Banjo and Kazooie in Super Smash Bros.? “Yep”, Says Xbox Head

King of Xbox Phil Spencer has sparked hope in hundreds of fans looking to see Banjo and Kazooie, Rare’s infamous bear and bird duo, make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch. Their participation has been requested for quite some time, and is evident in the #BanjoForSmash hashtag and several modding endeavours. But in 2018, these efforts may have paid off. Twitter user @BanjoExe directly posed the question to Spencer, asking whether he was happy to allow Banjo and Kazooie (now owned by Microsoft) to get into some smashing action:

Spencer’s reply was terse but optimistic, affirming fan desires. Of course, this doesn’t absolutely guarantee that Banjo and Kazooie will be included in the fighting roster, but it is a very good sign. The number of characters in Super Smash Bros. has been steadily increasing since the original title came out for Nintendo 64. In Super Smash Bros. 4, 58 challengers were approaching the arena for battle, so the Switch edition looks ripe for expansion. Judging by the “13-10-23” pattern — 12 fighters in Super Smash Bros., 25 in Super Smash Bros. Melee, 35 in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and 58 in Super Smash Bros. 4 — I personally think we’re looking at 10 new characters, which brings the total to 68.

Who do you want to see most in Super Smash Bros.? Share your suggestions (even the crazy ones) down in the comments.