"spyro the dragon" was released by sony computer entertainment as part of a general effort to reach out to a younger age demographic and compete with the more popular kid's platform, the nintendo 64. although sales were initially sluggish, it found larger success following the advent of the 1998 holiday season, and went on to sell nearly 5 million copies worldwide. critics praised the game's graphics and gameplay, while some noted its low difficulty level. the game established spyro as a well-known platforming mascot on the playstation alongside crash bandicoot, and two sequels, titled "" and "", were later released for the playstation in 1999 and 2000, respectively. although insomniac gave up the development rights to the "spyro" series following the third game, the success of the playstation titles lent itself to a continued series of games across various platforms. the game, alongside its two successors, was later remastered as part of "spyro reignited trilogy" in 2018.