January2016
News Legendary Former Rare Character Artist, Kev Bayliss, Joins Playtonic to Work on Yooka-Laylee
Credited with DK's Country design, Killer Instinct work and much more
The words 'Rare' and 'Legend' go together very often, and we try not to use them unless they're necessary. In the case of former company Character Artist / Graphics Director Kev Bayliss it's a fair description, however, and the pleasing news is that he's now joined Playtonic...
November2015
News A New Yooka-Laylee Support Character Has Been Revealed
Remember the good old days with Rextro Sixtyfourus
When you get right down to it, there's still not a whole lot known about Yooka-Laylee, an upcoming 3D platformer made from ex-Rare staff that worked on games such as Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. After the initial buzz around the game from its successful Kickstarter debut died down, new...
September2015
News Nintendo UK and Playtonic Games to Host a Special Super Mario Maker Live Broadcast
Yooka-Laylee studio to show off its creations
With Super Mario Maker approaching we can expect a variety of promotional activities from the big N, and Nintendo UK has an upcoming live stream that could be one to watch for retro and eShop fans. It's announced on Instagram that it'll be hosting a live broadcast with Playtonic Games, the team of...
August2015
News Nintendo Won't Rule Out Giving Yooka-Laylee Additional Support On The eShop
"Never say never"
Nintendo's relationship with indie developers has undergone a truly dramatic transformation since the days of WiiWare, and both the 3DS and Wii U eShops are brimming with amazing games as a result. Nintendo has done a lot to support and highlight indie games on its platforms, with the most recent example being the successful...
July2015
News Team17 Is Publishing Yooka-Laylee And Wants To Produce A Physical Version
“There is a large demand for a physical game”
UK veteran Team17 is publishing Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee, it has been announced. The 3D platformer raised more than £2M via Kickstarter earlier this year, and is coming to the Wii U. Team17 will assist with localisation, certification, QA, marketing and other business concerns. Here's what...
News Playtonic Happy to Move Away From "Box-Ticking" Culture At Microsoft-Owned Rare
Creative lead Gavin Price talks about fresh beginnings
Yooka-Laylee has been hailed as a platforming rebirth created by some of the UK's most talented developers, and has recently become one of Kickstarter's most acclaimed success stories. Developer Playtonic - which is made up of former Rare staffers and, in recent months, has added more in the...
Video This Fan-Made Yooka-Laylee Animation is Pretty Neat
Give 'em a call, Playtonic!
Yooka-Laylee has clearly won over plenty of gamers, from Rare fans to those with fond memories of collect-a-thon 3D adventure platformers on Nintendo 64, and others who simply like exciting projects. It raised over £2 million before its Kickstarter campaign reached a close. The game itself is naturally some way off, but...
June2015
News Yooka-Laylee Reaches Final Stretch Goal On The Last Day Of Its Kickstarter Campaign
Now the real work begins
Playtonic's Banjo-Kazooie successor Yooka-Laylee has hit its final Kickstarter stretch goal, unlocking free-of-charge DLC for those who backed the project. Yooka-Laylee's original target was a modest £175,000, but it quickly
News Playtonic Wants Yooka-Laylee To Eclipse Banjo-Kazooie When It Comes To Sheer Size
Putting those fears to bed
Yooka-Layee's amazing Kickstarter campaign has ensured that Rare fans will be getting the next best thing to a Banjo-Kazooie sequel, but some supporters have expressed doubts about the size of the adventure, given that the game will retail for a low price and - comparatively-speaking, at least - its budget remains modest...
May2015
News Yooka-Laylee’s Game Worlds Will Be Contained Within "Magical Books”
A novel idea
Playtonic's spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie and popular Kickstarter project, Yooka-Laylee, aims to recreate the magic of the 3D platform titles of yesteryear with charming characters and classic level design. With development well underway, creative lead Gavin Price has recently discussed the team's approach to level creation in...
News Introducing The Very First Support Character In Yooka-Laylee, Trowzer The Serpent Salesman
A snake wearing trousers
Support characters were very much a staple of 3D platform games during their prime, and it looks like Playtonic Games will continue this tradition with the recent reveal of the first support character in Yooka-Laylee: Trowzer, the serpent salesman. A business-snake whose career never took off, the smug salesman is...
News Playtonic Confirms Post-Release DLC as the Next Stretch Goal for Yooka-Laylee
"When – and only when – we've finished and shipped the full version"
It's pretty safe to say that Yooka-Laylee is shaping up to be a massive success. After meeting its initial funding goal in less than forty minutes, Yooka-Laylee went on to become the fastest Kickstarter game to pass the $1 million mark. Evidently, gamers around the world really
News Yooka-Laylee Hit The $1 Million Point Faster Than Any Other Game In The History Of Kickstarter
On course to be the UK's biggest gaming Kickstarter campaign, too
Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee reached the $1 million marker faster than any other game on Kickstarter, it has been revealed. The campaign smashed its initial funding goal of £175,000 in less than 40 minutes, and by the end of its first full day had
News Yooka-Laylee Character Designer Spills on Creating Playtonic Games' Quirky Heroes
"Big eyes, big teeth, big belly. You can’t go wrong with these traits"
If the core appeal of your game is 3D platforming, there are key ingredients that simply must be included - slick controls, a smooth camera and solid mechanics are naturally part of the recipe. Immediately charming characters are also a must, though - unlike some genres where...
News Yooka-Laylee Sets a New Stretch Goal to Smash, This Time for a Fully Orchestrated Soundtrack
A Rare treat
Yooka-Laylee is proof that combining industry veterans of an iconic development studio with a genre that brings to mind the late '90s is a tonic for success. From that laboured bit of wordplay we segway to Playtonic Games, which has quickly turned from a start-up of excellent developers into a significant Kickstarter success story...
News Yooka-Laylee Double-Jumps Through Final Kickstarter Stretch Goal In Less Than 24 Hours
£1 million in the bag, day one Wii U release assured
Update: Playtonic Games has now announced two new stretch goals on its campaign page. £1.1 million will bring an N64 'shader mode' plus a DK rap + video in the credits, while £1.2 million will add a developer walkthrough and commentary video. At current momentum these will likely be passed in...
News Yooka-Laylee Kickstarter Campaign Smashes Its Funding Goal In Less Than An Hour
Thousands of backers jump in for spiritual Banjo-Kazooie Successor
Playtonic Games, a new studio comprised of ex-Rare developers, has been generating a lot of hype for its first project. We know from speaking to the studio, however, that it'll be absolutely stunned by the reaction to the Kickstarter campaign for its first game - Yooka-Laylee. After...
Exclusive Behind The Scenes On Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee
Meeting with a Rare breed of developers
They say that the apple never falls far from the tree, and that's certainly true of UK startup Playtonic Games. Based on an industrial estate in the middle of the rolling English countryside, this team of former Rare developers is but a stone's throw away from the historic town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where Rare...
First Impressions Hands On With Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee
Damien and Thomas share their initial impressions
The cat - or should that be chameleon - is out of the bag. Fledgling UK studio Playtonic Games has lifted the lid on the stars of its début title - Yooka and Laylee - and has sent Rare-loving Nintendo fans into a frenzy of anticipation by confirming that the game will be coming to the Wii U eShop...
News Less Than A Day Old And Yooka-Laylee Already Has Lots of Awesome Fan-Art
Now that's a Rare sight
It's been less than a day now since Playtonic Games lifted the lid on its upcoming game, Yooka-Laylee, and already the Internet has gone fan-art crazy. This is all before the Kickstarter campaign has even gone live, too, emphasizing the hype around this project. We've picked out some early winners in the fan-art stakes for...
April2015
News Playtonic's Project Ukulele Becomes Yooka-Laylee, Wii U Release Confirmed
Meet the stars of the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie
Playtonic Games has finally lifted the lid on its new game, revealing its final title: Yooka-Laylee. Previously referred to as Project Ukulele, the game is being pitched as the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie and even shares the same dual-character set-up. Yooka is a chameleon who can...
News Playtonic Releases First Animated Footage From Banjo-Kazooie Successor Project Ukulele
As a "Thank You" for reaching 30,000 followers on Twitter
Playtonic Games - a UK studio made up of former Rare staffers - has released the first footage from its Banjo Kazooie "spiritual successor", Project Ukulele. The short clip - posted via Vine on Twitter - shows a minion character from the game hopping from foot to foot. It's a good i
