Crash course

It’s about time (and space): The latest Crash Bandicoot installment finds its titular hero once again trying to stop the evil Doctor Neo Cortex from conquering the multiverse. | © 2020 ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC.
It’s about time (and space): The latest Crash Bandicoot installment finds its titular hero once again trying to stop the evil Doctor Neo Cortex from conquering the multiverse. | © 2020 ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC.

Nintendo had Mario. Sega had Sonic the Hedgehog. And Sony? Crash Bandicoot debuted in 1996 on the PlayStation 1 so Sony could have a mascot of its own. Crash stayed an exclusive Sony character until 2000, after which the game series was also released on non-Sony platforms.