People have been waiting for years to play reimagined versions of the PS1 Spyro games and now they are going to have to wait a little big longer. Developer Toys for Bob recently announced that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy will now come out on November 13 on the PS4 and Xbox One instead of its original September release date. The studio gave no specific reason for the delay.
In a blog post on Activision’s website, Toys for Bob Co-Studio Head Paul Yan issued a statement vaguely explaining why they pushed it back. He expressed the team’s pride over the game, but that they also needed a bit more time because they are “deeply committed to getting these games right.”
“I really hoped that you would be rescuing dragons and scorching Rhynocs sooner, but the Trilogy needs more love and care,” he said. “In November when you’re exploring the Dragon Realms, Avalar, and the Forgotten Worlds, we know you’ll agree the extra time was worth the wait.”
While he may have given the standard “we need more time” reason, part of it might be due to something else. As shown on the Spyro Reignited Trilogy‘s box art and website, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon require an internet connection to played. This is presumably to download sections of the game or at least some vital pieces.
In the short run, mandating an internet connection for an offline game isn’t quite fair to those with handicapped download speeds or spotty service. In the long run, forcing a substantial update like this could throw a wrench in its preservation as servers go down and access to patches gets more unpredictable. This caused some sort of an outrage in various places around the internet and the delay could signal that Activision is listening, despite not directly commenting.
Activision also hasn’t commented on the rumored Switch and PC versions. Those unconfirmed ports appeared on the game’s website but were eventually taken down. Activision’s other PS1 collection, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, eventually jumped to those platforms (and the Xbox One) after its initial PS4 release. While it’s not quite a guarantee that Spyro is coming to other platforms, it sets a precedent.
