3D Platformers Will Never Make a Come Back 

Hey, just wanna make it clear i’m only talking about the Triple A side of the genre.

Spyro reignited trilogy sold 10 million copies. That’s an immense success. MANY games don’t even make a million.

Mario still exits and... I guess Sonic too.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land doesn't get enough love. It's a unique combat based take on the 3D platformer genre with many collectibles and great, complex bosses.

I feel likes there’s something to be said about Toys For Bob also becoming indie developers after cutting ties with Activision. They’re no longer AAA devs, but they have AAA quality if that counts for something

I think the problem with 3D platformers is that nowadays considereing how expensive games are getting people only seems to enjoy masive arpgs or sandbox games to justify the value, platformers are very simple in comparison. Not to mention that the target demographic of those games (kids usualy) are more onto mobile games, heck they even find piggy from roblox more iconic than Crash.

I knew very little about Penny's Big Break but knew it had that old school magic at first glance.

Not to the big AAA Scene (despiste the fact that 2021 GOTY was ALL Platformers as nominees and One Of them won) but the Indie Scene IS going strong with some Of the BEST 3D Platformers out there Só they don't need to come back, because they're already so back

You forgot to mention Psychonauts 2, that game is amazing. Maybe the Sponge Bob's ones are also worth mentioning, or Sackboy A Big Adventure, or Kirby and the Forgotten Land Imho 3D Platformers already made the come back, a genre doesn't need to saturate the AAA market in order to be considered active. ...also, even when in the 5th and 6th generations of consoles many of the biggest games were 3D plataformers, they wouldn't be AAA by today's standards. The first Crash Bandicoot had a budget of 1.7 million(for development, the marketing and manufacturing budget probably was higher), that would be an indie by today's standards. The first Psychonauts had a budget of 11.5 millions, much higher but still far below what would be a AAA today. So, in order to evaluate if there was a comeback or not, we should at least consider AA games and not just AAA; and I have the feeling that recently indie 3D platformers are reaching the quality of good 3D platformers from 5th or 6th gen.

Klonoa was in the opening footage but that's not a 3D platformer, it's just a 2D platformer with you being able to throw into the foreground and background.

Back then, folks said there were too many 3D platformers. Now no one admits how the market has been flooded up to its nose in FPS for decades, or how AAA gaming is trying to mimic cinima. Non-liniar 3D platformers are why I'm a gamer, and I'll fight for that genre to my dying day!

No mention of Epic mickey reburshed

You got no idea how happy i was to see Lunistice mentioned. Its so much fun to speed run and barely anyone talks about how great it is.

You forgot to mention Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby’s first 3D platformer

Meanwhile HAL is starting to make 3D platformers like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which quickly became the best selling and one of the highest rated games in the series

I feel like AAA companies now adays just want to make fps games cause they think it's better, even though I don't like fps games that much

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk at it's finest is Team Reptile's 1st awesome 3D platformer inspired by Jet Set Radio Future,Lethal League,Tony Hawk and Sonic Rush.

Despite the genre dying in AAA titles, I’m happy to see indie devs thriving in Steam.

Billie bust up: oh just you wait and see

I’d rather not have the triple A companies make more platformers. Penny’s Big Break Away shows we don’t need AAA for platformers.

Yooka laylee is a good game and I will die on that hill for it.

I recognize that death road to canada music. Awesome video, I grew up in the 90s/2000s playing crash and spyro, I love 3D platformers and hope they make a true resurgence. The last new one I played that I enjoyed was a hat in time.

I would pay money to see the alternate timeline where Nintendo bought Rare before Microsoft could, forcing the latter to make a 3D platforming mascot with a car mechanic out of spite.

this was a very good video! Thank you Proxidist!

Omg he knows about the Corn Kids 64😲

Thanks for the recomendations! I played some of them and i enjoyed them do much! I love indie games and i will definetly play some of your recomendations! Thanks for this video ^^

I wouldn't say 3d platformers are dead, they just dont have the same push as they did during the 5th and 6th gen of consoles Out of all the bigger series the only ones id say get consistent releases are mario, sonic, kirby and maybe crash. The reason I said maybe for crash is because toys for bob went indie and are currently making a parnetship with microsoft so it might be awhile before we see a new crash game again and Spyro is pretty much a crash character atp as its been 6 years since reignited and all they've done with spyro is put him in the newer crash games. Ratchet and LBP are pretty much the only playstation platformers thats are still around as ND and sucker punch have no intentions of bringing back Jak or Sly at all. Rayman is pretty much dead since there hasnt been a new (non mobile) game in over a decade and hes only ever made appearances in other things like that neflix show and mario + rabbids. Phil Spencer says he hears banjo fams but i dont believe him on that one lmao. Also, both Pac-Man World and Pyschonaughts have made combacks recently with repac and psychonaughts 2. Even Spongebob games have made a comeback Plus we've got plenty of indie games too that come out in between all the bigger budget games.

The channel is growing.

pennys big breakaway is pretty cool

The 6th generation was the golden era of 3D platformers

Psychonaunts 2 is goated my friend

Corn kidz 64.. your welcome (shoutout nitrorad for the recommendation, amazing content too)

when i was a kid i wasn’t in the era of ps1 & 2 but i have very fond memories of them as they were the first consoles i used. Crash bandicoot 2 was my favourite game when i was younger and when the remastered came out it was amazing to be able to enjoy such a nostalgic game on the new gen of consoles

I grew up with Spyro and am still holding out hope for the new game it deserves. I am currently playing through crash bandicoot for the first time and it's amazing, I'm on the third game right now and it just keeps getting better. Can't wait to try out Crash 4. I 100% Cavern of Dreams recently and the reward you get at the end is AMAZING.

I was born some years later, during the last years of the 3D Platformer era, but i grow up with ps2 and early ps3 so I the 80&% of my games where 3D platformer, and omg, it feel the difference without them now

The best thing about this video is the Death Road to Canada ost in the background.

Pseudoregalia was such a breath of fresh air. Schmoovement is always a joy. Hat in time was great too.

‏‪2:37‬‏ Take that back

I would also recommend Pseudoregalia. It's kinda short, but very fun and has a stellar soundtrack.

Good video! The gaming landscape has changed, so genres that once saturated the market are taking a backseat to other genres. I mean, back in the '90s, beat-em-ups were all the rage, but quietly slowed down as the decade came to a close. However, we did get a number of indie beat-em-ups over the the past couple decades, so it doesn't mean the genre is gone completely. I think the same rings true for 3D platformers. Honestly, A Hat in Time, Crash N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited, Pac-Man World Re-Pac, Crash 4, and Super Mario Odyssey have scratched my 3D platformer itch over the past several years. There are also plenty of other indie and remasters of traditional 3D platformers, so the genre isn't going anywhere.

Hope one day I can make it to this cool indie list!

IIRC The Completionist enjoyed Yooka-Laylee. Also, Spark The Electric Jester 2 & 3, along with Penny's Big Breakaway are great games.

To be fair we got games like Ratchet & Clank Rift Appart or Psychonauts 2 in recent years, which are 3D platformers (and more than that really) masterpieces.

Pseudoregalia, Blue Fire, Penny's Big Breakaway are more indies worth checking. They're still more effort than AAA commitees' want to get returns for, but as more studios temper their expectations following the pandemic sales effects wearing off, i think more will reconsider as indies keep reigniting the interest as that 20-30 year nostalgia to kick in again

I saw somewhere the trailer for the footage at 1:30 with the crocodile on the rope. What game was it? Someone can help?

your right, they wont, cause they never went away

I realized that 2d,3d platformers, and metroidvania games are my favorite genre. I'm playing through psychonauts now. I have psychonauts 2, Tomb raider remaster trilogy, rare replay, sly 2 and 3, ratchet and clank 2 and 3. No time to play though

The reason why they dont make a comeback is cause nowadays we mostly get retro throwbacks instead of an evolution of the old PS2 story driven platformers like Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper or Jak and Daxter which were basically the last platformers(in my opinion) which really tried to revolutionize the genre with new content.

Sonic 2006 is like Sonic Omens. They both don't deserve all the hate that they got.

Crash and Spyro are not dead. It is very clear that another Spyro game is in the works, which will likely be released 2025 at the latest. Just because they cannot pump out a new game every year does not mean they are dead, in fact taking time to make the games and not making too many will keep Spyro alive longer. They don't need to make a new game every year like insomniac did with the original trilogy.

That’s where you’re wrong, I might make a 3D Platformer soon

they are fun. they are not milkable for profit

Toys For Bob is definitely still working on Spyro 4 for X-Box, there just doing it as an indie company now.

Not to mention the Jak and Daxter Opengoal stuff which is making it available to PC players and is making it audible. Just bring a whole new life to the series

toys for bob wants to be an indie studio now and phil spencer said he will bring back banjo kazooie. Also in the insomniac leak there was a new ratchet listed for 2029

Mario be like: U sure m8? PS: I loved the use of DR2C OST

Ape escape, Sly cooper, and ratchet and clank were my favorite 3d platformers that i played. I played others and liked them but those three were my favorite an sad we dont see more of them anymore. So happy me and bro got a ps5 recently and playing the new ratchet and clank from 3 years ago and love it. I wish nintendo, sony, and xbox would make more 3d platformers. Some indie ones but not many i like. Kao kangaroo was decent but short one that i liked

7:08 where's pseudoregalia, also there are upcoming ones like the big catch and rollin rascal. also i honestly think you should have had added "triple a" in the title, but overall nice video 👍

A Short Hike This is an amazing game you should try. It's only about an hour long to complete, but it's very good

I'm personally happy as long as games like A Hat in Time and Demon Turf keep coming out. The Low Budgets don't seem to be hurting them

Ok I have to say this.... Yooka Laylee got a 2nd chance, they made a semi-sequel called the impossible layer, very Donkey Kong inspired and it was AMAZING! I recommend everyone to try it out!

3D platformers can make a comeback if devs actually listen to fans. We've been asking for things like a Sly Cooper reboot for what feels like 10 years now.

Have you ever played that platforming game blue fire?

I did see a tweet saying that Spyro 4 might be in development from Toys For Bob. Yes theyve gone indie but they said theyre gonna do partnerships with Microsoft so i hope its a real leak because if not im genuinely gonna be so mad. I love Crash and Spyro i want them to be on the bigger list of 3D Platformers with Sonic and Mario, i NEED them to suceed so maybe companies see there's more than Mario n Sonic being succesful (I love the both to death but more big hitters would be nice)

Is that death road to Canada music that I heard in the background?

I mean my first game ever was new super mario bros. so i always thought gaming is just Plattformers. This mindset stays to this day and even I play more other genres then 3d platformers, i think platformers are the essence of gaming.

I think it's important for us to realize that the industry is MUCH bigger than just what AAA offers. A game doesn't need to be an international phenomenon or sell a bajillion copies to be good, successful or relevant, as the last minute of this video happily proves. If you embrace the rest of the non-AAA side of the industry, you will come out thoroughly satisfied, not just if you like 3D Platformers, but many other niche genres as well. Also, Proxidist, you forgot Pseudoregalia on your last minute list. Thank me later.

Mario, Kirby and The Forgotten Land, Psychonauts, the remake of Pac-World... I wouldn't say there are no big platformers now. God bless, Jesus saves! ❤❤❤

Honestly Yukalale never deserved the hate, the game is easily on the higher end of 3d platformers. The only people that criticised it were afraid of having big levels because it's overwhelming for them but the big scope made it better in my opinion. The game to me was like a bite sized Mario odysey, everything was a curiosity and added variety to the game. Every platformer at least gets one mini game a bit off but even so the minekart was really not that bad.

Jedi Survivor is a 3d platformer and was the 9th best selling game i 2023, one of the most competitive years in gaming.

Mario, Sonic and Kirby: Are we a joke to you?

Taz Wanted is a PS2 game that's basically banjo kazooie but you play as the Tazmanian Devil, very underrated and fun

2024 still no jumping

Death Road to Canada music as the background, man has good taste,

It’s quality over quantity, just because we are getting a certain number of triple A 3D platformers every now and then that doesn’t mean the genre is dead, Crash and Spyro aren’t going anywhere, Toy for Bob are already working on Spyro 4 as of now (they haven’t announced it but hinted at it more than once) and we already have Crash Team Rumble (the support for it has officially ended but they just dropped a lot of content for the last batch and now is the perfect time for them to start working on another project, Spyro 4 and Crash 5 are a big possibility for the future), Aspyr released a remastered version of the first 3 classic Tomb Raider games (which are action puzzle solving platformers) not long ago and the games are selling like hot cakes, aand if we ever get Metroid Prime 4 soon (we don’t know how soon though) it is possible that it would gather the success that Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime 1 had (genre for these is a metroidvania action platformers)…what I’m saying is that the genre isn’t going anywhere and definitely not dead

My man really said Crash 4 didn't sell well.

I liked the yooka laylee

Astro's Playroom was a fantastic free bundle-in, the best PlayStation has ever had.

It always make me sad to see that game genres that once were staple of gaming are nowadays relegated by big publishers as somethin not profitable and thing of the past. Btw what is a name of the game on 6:46 mark?

5:20 And now Sackboy jumped to 3D

3d platformers along with fighting games and Lego games are my favorite type of games

Tbh the problem is the replay ability, i think if crash 4 added like uhmmmm minigames in a way in the style of crash like mabye co op /online 1v1 with health or race to finish the level faster idk but like this (replay ability is the problem) spyro and crash is the best

Right now in development Fuwamoco 64

Has nobody even noticed slendytubbies here 3:09 Like he literally just called it cheap even tho slendytubbies is a parody that became really popular and turned into the next slenderman

Mario and Sonic will always have 3d platformers

I am an blind idealist and, i believe that in like 10-15 years platformers will somehow come back. We (at least I ) have enough of open-worlds and shooters made on repeat.

7:10 I really, REALLY hope they make a sequel to Kao 22, like I love the game, is it perfect? Pretty far from it tbh and while it's a pretty simple game it's fun, and I they could do so much with a sequel, especially expanding on the elemental abilities

Does anyone know what the game at 1:33 is?

They've met with a terrible fate, haven't they?

Psychonauts 2 has a lot of good reviews and I decided to buy it, so I don't think 3d platformers are dead for the time

4:18 how dare you say crash twinsanity was best left forgotten ? That game was gold

you sure? Cause the last decade we got quiet a 3D platformer boom. And even if the AAA market moves away from this genre.... let them, we still have a lot of indies and some smaller studios who put a lot of respect and love into this genre. Honestly, in this regard we should be kinda glad about it, imagine a 3D platfomer live service game, uurgh

Pseudoregalia is a goat 3D platformer

7:11 i don't think kao the kangaroo is an indie game, i might be wrong tho

pls make a vid on prince of persia the lost crown it came out reacently

3D platformers are alive and kicking. Many people are asking to bring those back more that any other genre.

JAK AND DAXTER MENTIONED AT THE START RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But I heard that Toys for Bob are going independent, which means that they'll have all the freedom making spyro reignited quality original games.

TOREE GOT MENTIONED YIPPEE

Unless its Indie