The Future of Crash Mania

This year we celebrate. It's the return of that very orange bandicoot and the conclusion of the largest update Crash Mania has ever had. I started working on this new version of the site almost 4 years ago (which seems kind of crazy now that I think about it), and I rewrote every page, reworked every image, and coded it all again from scratch to make sure everything was just right. It's been a long and arduous journey, but I'm very proud to say that the site is (practically) finished!

Missing Stuff

Even though all of the content is done, there are still images missing from some of the Encyclopedia articles. I am intentionally leaving these for a later date, because with the N. Sane Trilogy just around the corner, it will be much easier to take pictures that look much nicer than anything I have in my gargantuan Crash Bandicoot folder.

There are also a number of screenshots missing from some games. I'm personally taking care of Crash of the Titans DS, which will be getting all-new screenshots in high definition, but The Wrath of Cortex, Crash of the Titans (console), and Mind Over Mutant will have to wait for another time, as I don't have the hardware to take care of those myself. I don't want to just reuse the screenshots from the old site, since they were taken with my ancient capture card and are very blurry and low-res.

Oh, one more thing. I've talked about the possibility of translating the site to other languages before. This is already underway, with NicoCroft providing the fantastic French translation on his spare time. However, as this is such an extensive site, a complete translation is simply unfeasible at the moment. I'm including myself on the same boat, since I started a Portuguese translation about a year ago and never got around to finishing it (and likely never will), but I won't let all that hard work go to waste. By using the globe icon on the toolbar, you can now select Portuguese as your language! It's very incomplete, but it covers a lot of the Encyclopedia articles and a few pages more, and whatever isn't translated will simply default to English. Maybe someday I'll get around to finishing it or let a volunteer do it.

N. Sane News

If you've been keeping an eye out for N. Sane Trilogy news, you might be wondering why the June roundup hasn't been posted yet. Indeed, we've suddenly gotten a lot of new videos showcasing the remade version of WARPED, not to mention some leaks that I'm assuming are meant for E3 tomorrow. This includes a major spoiler that I'm sure everyone will appreciate, but I won't go into detail about that yet, because I think the good people behind the remakes would like to announce that themselves. Suffice to say that a lot of fans are in for a treat...

Anyway, I know this is going to sound disappointing, but I won't be doing a roundup this time. With the site so close to completion, I've been trying extra hard to get everything done before the new collection hits the stores. That way I'll be able to focus on all the N. Sane-related content as soon as I get the chance to play it. Another reason for this is related to how I'll be managing things from now on.

Site Changes

I've been thinking a lot about the site's future (as well as my own), and there will be a couple of major changes. For starters, Crash Mania will no longer be covering the news. Any new games and major events won't be covered as they happen, but rather, will be documented at a later date. It's simply too difficult for me to write about these things in timely fashion with my tight schedule, and so, I'd rather focus on what I do best and create a section for each new game after its release.

I'll still use the front page to let you know when there's a new game coming, but it will probably be a passing mention and nothing too in-depth (though I might write a blog article or two when I feel strongly about certain features and choices). As such, I advise you to follow the official Crash Bandicoot Facebook page to stay up to date (along with Crash Mania if you want to be notified about any future blog posts or site-related news).

Speaking of the blog, although there are still a few articles I want to make, I feel like I've exhausted most topics I enjoy writing about for now. I've already started working on the next couple of articles, but after that, it will probably be a while until I come up with something new and interesting to read. I don't want to force myself to write just for the sake of having something new, because if it's not enjoyable to write, then it won't be enjoyable to read.

That's why I'll be closing the site's Patreon page once the site is 100% complete. Any posts after that will simply be products of my own desire to talk about this franchise I love. Speaking of Patreon, I feel like this is an appropriate time to thank every one of my supporters, along with everyone who's visited and submitted pictures and information over the years. You helped making this the biggest Crash Bandicoot site ever, and I can't thank you enough for your support.

The Road Ahead

With these decisions in mind, I want to take a long break from the site and try new things in the near future. After all, I've been working on Crash Mania for 12 years, and I have other projects on my mind that I'd like to see taking off. I'll let you know what my plans are once I have something concrete to show (hopefully later this year).

Here's what my agenda looks like right now:

• Finish the Crash of the Titans DS screenshots;
• Create the new N. Sane Trilogy section;
• Upload the missing Encyclopedia images;
• Close the Patreon page;
• 100% COMPLETION WOO;
• New unrelated project(s);
• Update Crash Mania after each new game is out, writing occasional blog posts when I'm up for it.

Oh, and play the living snot out of the N. Sane Trilogy, of course. Less than a month away, everyone! Stay tuned for E3 tomorrow for a neat announcement at the PlayStation conference. I wish I could watch it live, but hey, different time zones and whatnot.

And now to get those missing screenshots...

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