Sony, it made no financial sense. Universal owned the IE, and there was a hostility that was just cruel. ”
Naughty Dog’s relationship with Sony goes back a lot. The interview reveals that in 1999, the studio brought the first PlayStation 2 outfit ever to the United States. Apparently, co-founder Andy Gavin asked his team of QA testers if they wanted a 48-hour trip to Japan with lots of jet lag and at least one good meal to Japan, with the result that the studio got its hands on ‘the next generation PlayStation, which he eagerly awaited for years. ‘
Crash Bandicoot was originally produced by Universal Interactive, which later became Vivendi Games. Following a merger in 2007, Activision owns the IP. Naughty Dog developed the series between 1996 and 1999. Recent releases have been developed by Vicarious Visions and Toys for Bob.
[Source: GamesRadar]