Crash Bandicoot Almost Got a Movie in the '90s — But Hollywood Passed

Crash Bandicoot

Back in the early days of video game culture, Crash Bandicoot nearly made his way to the big screen — but the opportunity slipped through Hollywood’s fingers.

In a recent interview with The Game Business, Shuji Utsumi, CEO of Sega America and Sega Europe, reflected on a missed chance from three decades ago. Before game-to-screen adaptations became the billion-dollar hits they are today, Utsumi had pitched the idea of turning Crash Bandicoot into a family-friendly film. Unfortunately, studios at the time weren’t buying it.

“When I started to get involved in the video game business,” Utsumi recalled, “I picked up Crash Bandicoot and started asking some of the movie studios if they were interested in turning that property into a movie.”

His idea was met with skepticism. Hollywood executives, he said, looked at video games more like toys than storytelling goldmines. The concept wasn’t taken seriously, and the project never moved forward.

Looking back, it’s a classic case of bad timing. In the '90s, video game adaptations were rarely respected or well-received. Fast forward to now, and the entertainment world is full of gaming IPs making successful jumps to film and TV — from The Last of Us and Fallout to Sonic the Hedgehog and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Minecraft.

Crash Bandicoot, with its long history since debuting in 1996 and a protagonist that's both iconic and full of character, seems like a natural fit for animation or live-action. Yet despite multiple successful game entries and loyal fans across generations, the marsupial mascot hasn’t been tapped for a big-screen adventure.

As the wave of game-based adaptations continues to grow, there’s still hope that Crash might get his turn someday. And this time, Hollywood is definitely listening.