Banjo-Kazooie devs unsure ‘the audience is there’ for a new game
Key members of the original Banjo-Kazooie team have said they’re doubtful a new entry in the beloved 3D platformer franchise will release in the near future.
While dormant for some years following its last original game in 2008, the Banjo-Kazooie franchise has become more prominent lately. Last year the N64 original was added to Nintendo Switch Online, and before that, Banjo and Kazooie were added as playable characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
In 2020 Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that any revivals of classic Rare franchises were up to Rare itself.
However, speaking to VGC as part of an extended interview to mark Banjo-Kazooie’s 25th anniversary, a group of original Rare team members have said they’re not expecting a new game anytime soon.
And despite a $3 million Kickstarter and over 1 million copies sold for their spiritual successor, Playtonic Games’ Yooka-Laylee, composer Grant Kirkhope questioned whether the audience was truly there for a new game.
“I feel like you’d have to get a team with the humour that we had back then, and that’s hard to replicate,” he said. “I think Rare would be open to somebody if they found the right team, but I don’t feel like that team exists. Also, I’m not convinced the audience is there either… I don’t feel like there are that many Banjo fans out there.
“The whole Smash Bros. thing was spectacular… it really was. I think all the team that worked on that game had a tear in their eye when Banjo turned up in Smash Bros… it was just an unbelievable release of emotion. Seeing all those [fans] crying on videos was heart-warming, and we all felt it. That was a once-in-a-lifetime event when that happened.
“But I still feel like, is there that multimillion-dollar thing within Banjo-Kazooie? I’m
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