This article has a talk page!This page details pre-release information and/or media for Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation).
Design Documents and Developer InsightsSome of the earliest concepts for the game, including early concept art for a few of the characters.
Press KitThe two versions of the press kit which was distributed all the way back in 1998 to advertise the game to gaming journalists.
Silver Dragon BuildsThe earliest playable build(s) which have been seen, featuring an early dragon design.
Gold Dragon BuildsSlightly later build(s) featuring another early dragon design.
Announcement and E3 1998The period leading up to Spyro's reveal and the demo playable at the event.
June and July buildsLater builds, leading up to the game's release.Conception#
Spyro the Dragon started development following the poor sales of Disruptor, Insomniac Games' previous game. Noticing the rise in popularity of platformers such as Super Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot, Insomniac decided that their next game would try to appeal to a larger audience. Aiming to create a character for their new game which would in a way serve as a mascot for the more child-oriented part of the PlayStation library, art director Craig Stitt suggested this character to be a dragon due to their sheer appeal in terms of both appearance and gameplay options.3 The idea was then pitched to the rest of the development team, only to receive a positive reception. And so began the story of Spyro the Dragon.
Changes in Spyro's character in early stages of development:
- Spyro's working title was originally "Pete", though this has been said to have been more of a codename than an actual name intended for the character. According to Craig Stitt, Spyro was also briefly called "Pyro" before his final name was chosen, though the veracity of these claims is unclear.
- Spyro was originally intended to be an adult dragon, but was later turned into a kid in order to be easier to animate and look cuter.
- Other preliminary sketches also depict Spyro as being bipedal. "The Making of Spyro the dragon" released by PlayStation Underground actually shows us an early animation test of Spyro raising on his hind legs and putting his hands on his hips in a sassy manner.4 While Spyro can go bipedal (like during the ending of the first game) he is otherwise quadrupedal by default.
- Spyro's original color was green, but it was switched to purple so that he wouldn't blend into grassy environments. A VHS tape dated to early 1997, recorded by Craig Stitt, reveals several other designs that were considered for the character.5
- Spyro's voice allegedly went through 5 or 6 revisions6 according to his voice actor, Carlos Alazraqui. Two proposed but ultimately rejected voices include a younger, more nasily voice, and an older, more tough sounding one.
(Source: The Making of Spyro the dragon)
(Source: The Animation Academy)
Development Timeline#
- Conceptual phase (Early 1997)
- It is said that development on the game began in January 1997.
- VHS footage shows a color test used around this time to decide on a color scheme to give Spyro, as well as some early animation tests and a test enemy which did not feature in the final game.7
- March - May 1998
- Press screenshots and a small handful of builds of some of the earliest publicly seen versions of the game are sent to previewers. The game would not be officially unveiled to the public until E3, at which point the game was significantly more complete than these preview builds.
- The earliest of these builds - the silver dragon build - shows a much earlier variant of the dragon statue, as well as an extremely primitive HUD. The build was featured in a number of European publications.
- The gold dragon build featured in multiple USA-region magazines and trailers and showed a slightly later version of the game with an updated HUD and a gold variant of the dragon statues.
- An early trailer which originates from several VHS tapes used in stores in the USA shows yet another update to the game's HUD, including a graphic that went unused in the final game. Dragon statues now use their final design.
- May 16 1998
- The May 16, 1998 prototype was built, which was seemingly the build used at E3 1998 with a few notable differences. In particular, the HUD is now in a near-final state, but the life icon is located in the upper-center of the screen instead of the right-hand side.
- The build also seems to be a match for one sent out to a number of publications for news and preview purposes, as well as one of the game's trailers.
- May 25th 1998
- The Tabloid demo is built. It appears to be from a slightly later point in development to the build of the game shown at E3 1998.
- May 28th - May 30th 1998
- June 15th 1998
- The June 15th, 1998 prototype is built around this time.
- Another trailer seems to also be from around this point in development, closely matching the June 15th prototype.11
- July 1998
- A second demo of the game is built. This version is later than the June 15th build but slightly earlier than the July 11th build.
- July 11 1998
- The July 11, 1998 prototype was built, slightly later than the aforementioned demo. Features a multitude of differences particularly in the later levels such as Gnorc Cove and Twilight Harbour's names being swapped alongside an earlier version of the Gnasty Gnorc boss fight.
- One of the builds EGM used in their articles seems to be a match for this version.
- July 18th 1998
- A later build of the game, apparently only featuring a relatively small number of differences. The title screen still isn't finished, and a large number of dragon cutscenes are still missing or incomplete.12
- One of the builds EGM used in their articles is a match for this version.
- July - August 1998
- At least one review build of the game is used in a few publications.
- August 14th 1998
- On August 14th the North American build of Spyro the Dragon finished development, according to the final game's primary volume dates.
- August 27th 1998
- A European localisation prototype is built around August 27th.
- September 10th 1998
- The final European build seems to have finished development around this time, according to the game's primary volume dates.
- Late 1998
- September - Spyro the Dragon is released in North America.
- October - Spyro the Dragon is released in Europe.
- 1999
- April - Spyro the Dragon is released in Japan.
Official Render Oddities#
A few official renders depict slight variations upon some of the levels and character designs seen in the final game. It may be the case that these renders represent an earlier stage of these designs than the ones seen in-game.
Egg Thief#
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It appears that the dragon eggs held by the Egg Thieves may have been planned to be white with colorful spots on it as opposed to pink with purple spots. Later renders of the character more closely match the in-game appearance.
Red Gem Trailer#
A video originating from a Sony Merchandising VHS tape used in some game stores in the USA shows a slightly later version of the game than the gold dragon builds, including a third unfinished version of the HUD. Not only has the green gem now been changed to a red gem, but an early graphic is used for the life icon which is still present in the final game, albeit unused.
Wizard Peak's level design is slightly different, once again showing an exit portal similar in design to the portals found in the Magic Crafters home, instead of the home vortex. There is also an ice wizard in the corner where the dragon statue should be - the statue in question being closer to the edge in this version.
A second version of this clip with some similar surrounding branding but slightly different logo placement has also been discovered, apparently surfacing on Google Video in the mid-2000s. Its original source is assumed to be another merchandising VHS. Several unique screenshots depicting this build were also shown in an issue of Game Informer, but they do not present much of significance in addition to what the video shows.
E3 Demo#
A few small clips of the E3 demo have surfaced, as well as a trailer showing a version of the game which appears to match the E3 footage.
E3 1998 Freak's Shop VHS Messevideo#
Starts at 26:07.
- The HUD is mostly identical in appearance to its design in the final game, aside from the lives and dragons counters switching places.
- The tents in the Peace Keepers home have a different, more pronounced "shadow" on their surface, which may be the result of a glitch, seeing how it disappears once the tent is flamed.
- There is a locked chest on the platform in the central area of the Artisans overworld.
- Gildas is missing his release animation, and his dialogue is presented in text form.
- At around 27ː39 you can see the Dragon counter going from zero to one after releasing Magnus in the Peace Keeper home, implying that there was some means by which the player could start in the second homeworld in this build.
PlayStation Underground Coolest Games#
Starts at 1:08.
- The aforementioned early version of the HUD can be seen more clearly (at 1ː27).
- Said extract of the footage shows that the Magic Crafters home was also accessible upon starting the game, as the HUD informs us that the player hasn't yet collected a single dragon despite being in this world.
E3 1998 Gamers Point VHS Video#
Starts at 20:31.
- A short clip of Spyro in the Artisan home, indirectly focusing on the locked chest which would ultimately be removed in the final game.
Stargame Multishow#
This video shows multiple clips from what may all be different sources.
- A small clip of the E3 demo is seen 13 seconds into the video, showing the Artisans home.
- At 1:27 a very short clip of a monitor at the event seems to show a clip of the game's earliest trailer, complete with a green gem in the HUD.
- At 2:40, there's a little more footage of the event, showing Stone Hill.
- At 2:49, direct feed footage begins. It is unknown from which build this footage is from, but one particularly noticeable difference is the presence of a flat-topped fountain in Town Square matching the June 15th Prototype.
Micromania#
The Micromania E3 coverage also showed a short clip of the event, at around 1:59 in this video. Note that the B-roll that is shown is of the much earlier silver dragon build, and not the E3 build.
Additional Footage#
This video shows clips of Dark Hollow and the Peace Keepers Home, at around 1:45:37.
SCEE Demo Trailer#
A trailer which appeared on multiple SCEE-region demo discs (e.g. Demo One V6, Euro Demo 37) shows what appears to be a match for the E3 build.
- The early version of the home vortex - using the Artisans dragon platform model - is present. A single blue gem is seen floating inside the Town Square home vortex, a level that wasn't accessible in the Tabloid demo.
- Around 49 seconds in, a section of Night Flight which usually contains a fairy is shown to have nothing at all.
- At 1:20, the matador Gnorc is seen to be using a design which neither matches the design used in the June 15th Prototype, nor the one used in later versions.
- The dragon animations that are shown appear to match the ones used in the June 15th build.
Tabloid Demo and Trailer#
The earliest demo of the game - the Tabloid Demo - seems to represent a similar version to the E3 Demo. That said, given the approximate build date of May 25th for the Tabloid demo - only 3 days prior to the E3 event - it's likely that this demo would have been built slightly later than the E3 build.
The standalone Tabloid Demo disc also features a trailer of the game which seems to match the June 15th build, seen in the video.
EGM Issues 111 and 112#
EGM featured review builds of the game in two of their issues. It's not known if they're the same build or just very similar builds. They appear to be relatively late development, but it's hard to be sure.
EGM 111#
High Caves#
A screenshot of the open area of High Caves, on the right side the Magic Crafters flag can be seen hanging off the wall.
Crystal Flight#
A screenshot of the beginning of Crystal Flight. The time shown on the timer helps us determine that this screenshot is indeed from around the July build of the game, seeing how in that build the player starts with a 20 seconds countdown instead of a 25 seconds one.
Gnasty's Loot#
A screenshot of Spyro chasing a Thief in Gnasty's Loot, showing the level's earlier, more blueish textures.
EGM 112#
Unusual Balloonists Requests#
This issue of the magazine also discusses the requirements needed to progress from one world to the next, differing entirely from any known version of the game. Peace Keepers is allegedly unlocked after freeing 5 dragons (instead of 10), Magic Crafters after obtaining 1000 gems (as opposed to 1200), Magic Crafters after obtaining 2000 gems (as opposed to having to rescue 5 dragon eggs), and Gnasty's World after obtaining 10000 gems (as opposed to 6000).
It is known from several early builds that none of the above figures coincide with anything that has ever been observed in the game. As such, it is believed that the magazine published entirely incorrect information, for unknown reasons. Even the earliest builds of the game (including ones featuring the Boatman!) have a 10 dragon requirement to access the Peace Keepers, for example.
Gnasty's Loot#
Two screenshots of Spyro in Gnasty's Loot, showing the level's earlier, more blueish textures, once again, as well as the more green-yellow lava.
Artisans home#
A screenshot of Spyro walking toward Marco the Balloonist. Here Marco's clothes are white instead of yellow, though this may be purely down to the poor quality of the screenshot.
Miscellaneous Screenshots#
Cliff Town#
A screenshot of Spyro flying through Cliff Town which could be found in the "Science & Technology News" section of the Dragon News Network website. In the top-left corner, we can once again see what appears to be an exit portal, instead of a vortex. This screenshot also featured in some adverts for the game.
Dark Hollow#
A screenshot of Dark Hollow which could be found in the "Game" section of the official Spyro 1 website. Here the skybox has a pink / purple color as opposed to the final's deep blue tone. This image may be of a render of the level using the incorrect skybox as opposed to an in-game screenshot, though, and so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Gnasty Gnorc#
Two screenshots of Spyro fighting Gnasty Gnorc found in issue 01-1999 of the Swedish PlayStation Guiden Magazine. It's highly likely that these images are from the August 27th build of the game, where Gnasty is inexplicably seen using much older assets than in the final version.