Before joining Microsoft in 2002, Rare was previously a giant within the world of Nintendo, developing titles such as Donkey Kong Country, Battletoads, Killer Instinct, and of course, Banjo-Kazooie. The latter became an instant classic when it launched on Nintendo 64 in 1998, but the bear and bird have since faded into obscurity. However, it looks like Rare and Microsoft might be planning a comeback for Banjo-Kazooie on modern consoles.
The Nate the Hate podcast recently had game developer Modern Vintage Gamer as a guest, where he mentioned that a revival could be on the way, as he heard some interesting comments from other people in the industry. This is what he had to say (via VGC and Nintendo Life):
I have spoken to a lot of people, and I’m not an insider, I’m a developer, but sometimes I hear things and I was at GDC earlier this year and there were some people talking about Banjo.
“I’ve heard that Banjo’s coming up for months now, from different people. Something’s happening with Banjo, what I can’t tell you is what that is.
Modern Vintage Gamer (Nate the Hate Podcast)
The last entry in the series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nutz & Boltz was released in 2008 for the Xbox 360, but failed to meet the expectations of fans. It was a massive departure from the 3D platforming that fans had come to love in Banjo-Kazooie, and its direct sequel, Banjo-Tooie, as the game heavily revolved around building vehicles.
Banjo-Kazooie was recently released on Nintendo Switch via their online subscription service and is currently available on Xbox via Backwards Compatability. If a revival is on the way, then it may be possible that this mystery installment appears during today’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, which is taking place at 1 pm ET. Do you want a new Banjo game?
