There was once a time when the platforming genre dominated the home console market. Mascot characters like Mario, Sonic, and Donkey Kong were driving forces behind not just the sales of their own games but the sales of their consoles. The genre continued to succeed when gaming made the switch from 2D to 3D in the late 90s; Sonic and Donkey Kong struggled to adjust in the long term, but Mario continued to thrive, and new characters like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro began to emerge.