Playtonic Games News Articles
Friday3rd Oct 2025
News Yooka-Replaylee Physical Confirmed For December, Includes Extra Goodies
Game+map+stickers, one week before Christmas
PM Studios has confirmed that the physical version of Yooka-Replaylee will launch on 18th December. A 'proper' physical release for the game on Switch 2 was confirmed when the digital launch was announced (which is much sooner - next week, in fact, on 9th October), bu
Friday26th Sep 2025
News Yooka-Replaylee Runs At 30fps On Switch 2, Team Investigating Performance Mode
A demo is also planned
Playtonic Games has this week confirmed the Switch 2 version of Yooka-Replaylee will run at a "consistent" 30fps in docked and handheld mode. In a post on social media, the developer mentioned how the team had "limited time" with Switch 2 dev kits ahead of the game's October launch, and this decision was made to ensure the...
Friday29th Aug 2025
News Yooka-Replaylee Gets A Launch Date On Switch 2, Full Physical Release Confirmed
Get readee
After months of being drip-fed tiny nuggets of information regarding Yooka-Replaylee, Playtonic Games has finally announced that the game will launch on Switch 2 on 9th October 2025. In addition, while a previous listing heavily hinted at the game receiving a proper physical release (i.e. no Game-Key Card), this has now been officially...
Sunday24th Aug 2025
News Yooka-Replaylee Appears To Be Getting A Proper Physical Release For Switch 2
Playtonic will share another "major update" next week
Yooka-Replaylee is due out on the Switch 2 this year, and it appears it will be getting a proper physical release on Nintendo's new hybrid platform. A new listing has recently popped up on the Canadian website Video Games Plus, and according to the description, the "full game is on the...
Tuesday5th Aug 2025
News Yooka-Replaylee Is Now "Content Complete"
A release date is coming "Soon"
Playtonic Games' Yooka-Replaylee, a remaster of the 2017 3D collectathon platformer Yooka-Laylee, is "content complete" and a release date announcement is "coming...SoonTM". This comes from PM Studios, the physical game publisher who is handling Yooka-Replaylee's release. The company shared a video on Bluesky giving...
Friday30th May 2025
News Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Is The Latest Studio Hit By Layoffs
Update: Playtonic releases statement
A handful of staff at UK-based studio Playtonic, best known for creating Yooka-Laylee and for forming the indie publishing label Playtonic Friends, are sharing messages on social media as they have been made "redundant" at the developer. We were first alerted to the news by a Bluesky post from former community...
Tuesday18th Mar 2025
Video New Yooka-Replaylee Gameplay Revealed In Deep Dive "Explainer" Trailer
"IT IS coming in 2025"
Playtonic's upcoming 3D platformer Yooka-Replaylee (aka the "remastered, remade, remixed version" of Yooka-Laylee) has officially been confirmed for a 2025 launch. It's also been revealed the game will be co-published by PM Studios. “As a fan of collectathons like Yooka-Laylee and Banjo-Kazooie before that, it’s a...
Thursday20th Feb 2025
News New Yooka-Replaylee Trailer Showcases Rextro's Revamped Minigame Arcade
This platformer's got some byte
Last month, Playtonic gave us our first look at Yooka-Replaylee's Shovel Knight in all of his remastered glory, and today, the studio is putting the spotlight on another character to showcase its sweet new looks. The delightful dino Rextro is the focus of the latest trailer, with the new footage highlighting his...
Tuesday28th Jan 2025
News Shovel Knight Returns In New 'Yooka-Replaylee' Trailer
Title seemingly heading for Switch 2
Playtonic Games has released a new trailer for its upcoming Yooka-Replaylee remaster, reintroducing Shovel Knight as an NPC with unique new challenges for our heroes. The character, based on the acclaimed 2D platformer of the same name, will receive a similar new coat of paint for the updated game, and will also...
Tuesday10th Dec 2024
News Donkey Kong Country OG Dev Says He Would Like To Work On Another Entry
The original game is now 30 years old
Ahead of the grand opening of Super Nintendo World: Donkey Kong Country this week, some of the original Donkey Kong Country development team spoke to VGC about the IP being adapted to an entire theme park. During the same chat, artist Steve Mayles - who helped co-found Playtonic Games (Yooka-Laylee) and create...
Sunday8th Dec 2024
Video Yooka-Replaylee Dev Demo Highlights "New Features And More Changes"
Expect more updates in the coming months
Yooka-Replaylee is on the way to Nintendo platforms in the future and the development team at Playtonic has been sharing more information about the remaster. In the latest update, game director Gavin Price sat down with Playtonic's senior community manager Steve James to showcase the Glitterglace Glazier...
Friday25th Oct 2024
Video Yooka-Replaylee Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison (Original & Remaster)
Yooka-Laylee returns to 'Nintendo platforms'
Yesterday, Playtonic officially announced Yooka-Replaylee would be coming to 'Nintendo Platforms' in the future. While we wait to find out more, our friends at Pure Xbox have shared a side-by-side graphics comparison video, showcasing the original game alongside this new remastered version. The footage...
Thursday24th Oct 2024
News Yooka-Replaylee Remaster Officially Confirmed For 'Nintendo Platforms'
Ha, we all know what that means
Playtonic Games has officially unveiled the confirmed platforms for its upcoming remaster of Yooka-Laylee, dubbed Yooka-Replaylee. Curiously, Switch isn't mentioned by name, with Playtonic instead confirming a release on 'Nintendo Platforms'. Now, this could mean a couple of things: it's either a blanket way of...
Monday9th Sep 2024
News Yooka-Replaylee Art Team Highlight Laylee's New Fluffiness In Remaster
"She is a fan favourite already"
Yooka-Replaylee was a bit of a welcome surprise when it was announced back in June. It looks utterly gorgeous and promises plenty of tweaks, changes, and accessibility features when it eventually launches. But one thing that many fans spotted was Laylee, Yooka's purple bat companion, and her new, incredibly fluffy...
Thursday6th Jun 2024
News 'Yooka-Replaylee' Brings Back Playtonic's Love Letter To Banjo In Remastered Form
"Meet the definitive remastered and enhanced version"
Revealed as part of today's Guerrilla Collective presentation, Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee is returning for an encore on "PC and consoles" with Yooka-Replaylee, a glow-up for the 2017 indie original that brought back the Banjo spirit to the 3D platforming genre. As you can see from the reveal...
Monday20th Nov 2023
Video What's Going On At Playtonic, The Studio Behind Yooka-Laylee?
A Rare find
It was almost 10 years ago that a group of former Rare developers got together and established Playtonic Games. This was a team consisting of many of the minds behind Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and other such classics, so when their first title, Yooka-Laylee was released in 2017, we were relieved to see that level of creativity...
Thursday27th Oct 2022
News Kao The Kangaroo Teams Up With Yooka-Laylee In Free DLC, Out Soon On Switch
And today on other platforms
Tate Multimedia is answering one of our most burning questions — what happens when you put a kangaroo, a chameleon, and a bat together? Well, you get some free DLC for Kao the Kangaroo. This free costume pack is a crossover between Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee and the Kao. Once you download the DLC — which is available...
Monday3rd Oct 2022
News Nintendo Goodies Up For Grabs In Playtonic's Charity Auction For SpecialEffect
Update: Auction is live, including Banjo and DKC items
Update [Mon 3rd Oct, 2022 17:45 BST]: The auction items went up over the weekend. Up for grabs are various art prints featuring Playtonic Friends games and the developer's own Yooka-Laylee, plus retro-flavoured offerings from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and others. There...
Sunday14th Aug 2022
News Yooka-Laylee Developer Playtonic Warns Of 'Lil Gator Game' Scam
"Stay safe everyone"
The Yooka-Laylee developer and publisher Playtonic Games has issued a warning via social media about a new scam currently doing the rounds - linked to a game it's publishing. It seems "someone" is offering a beta test opportunity for MegaWobble's Lil Gator Game. scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other...
Wednesday23rd Mar 2022
News 'Yooka-Laylee' Creator Playtonic Expands With Second Studio
"We want to broaden our reach, without going too far"
Playtonic Games, the studio behind the Yooka-Laylee series, has opened a second office in the UK town of Leamington Spa. Playtonic – which was founded in 2015 by former Rare staffers – recently gained investment from the Chinese giant Tencent. It has released two games so far,
Sunday21st Nov 2021
News Playtonic's Original Yooka-Laylee Game Is Getting A Follow-Up Title
A new adventure is on the way
In a bit of a shock announcement earlier this week, Playtonic - the UK developer comprised of former Rare veterans and known for titles such as Yooka-Laylee - revealed Chinese video game giant Tencent had acquired a minority stake in the business. If it's got you wondering what's to come, in an interview with friends...
Thursday18th Nov 2021
News Playtonic Announces Tencent Investment And Major Expansion Plans
"Things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years"
Playtonic has undergone rapid expansion since its initial Kickstarter success with Yooka-Laylee over six years ago, with a number of Rare veterans on board. It followed that up with the rather good Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, before delving into publishing last year with...
Friday12th Feb 2021
News Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic Celebrates Six Years In The Biz With New Publishing Label
"Playtonic Friends had been brewing as a serious ambition for a while"
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic turns six this year – and is marking the occasion by showing off a brand-new logo and by launching a new publishing label which aims to bring some of the world's best Indie games to market. Playtonic Friends is the name of the new label, and it...
Wednesday18th Nov 2020
News Yooka-Laylee Teams Up With GungHo's Volta-X For A New Collab
Update: Now live
Update: The Yooka-Laylee x Volta-X collab is now live! GungHo Online Entertainment America has shared all the details you need: Introducing the playable crewmate, Yooka (with sidekick Laylee on his back) and a new story mission. You can now experience new, character-specific skills and abilities once the loveable duo join your...
Thursday21st May 2020
News Still On The Fence About Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair? Now's The Time To Strike
It's currently on sale with 33% off in all regions
We really liked Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Playtonic dropped the full-3D approach of the original for a purer 2.5D look, and, in our book, came up with something of a spiritual successor to the Donkey Kong Country series (yes, we know that series is ongoing, but this was made by the many...
Sunday12th Apr 2020
News Yooka-Laylee Is Now Three Years Old
Happy Birthday!
Can you believe it? Playtonic's unlikely duo Yooka-Laylee is now three years old! The original game of the same name was first released on the 11th of April 2017 after a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. And although it never saw the light of day on Nintendo's Wii U, it did eventually show up on the Switch. To celebrate this...
Friday13th Mar 2020
The perfect (Play)tonic
In these trying times we could all do with a some relief - a little pick-me-up to get us through the day. When we're feeling blue, throwing on some classic Rareware tunes from the likes of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie perks us up no end. As luck would have it, both composers behind those winners feature on the...
Thursday30th Jan 2020
Reminder Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Demo Is Now Available On Switch
Try before you buy
Update (Thu 30th Jan, 2020): As promised, a free demo for Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair is available to download on Switch as of today. If you haven't tried this one out yet, what are you waiting for? Original Article (Mon 20th Jan, 2020 14:45 GMT): When we reviewed Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair back in October...
Saturday25th Jan 2020
News Playtonic Releasing A "Little Patch" For Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair On 30th January
"no Beettalion were harmed"
One of the best platformers released last year was Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Although the game launched in a perfectly playable state, the developer Playtonic has since been working on a "little" patch for it that includes multiple bug fixes and general changes. This update has already been released on Steam...
Friday22nd Nov 2019
News Playtonic's Steve Mayles Releases Special Donkey Kong Country Artwork To Mark Its 25th Birthday
As other staffers share mementoes from the period
Donkey Kong Country turned 25 yesterday, an event which is sure to have made many of us feel very old indeed. To celebrate the anniversary, Playtonic's Steve Mayles – who worked on the game during his tenure at Rare – has posted a special piece of artwork showcasing the game's heroes: Mayles...
