Why the partnership between Naughty Dog and Universal was a nightmare for Crash Bandicoot

If you thought working in the gaming industry was all glamour, the story shared by Naughty Dog's co-founder, Jason Rubin, will surprise you. In a talk at The Game Business Live, he discussed the not-so-glamorous challenges he faced while working with Universal Interactive on an iconic project: Crash Bandicoot.

Not a Friendly Partnership

No one expects to see shooting targets at work, but that’s exactly what an employee at Universal did to "motivate" the team. And that was just the beginning—Rubin disclosed that the working conditions were terrible. Imagine trying to create games with the air-conditioning turned off until 6 PM, knowing the work would go on into the night. The result? Temperatures soaring past 40 degrees and servers crashing from overheating. And we thought the challenges of creating Crash Team Racing were only within the game!

"So, when we speak of a bad relationship, this relationship was horrific."

According to Rubin, they did receive a significant amount of money from Universal, but it became clear the partnership was more a burden than a help. Mark Cerny, who was part of the development, wasn't involved in the issues, but the difficulties didn’t end there.

What Could Have Been

Rubin recently visited Universal's Citywalk and lamented the absence of Crash Bandicoot among the merchandise. To him, if the relationship had been better, we might even have had a Crash-themed attraction at the park. Today, he leads projects elsewhere, but the dream of seeing Crash shine in other ways never died.

Our View: Rubin's story illustrates how poor management can crush even the most beloved characters of games. It's a shame, considering the cultural impact of Crash Bandicoot.