Rare
Banjo-Kazooie creators explain why there will be no new game in the series
The difficulty in finding the right team and the lack of certainty about the reception are some of the problems in bringing the series back to life.
Banjo-Kazooie, the legendary platform game for Nintendo 64, celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 29th. To celebrate, part of the original team that developed the game gave an interview to VGC in which they reflected on the game’s legacy in the industry, as well as some anecdotes about the process of creating the game.
And among the questions posed to the developers was the one most celebrated by fans of the franchise: Will there be a new Banjo-Kazooie title? Well, unfortunately, it seems that it will be difficult for that to happen.
“I don’t feel like there are that many Banjo fans out there”
“I feel like you’d have to get a team with the humour that we had back then, and that’s hard to replicate,” says Grant Kirkhope, composer of the game’s soundtrack. “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.” A statement that contrasts with the figures for Yooka-Laylee, considered a spiritual successor to the Nintendo 64 franchise, which raised $3 million on Kickstarter and sold up to 1 million copies, with Kirkhope himself working as a composer.
However, the solution may lie with Steve Mayles, character designer on Rare’s title, a remaster that would allow Microsoft to cut costs and gauge fan interest. “I’ve said before, that would be the way to do it… because obviously, it takes so much money to create a brand new, top-end game that the sensible thing to do would be some kind of remaster to test the water and see if the audience is there. But importantly, I think it would have to come out on a Nintendo platform as well.”
Banjo-Kazooie returned to Nintendo Switch last year thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, and before that, the original characters were included as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Back in 2020, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, spoke out on the matter, making it clear that any revival of the saga would be Rare’s decision.
You can watch the full video of the interview here: