Developer Toys for Bob once again shared his desire to create a new game Banjo-Kazooie series. Banjo-Kazooie fans begged for the series to return for nearly two decades, but Xbox left the series dormant after release Nuts and bolts in 2008. Reception for this game was mostly mixed, with original series developer Rare largely focusing on Sea of Thieves in the following years.
Rare bought the Xbox in 2002, and many of the N64 developers' most popular features were largely an afterthought in recent decades. Franchises like Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Geminiand Conker's Bad Fur Day they remain playable on Xbox platforms thanks Rare playbackbut little else has been done with them over the years. AND Perfect darkness the reboot was canceled in 2025, and fans of Rare's N64 era didn't have much reason to celebrate.
Toys for Bob still wants to make a Banjo-Kazooie game
Toys for Bob are evolving Spyro: A Realm Beyondbut the studio was recently asked about his previously stated desire to make a Banjo-Kazooie game. In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, creative director Louis Studdert and studio head Paul Yan revealed how excited the team is about the Rare property. It's been a long time since the last one Banjo-Kazooie game has been released, but the developers still think it would be “awesome” to make a new entry in the series.
“It's a franchise that we love. As platform fans, Banjo is the pinnacle. We have some huge, huge fans of the franchise on our staff – I'm talking, they have Jiggie as their profile picture, something like that. They're on that level of fans. If the opportunity ever came up, it would be amazing. We love the franchise.”
“If you look at the overview of the types of plays we like to make, I can imagine that's part of that foundation as well. [those characters] as timeless. They're iconic, and I think the types of games we want to produce are ones that also speak to a timeless place in the player, an ageless place – we call it the 'inner child'. So I think they're great games, we're big fans.”
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Toys for Bob has a passion for developing mascots, having worked on them before Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. The team seems like a great fit for Rare's 3D platformer, and they're not the only ones interested; original composer Grant Kirkhope still hopes to create music for the new one Banjo-Kazooie. However, the decision to create a new game in the series remains in Xbox's hands, and the company seems to be focusing on its biggest properties. That means Halo, Gears of War, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, Falloutand The Elder Scrolls they get priority over anything else.
While Banjo-Kazooie may not be Xbox's top priority at the moment, which could work in Toys for Bob's favor. The studio became independent after Activision Blizzard's acquisition, but maintains a positive working relationship with Xbox. Have a proven indie studio interested in creating a new one Banjo-Kazooie the game could be less of a risk for Xbox, as opposed to the company having to devote its own internal resources.
Xbox apparently hasn't forgotten about the series as it continues to license Banjo-Kazooie products and goods. Re-releasing older games and making new toys and plushies carries far less risk than developing a new game, but it's more than just fans Jet Force Gemini or Blast Corps received over the years. Maybe the day will come when Toys for Bob gets a wish to create a new one Banjo-Kazooie game, but fans will have to wait patiently to see what the future holds.
- Released
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June 28, 1998
- ESRB
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E for everyone
- Publishers
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Nintendo
