'Video Games Are a Toy Business': Ex-Sony Exec Reveals How Crash Bandicoot Movie Brutally Got Shot Down

Crash and burn

by Sammy Barker Wed 2nd Jul 2025

'Video Games Are a Toy Business': Ex-Sony Exec Reveals How Crash Bandicoot Movie Brutally Got Shot Down 1 — *Image: Push Square*

Video game movies are big business these days, with Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even Minecraft breaking records at the box office.

But there was a long period where film studios looked down on the industry and its intellectual property, and that’s what happened to Crash Bandicoot in the 90s.

Speaking with The Game Business, ex-Sony executive Shuji Utsumi – who’s currently the CEO of SEGA – revealed how he pitched the idea of a Crash Bandicoot movie to various studios, only to get brutally shot down.

“When I started to get involved in the video game business, I picked up Crash Bandicoot and started asking some of the movie studios if they were interested in turning that property into a movie. But I was treated like, ‘Hey, video games are a toy business.’ They didn't really take it seriously.”

Crash Bandicoot was at the peak of its powers in the 90s, under the stewardship of creator Naughty Dog.

For those of you who don’t know, Sony signed a publishing arrangement with Universal Interactive, which at the time was led by Mark Cerny, the current PlayStation hardware architect. This resulted in the creation of both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, two tentpole franchises that would eventually go multiplatform once the contract expired.

PlayStation pushed Crash Bandicoot extremely hard on the PS1, positioning him as a rowdy alternative to Super Mario.

We reckon an animated movie probably could have done well, although video game adaptations were very much hit and miss in the 90s. It’s something that’d probably be handled with more care today.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like current owner Activision has much appetite for the franchise right now.

After the enormously successful Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, sequel Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time didn’t quite have the same impact – and the less said about the multiplayer spin-off Crash Team Rumble the better.

Would you show up at the cinema to sit down for a Crash Bandicoot movie, or do you think the moment’s passed? Should this adaptation have got made in the 90s? Guzzle down some Wumpa fruit in the comments section below.

[source thegamebusiness.com]

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.

1
RawnDawn
Wed 2nd Jul 2025

I feel like it wouldn't have turned out good if it was made in the 90s.

2
ShadowRJ
Wed 2nd Jul 2025

@RawnDawn That’s an understatement I think, it probably would’ve turned out to be a diabolical movie that’s about as annoying as the worst Crash games’ cutscenes

3
nomither6
Wed 2nd Jul 2025

@ShadowRJ it would’ve been filled with terrible pop culture references and memes

4
SuntannedDuck2
Thu 3rd Jul 2025

Well like the film industry has actually made a decent film in years either?

I mean not like Ratchet or others didn't take humour/tone/ideas from family or other noteable 2000s, 90s, 80s, etc. films to their games, with however much they did to be inspired or put their spin on it.

I mean even 90s ones to me I was confused going wait these fighting games have films. For action scenes sure but story that's going to work, at least compared to fighting games nowadays with the many cutscenes and more to them.

Crash doesn't have much story but even still it can work.

Not like many modern films based on games are that great.

Even Sonic movie to me was just oh insert this character into a family drama situation, what a Sonic version of the Santa Claus type format. It's why it never appealed to me and always seemed stupid but whatever audiences want I guess of formats. I'm not watching them.

Minecraft movie just had to be dumb, it couldn't be like Mario Movie was, sure Mario is an always I guess has been an isekai/other world story just it's always we see more the inside of the worlds then the original world but even still I think they showcased things better but Minecraft movie they had to come up with this nonsense and to me I'd rather what Narnia or anything else that better communicates it then Minecraft movie does with it's garbage ideas or back story for characters I don't care about let alone other nonsense characterisation and dialogue from the child actors getting bad scripts but probably act totally fine in other films.

So to me unless they have enough atmosphere, enough to work with and film studios staff that actually know how to use it not be an idiot about it when they put a spin on it or Game Companies ACTUALLY monitor it well then sure or else we end up with animated slop and live action nonsense like we have seen in video game or non video game movies.

The film studios staff makes the weird decisions and directions for these IPs they don't understand.

Even watching the Takagi-san live action, I was like oh a cool in-between of the middle school anime/manga and the when they are older manga, but no, the original parts were hit and miss, the subplot was just padding and the 'call backs' were constant and annoying. So to me instead of a decent live action, it felt like a constant advertisement as a fan, it was painful to watch. I know they milk the series and it has it's 3rd manga which is with their child but even still, it's just being milked and so badly I am glad I gave up on the IP, not because the main characters were over but the milking was clear for a while.

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