Toys for Bob wants to make a newBanjo-Kazooiegame. Debuting on the Nintendo 64 in 1998,Banjo-Kazooieand its sequelBanjo-Tooiequickly joined the pantheon of iconic platformers of that console generation. It jumped the Nintendo ship a few years later, though, heading to the Xbox 360 with the sequelNuts & Bolts. Its original developer, Rare, has since become a subsidiary of Microsoft, which means it’s still closely associated with the Xbox brand today - but it hasn’t seen a new release in over 15 years.
That could all change soon, though. While Rare is hard at work on itsmysterious upcoming gameEverwild,a different studio wants to take up theBanjo-Kazooiemantle: Toys for Bob. The studio behind the MS-DOS classicsStar Controland its sequel, as well as the occasionalCall of Duty, is looking to go in an all new direction and reviveBanjo-Kazooiein an all-new adventure. During an interview withCanadian Guy Ehon YouTube (viaWindows Central), Toys for Bob Co-Studio Head and Creative Director Paul Yan was asked what studio he’d like to work with, and he responded:
“One company we’d like to work with is one we’re already working with: Team Xbox. They’ve been a great partner, and they also have a very interesting roster of characters that Toys for Bob could have a lot of fun with.The honey bear is the first one that comes to mind- I think we can all agree Banjo’s been hibernating long enough, right?”
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Spyro, Crash, Now Banjo-Kazooie?
It may sound like a bit of a pipe dream, especially considering that theBanjo-KazooieIP is owned by another company. Rare is a Microsoft-owned studio at this point;Toys for Bob once shared the same parent company, being acquired by Activision in 2005, then breaking out as an independent studio afterMicrosoft purchased Activision-Blizzardfollowing a lengthy legal battle in 2023.
But Toys for Bob clearly has some contacts at Microsoft via its Activision connection -we know it’s currently working with Team Xbox on its current game, whatever that happens to be. So if Rare isn’t interested in developing a newBanjo-Kazooiegame on its own, why not let someone else have it?
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Besides that,Toys for Bob has a proven track record in developing games featuring legacy mascots. Besides itsCoDcontributions,it’s perhaps best known for the recentSpyro ReignitedandCrash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogyremakes - although even before then, it was involved inSkylanders. Both of its 2018 remakes, released as PS4 exclusives, have been hailed as perfect modernizations, bringing the games to modern audiences almost perfectly intact, just smoothing out some wrinkles here and there, but preserving their iconic level design and surprising difficulty.
In recent years, rumor’s had it thatToys for Bob is working ona brand-newSpyrogame. Yan understandably kept mum about his ongoing project, but did describe it as something that is “big and ambitious and pushes our craft to new heights.” If he can say that of a (rumored) newSpyrorelease, it stands to reason Toys for Bob could do the same for a newBanjo-Kazooie.
Would A New Banjo-Kazooie Game Work Today?
Tastes Have Changed
Banjo-Kazooieis a classic for a reason, butplayer tastes have changed immenselyin the decade-and-a-half since its release. The mascots themselves are still beloved, if the widespread response to theirdebut on Nintendo Switch Onlineand inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis any indication.
But while platformers have always remained popular,the kind of collect-a-thon gameplay embodied by classicBanjo-Kazooiehas fallen out of style. It’ll have to iterate on its previous design principles to hold up in the modern day and win over new audiences. I knowBanjo-Kazooiecan be innovative - the vehicle-building gameplay ofNuts & Boltsis proof enough.
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Plus, I think its association Xbox would serveBanjo-Kazooiewell. A day-one Game Pass release would help get players who otherwise wouldn’t touch the game interested. Make it playable onXbox’s rumored upcoming handheld console, and you’d drum up a lot of interest right there. ABanjo-Kazooierevival might have a tough fight ahead of it - beginning with approval from Microsoft - but if anyone can handle it, it’s Toys for Bob.
