Summary
A newBanjo-Kazooiegame could be in development, according to the latest rumors. The originalBanjo-Kazooieis often pointed to as one of the absolute-best games ever released for the Nintendo 64, and whileBanjo-Tooieisn’t remembered quite as fondly, it still earned a great deal of critical acclaim. The series largely went off the rails afterBanjo-Tooie, with the GBA gamesGrunty’s RevengeandBanjo-Pilotfailing to drum up much interest.
In 2008, Rare releasedBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, a bizarre new entry that took the focus away from traditional 3D platforming and put it on building vehicles to complete various objectives. While there appears to be more appreciation forNuts & Boltsnowadays, many would agree that it simply doesn’t do a good job of filling the void left by its predecessors. Unfortunately for fans, theBanjo-Kazooieseries has been dormantsinceNuts & Bolts, though there have been occasional rumblings of a potential revival.
The latest hint fans have gotten thatBanjo-Kazooiemay be making a comebackcomes from insider Nate Drake on Resetera. In a forum post, they claimed that the newBanjo-Kazooieis an “active project” that got the green light in early 2022. Nate Drake didn’t provide any further details about what the newBanjo-Kazooiegame may entail, so at this point in time, its genre, developer, and potential release window are all mysteries.
Like with all rumors, fans should take these claims with a grain of salt, though it’s worth pointing out that Nate Drake has proven to be a reliable source of insider information in the past. Not only that, butHead of Xbox Phil Spencer himselfhas teased thatBanjo-Kazooiecould one day make a comeback, stressing that the Xbox team “hears"Banjofans. This isn’t the same as an official announcement, of course, but it does inspire confidence that fans will one day get a newBanjo-Kazooiegame.
If a newBanjo-Kazooiedoes materialize, it will be interesting to see which developer handles the project. The obvious choice would be for Rare to make the game, but it’s currently busy with itsSea of Thieveslive service gameand the new IPEverwild. Xbox has many studios under its umbrella that it could potentially trust with reviving theBanjo-KazooieIP, though time will tell who takes charge and if the project ever even sees the light of day.
Banjo-Kazooie
WHERE TO PLAY
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