Developer Toys for Bob has once again shared its desire to make a new game in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Banjo-Kazooie fans have been begging to see the series brought back for nearly two decades, but Xbox has left the series dormant following the release of Nuts & Bolts in 2008. Reception to that game was mostly mixed, and original series developer Rare has largely focused on Sea of Thieves in the years since.
Rare was acquired by Xbox in 2002, and many of the developer’s most popular properties on N64 have largely been an afterthought in the decades since. Franchises like Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day remain playable on Xbox platforms thanks to Rare Replay, but little else has been done with them in years. A Perfect Dark reboot was canceled in 2025, and fans of Rare’s N64 era have had little reason to celebrate.
Toys for Bob Still Wants to Make a Banjo-Kazooie Game
Toys for Bob is developing Spyro: A Realm Beyond, but the studio was recently asked about its previously stated desire to make a Banjo-Kazooie game. Speaking with Kinda Funny Games, associate creative director Louis Studdert and studio head Paul Yan revealed just how passionate the team is about the Rare property. It’s been a long time since the last Banjo-Kazooie game was released, but the developers still think it would be “amazing” to make a new entry in the series.
“It’s a franchise we love. As platformer fans, Banjo’s top of the heap. We have some huge, huge fans of that franchise on our staff – I’m talking, they’ve got the Jiggie as their profile pic, kind of a thing. They’re that level of fan. If the opportunity ever arose, that would be amazing. We love the franchise.”
“If you look at the through-line of the types of games we like to make, I can imagine that’s part of that staple as well. I think of [those characters] as timeless. They’re iconic, and I think the types of games we want to produce are ones that speak to a timeless place in the player as well, an ageless place – we call it the “inner child”. So, I think they’re wonderful games, we’re huge fans.”
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Toys for Bob has a passion for developing mascot platformers, having previously worked on Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. The team seems like a strong fit for Rare’s 3D platformer, and they aren’t the only ones interested; original composer Grant Kirkhope still hopes to create the music for a new Banjo-Kazooie. The decision to make a new game in the series remains in the hands of Xbox though, and the company seems to be putting all of its focus on its biggest properties. That means Halo, Gears of War, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls are getting prioritized over anything else.
While Banjo-Kazooie might not be a top priority at Xbox at the moment, that could work in the favor of Toys for Bob. The studio went independent following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but maintains a positive working relationship with Xbox. Having a proven independent studio interested in making a new Banjo-Kazooie game could make it less of a risk for Xbox, as opposed to the company having to dedicate its own internal resources.
Xbox clearly hasn’t forgotten about the series, as it continues to license Banjo-Kazooie products and merchandise. There’s a lot less risk involved in re-releasing older games and making new toys and plushes as opposed to developing a new game, but it’s more than fans of Jet Force Gemini or Blast Corps have gotten over the years. There just might come a day when Toys for Bob gets its wish to make a new Banjo-Kazooie game, but fans will just 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
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
