C is for Crash Bandicoot

Developer: Naughty Dog
Notable Releases: Crash Bandicoot, Crash Team Racing

Way back in 1996, the Sony PlayStation was at the forefront of the 3D game revolution. And way before Naughty Dog, Inc. moved on to other intellectual properties, they were also at that forefront with a game that would eventually become one of the most successful PlayStation games of all time.

That game was Crash Bandicoot, a 3D platformer about a mutant marsupial that wasn't so much a revolution as it was a refinement of existing formulas in a new dimension. The studio went on to develop two sequels, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped, and a spin-off racing game, Crash Team Racing, before handing over the IP to other development teams.

More recently, the studio found success and critical acclaim with another series, Uncharted, and the 2013 multiple Game of the Year winner, The Last of Us.