When it comes to franchises that have been around for a long time, people want them to continue because they’ve been a part of their lives for so long. But for some franchises, they started out really hot, then had a downturn, and fans want them to return to “former glory” because they feel they could do well once again. Banjo-Kazooie is one such franchise that fans want to see have a “revival.” The first two games on the N64 were legendary, and helped showcase the talent of Rare even more. But when they went to Xbox and showed their “Nuts and Bolts,” things died rather quickly.
The irony is that the fandom still wants them back despite not having a mainline game in years. That includes the man behind the Banjo-Kazooie soundtrack, Grant Kirkhope, who noted to Windows Central that while he understands the plight of fans who want this series back, it’ll be an uphill fight to not just get it made, but it done the right way. He later noted on Twitter:
“Honestly, any team taking on BK has an uphill battle from the start. To make something that pleases the hard core fans is pretty near impossible to do. There’s no leeway, if it’s not perfect, it’ll get hammered. People really want it, but will be brutally hard to please.”
He’s not wrong about fans being hard to please, but that’s partially because the games are a key part of many gamers’ childhoods, and they want to see the duo return for some eccentric adventures. One of the reasons that the fervor for a new game has grown is because of the inclusion of the characters Banjo and Kazooie into Super Smash Bros Ultimate. That title honored them with a very “retro-style” trailer that highlighted them alongside fellow Rare-used characters Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and King K. Rool. All three characters were pumped in the trailer when Banjo-Kazooie arrived, and fans were the same way. Plus, they used the iconic Grant Kirkhope track from the original game to showcase the duo’s gameplay.
Another irony in this is that Xbox has been wanting to revive past franchises to help bolster their ranks and gaming library. This one is on the table for them to use should they want to pull the trigger. Kirkhope even mentioned on Twitter that if he was asked to come back once again to do the music, he would do so.
