Spyro: Year of the Dragon is a 2000 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Year of the Dragon is the third game in the Spyro series. The game was the last Spyro game Insomniac developed; their next title would be Ratchet & Clank for the PlayStation 2.
Named after the animal of the Chinese zodiac, which was the symbol at the time of the game’s release, Year of the Dragon follows the titular purple dragon Spyro as he travels to the “Forgotten Worlds” after 150 magical dragon eggs are stolen from the land of the dragons by an evil sorceress. Players travel across thirty different worlds gathering gems and eggs. Year of the Dragon introduced new characters and minigames to the series, as well as offering improved graphics and music.
By 2007, the game sold more than three million units worldwide and received critical acclaim. Reviewers noted the game built on the successful formula of its predecessors by adding new activities and expansive environments. Year of the Dragon was followed by the multiplatform title Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, and was later re-released under the Greatest Hits label, and remade as part of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy in 2018.
Developer(s) Insomniac Games
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Composer(s) Stewart Copeland
Ryan Beveridge
Series Spyro
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release
NA: October 10, 2000
EU: November 10, 2000
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player