Microsoft games boss Phil Spencer has acknowledged the calls for a new Banjo-Kazooie title, saying, “Banjo fans, I hear you”. While this is far from confirmation that a new game is in the works, it implies that the series is still being kept in mind and that Xbox knows fans would love a new game after all these years.
This comes from an interview with Windows Central, in which Spencer sheds some light on Xbox’s ongoing plans for this console generation. Banjo-Kazooie is only brought up once, but it’s curious to see the series mentioned at all since there hasn’t been an instalment since Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts – which just turned 15 last month if you can believe it.
The topic of Banjo was brought up when Spencer was discussing Xbox’s plans for its evergrowing library of franchises – particularly now that it owns all of Activision Blizzard’s work too.
“You’ve seen from our history that we haven’t touched every franchise that people would love us to touch – Banjo fans, I hear you,” says Spencer. “But it is true that, when we find the right team and the right opportunity, I love going back to revisit stories and characters that we’ve seen previously.”
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was a huge departure from the first two games, so for some fans, the last true Banjo game was Banjo-Tooie, released in 2000.
To see Spencer use Banjo-Kazooie as an example when there are so many other long-dormant franchises to choose from is very interesting indeed. The series only ever had three main games – two under Nintendo, and one after Xbox bought developer Rare. It’s often seen as one of Microsoft’s most wasted IPs, since the company has done little of note with the character since the Rare acquisition. Still, Banjo has retained a cult following, so much so that he made it into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019.
Still, we’ve seen Microsoft bring back a series from the dead before. One of the more recent examples is Fable, which was put on ice when Microsoft shut its developer, Lionhead, down in 2016. A new Fable game is now in the works at Playground Games, created by a new team entirely. However, since Rare is still very much alive, it is still around to work on a Banjo-Kazooie game.
There’s clearly still some interest too. Earlier this year, Banjo and Kazooie – the characters – were voted the best gaming duo in a poll run by BAFTA. They had to beat Link and Zelda, Sonic and Tails, and even Mario and Luigi for the honour, so it’s an impressive feat.
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