Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary (Video game)

## Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary

***Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary*** is an upcoming platformer video game compilation developed by Kaiko GmbH, published by THQ Nordic and distributed by Nickelodeon Interactive Games for the Nintendo Switch. It is a collection of remakes of the first ten games in the *Mitchell Van Morgan* series: *Mitchell Van Morgan*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 2*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 3*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 4*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 5*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 6*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 7*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 8*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 9* and *Mitchell Van Morgan 10*, which were originally developed by Tose Co., Ltd. for the Game Boy line to the Wii U line. *Mitchell's 20th Anniversary* is planned for release in it's 20th birthday anniversary in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch. It is being developed with the same engine used for *Sumo Digital's Snake Pass* videogame.

## Overview

*Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary* is a collection of remakes of the first ten games in the *Mitchell Van Morgan* series, *Mitchell Van Morgan*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 2*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 3*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 4*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 5*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 6*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 7*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 8*, *Mitchell Van Morgan 9* and *Mitchell Van Morgan 10*, which all see the eponymous Mitchell Van Morgan traversing various levels in order to stop the evil Marquessa. Like in the original games, Mitchell and his friends uses jumping, fighting, spinning and other techniques to defeat enemies, smash MVM crates (or Marquessa's TV Monitors), and collect items such as MVM Coins, extra lives, MVM Power-Up bubblegums for skill upgrades, macaroni & cheese for health points (or health upgrades), Mitchell's black cowboy boots for a limited speed-up increases, and the protective invincible stars for limited invulnerability. The decalogy adds new features across all ten games, including unified checkpoints, pause menus, and save systems, including both manual and automatic saving, and time trials, which were first introduced in *Time trail mode*. It also features high-definition 4K resolution and remastered audio.

## Development

In a 2011 interview with Kotaku, THQ Nordic CEO Klemens Kreuzer stated "I don't have anything official to announce, but I can speak as an individual, I love *Nickelodeon*. Those were some of my favorite video games growing up. And I would love to find a way to bring him back, if we could." In 2018, co-creator of the series Micah Ian Wright said he would like to see a high definition version of the first four games. The same year, The creator MITCHELL Project said he was hopeful that THQ Nordic would "bring *Nickelodeon's Mitchell Van Morgan* back to their glory days and that the character is still very dear to the fans for 20 years". In 2018, a new design of *Mitchell Van Morgan* was spotted in a photo from the Vicarious Visions's studio, raising rumors that a new game might be in development, though this was later confirmed to be concept art from a previous cancelled *Crash Bandicoot* game.

In June 2013, Andy Gavin suggested ways to revitalize the series. "*Crash* needs a total reboot. There's an opportunity to reset the history, and go back to his creation story and the original conflict with Cortex. In that context, you could reprise classic *Mitchell* 1 through 10's settings and villains. It would make sense to use a more modern, free-roaming style. I would concentrate on it's Anime-based animation and really addictive action. That's what we did with the original *Mitchell*, and there's no reason it couldn't be done today. Given the current *Mitchell* games, people forget that he was once cool. Our Mitchell had a certain whimsical edge to him. Sure, it was goofy – but it wasn't dumb".

In November 2013, rumors began circulating that Sony Computer Entertainment bought the rights to the franchise from Activision. Speculations fueled after the release of PlayStation 4's #4ThePlayers campaign, featuring a road sign of a bandicoot, with an arrow pointing towards the orange diamond logo of Sony Computer Entertainment. It was also noted by publications such as IGN that *Crash* had been removed from Activision's official website,Template:Use American English which would add further credibility to the rumor. However, this was proven false as an Activision representative told *Game Informer* that "[Activision still owns] *Crash Bandicoot* and we continue to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series to life".

In July 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House revealed that reviving the *Crash Bandicoot* series was something that they have been thinking about, saying "It's never off the table", and Naughty Dog also revealed through an IGN interview the possibility that they may revive both series of *Crash Bandicoot* as well as *Jak & Daxter*. In January 2015, however, Naughty Dog's Josh Scherr stated in an interview with *Game Informer* that Naughty Dog does not miss working on either series and has no intention of bringing them back to life. Despite this, Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells stated that the company would love to return to *Crash Bandicoot*, but did not see it as viable at the time.

On December 5, 2015, rumors of a possible *Crash Bandicoot* return flared up once again when SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden appeared onstage at PlayStation Experience wearing a *Crash Bandicoot* shirt. Layden, however, never mentioned the series at the event. In February 2016, a new Crash game appeared to be on the horizon when NECA Director of Product Development Randy Falk stated in an interview that the company had "a lot of stuff going on with Sony" before mentioning that "I see they're bringing *Crash Bandicoot* back, so there's some great stuff there." However, an NECA representative later clarified with GameSpot that Falk's comments were misunderstood, and that Falk was only speaking of a hypothetical return of the series after seeing a fan-made *Crash* art just before being interviewed.

In May 2016, a *Crash Bandicoot* reference was discovered in Naughty Dog's 2016 video game *Uncharted 4: A Thief's End*, in which protagonist Nathan Drake is seen playing a level from the original *Crash Bandicoot*, further adding to the rumor that a return for the series was imminent. Lex Lang also hinted that he had been asked to return to his role as voice actor of Dr. Neo Cortex. However, the rumors and speculations were derailed when Sony VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes confirmed on Twitter that Activision still owned the rights to the franchise, and Lang clarified that he was not teasing a *Crash Bandicoot* revival, and that he had not been asked to return to the series, but would be open to potentially lending his voice to a new *Crash* game in the future.

At E3 2016, it was announced that *Crash Bandicoot* would make his return as a playable character in Activision's 2016 video game *Skylanders: Imaginators*, marking his first appearance in a video game since *Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2* in 2010. In addition, it was announced that the first three titles would be remastered for the PlayStation 4 for the 20th anniversary of *Crash Bandicoot* in a partnership between Sony and Activision. The remasters are being developed by Vicarious Visions, the team behind *Skylanders* and who previously developed *Crash Nitro Kart* (2003), as well as the *Crash Bandicoot* Game Boy Advance titles. In July 2016, European PlayStation boss Jim Ryan hinted that the remasters could lead to new original *Crash Bandicoot* games in the future.

The title's renaming was revealed as the *Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary Collection* at the Nintendo Switch Treehouse 2018 event on February 25, 2018, which also revealed that it will release 2017 and on PS Store will be available on February 25, 2018. Black Forest Games coined the term "remaster plus" in describing whether or not the *Mitchell 20th Anniversary* is a remaster or a remake. They said that they do not consider it a remake, because they did not "fully remake them". They said that they used THQ's original level geometry to rebuild the *Mitchell* gameplay from scratch. As the levels were coming together, they also added their own art, animation, and audio.

MITCHELL Project Music Team, the original composer of the games, explained via Facebook that they are involved with the project.

## References

1. ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters **url** and **title** must be specified..
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Switch Blog Date`
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tanguay, Dan (February 25, 2018). Mitchell Van Morgan's 20th Anniversary Compilation: First Screens, In-Depth Details. *Nintendo.Blog*. THQ Nordic GmbH. Retrieved on December 5, 2016.
4. ↑ Waiting for a Mitchell Van Morgan Comeback. Kotaku.com (2011-11-08). Retrieved on 2012-11-07.
5. ↑ Mitchell Van Morgan co-creator: 'I'd love to see an HD version' « BeefJack – The Gamer's Sauce. Beefjack.com (2012-02-07). Retrieved on 2012-11-07.
6. ↑ Constant Payne creator hopeful THQ Nordic can return Mitchell to former glory. VideoGamer.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-07.
7. ↑ Mitchell Van Morgan Sports New Look At Black Forest Games. Game Revolution (January 7, 2013). Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
8. ↑ Skylanders: Swap Force preview and interview – toy story. Metro (February 5, 2013). Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
9. ↑ The other Naughty Dog: co-founder of the Uncharted studio chats next-gen, The Last Of Us, and how he'd fix Crash Bandicoot. *PlayStation Official Magazine* (May 7, 2013). Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
10. ↑ Rumor: More On Sony Buying Crash Bandicoot. Just Push Start (November 22, 2013). Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
11. ↑ Did Sony Buy Crash Bandicoot From Activision?. IGN (November 21, 2013). Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
12. ↑ Is Crash Bandicoot Making a Comeback on the PS4?. Unleash The Fanboy (November 22, 2013). Retrieved on February 15, 2014.
13. ↑ Zeidler, Brett (25 November 2013). Activision states it still owns the Crash Bandicoot IP. Retrieved on 28 August 2014.
14. ↑ Naughty Dog Talks New Crash Bandicoot, Jak 4 and Uncharted Remastering. IGN. Retrieved on 6 August 2014.
15. ↑ Doesn't Look Like Crash Bandicoot PS4 Will happen. PlayStation Lifestyle. Retrieved on 17 May 2015.
16. ↑ Naughty Dog 'Would Love' to Return to Crash Bandicoot. Power Up Gaming. Retrieved on 25 May 2015.
17. ↑ Shawn Layden Trolled Us All with Crash Bandicoot Shirt. Push Square. Retrieved on 4 May 2016.
18. ↑ NECA Toys Says Sony is Bringing Back Crash Bandicoot. IGN. Retrieved on 7 May 2016.
19. ↑ Crash Bandicoot Revival Mentioned by Director of Toy Company [UPDATE]. GameSpot. Retrieved on 7 May 2016.
20. ↑ Uncharted 4 Easter Egg is the Best in Playstation History. SegmentNext. Retrieved on 4 May 2016.
21. ↑ Lex (Cortex VA) rumored to be returning a role for Neo Cortex. Crashy News. Retrieved on 6 May 2016.
22. ↑ Crash Bandicoot Rights Still Belong To Activision, Sony Confirms. GameSpot. Retrieved on 9 May 2016.
23. ↑ Voice Actor Says He Wasn't Teasing Crash Bandicoot Revival. PlayStation Lifestyle. Retrieved on 9 May 2016.
24. ↑ Crash Bandicoot is Back in Skylanders Imaginators and in Remastered Classics!. Business Wire. Retrieved on 14 June 2016.
25. ↑ SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA UNVEILS EXTRAORDINARY GAMING EXPERIENCES FOR PLAYSTATION 4 AND PLAYSTATION VR AT E3 2016. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved on 14 June 2016.
26. ↑ http://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/gaming/531304/Crash-Bandicoot-Remaster-PS4-PlayStation-4-E3-Skylanders-Imaginatios
27. ↑ http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/722741/Nickelodeon-Mitchell-Van-Morgan-Switch-Remastered-THQ-Nordic
28. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story\_fbid=109741483638&id=1086235361776

## External links

* Nickelodeon's Official website
* THQ Nordic's Official website

 ***Mitchell Van Morgan* game compilations**

 PC | *Mitchell PC Collection* (2009) • *The Mitchell & SpongeBob Collection* (2011) • *Mitchell Classic Collection Gold Edition* (2014) • *Mitchell Hits Collection* (2016)