Rare's Banjo-Kazooie - starring the bear and bird who made a name for themselves during the Nintendo 64 generation - is rumoured to be making a return.
In the latest episode of the Nate the Hate podcast, game developer Modern Vintage Gamer suggested a revival could be on the way, based on some things he had been hearing around the industry.
Here's exactly what he had to say (via VGC):
“I have spoken to a lot of people, and I’m not an insider, I’m a developer, but sometimes I hear things and I was at GDC earlier this year and there were some people talking about Banjo.
“I’ve heard that Banjo’s coming up for months now, from different people. Something’s happening with Banjo, what I can’t tell you is what that is."
MVG doubled down in a follow-up comment, stating how he "feels pretty strongly" that something related to Banjo could be announced in the near future, perhaps even at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase later today (UK time).
The last entry in the series Banjo-Kazooie: Nutz & Boltz was released exclusively on the Xbox 360 in 2008, it was arguably a game that failed to live up to the legacy of the Nintendo 64 originals from 1998 and 2000.
Although the IP is now the property of Microsoft, as Nintendo Switch fans will know - the famous duo have returned on a number of occasions to Nintendo platforms. Three years ago, Banjo-Kazooie appeared as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and earlier this year, the original Nintendo 64 classic got released on Nintendo's Switch Online service.
Banjo-Kazooie isn't the only old-school Rare game rumoured to be returning. There's strong evidence that the classic first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 (originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1997) is also getting revived. Some speculation has even led to theories about a possible Switch Online release of the original title.
- Read more - GoldenEye 007's Return Could Be Close
Would you be interested in seeing the N64 icon Banjo-Kazooie return, even if a new game wasn't announced for a Nintendo platform? Tell us down below.
[source videogameschronicle.com, via purexbox.com]
Comments 99
Great if true. Not getting my hopes up at this point.
I have no idea with the gameplay of Banjo XBOX 360 version like what was the objective in that game.
Easy xbox sale to me if this happens...
Hmm... Hmm... HMM... HMM... I wonder what this could mean
@Anti-Matter much the same as the original. But instead of gaining a new ability to be able to get to the next world or stage, ya get car parts to ugrade your car to get to the next world.... i didnt like it so only ever played the first world. Much prefer banjo and tooie.
Just give me Tooie on NSO.
The day that happens is the day Banjo gets into Smash Bros.
Wait a minute
Probably not coming to switch. I hope it's a remaster/remake of the original duology.
I’m buying it if it happens, if it happens.
All of these rumors, it makes it seem like Microsoft remembers that Rare is a company.
Also, Phil Spencer’s Xbox tag shows he recently played banjo as well… hmmm
Whatever it is, we can expect it to be outsourced and not developed by Rare, just like with Killer Instinct 2013 and the upcoming Perfect Dark.
I'd believe it; 3D platformers have come back more these past few years and it's been so long since even Nuts and Bolts came out. Even if they just did a Crash or Spyro style remaster of the originals, they'd probably do pretty well here.
Coming Soon:
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts 2!
Do you no what this means! We may finally get BANJO PILOT 2! The game all the fans have been clamoring for!
This could be great, but I'll take it with a saltshaker's worth of... what was it called? Yes, skepticism.
Nuts & Bolts 2...
OMFG ADDING MORE TEXT HERE SO THE DAMN SITE WILL LET ME POST IT, ARE YOU HAPPY SITE?!?!?!?!?!?!
Same thing has been said about Goldeneye. Guess we’ll see.
I was so excited to finally play Banjo-Kazooie for the first time when it came to NSO in January. Unfortunately, I came down with COVID during that same time period. I tried to tough it out, but I felt absolutely miserable. Now it's hard for me to think about the game without associating it with one of the worst sicknesses I've ever had in my life. Maybe I'll finish it someday.
If this ends up being a full-fleged remaster, it'd be great to give the game another go under better circumstances. I imagine the fresh coat of paint would make me no longer feel ill from looking at it, lol. While there were several aspects of the game I found enjoyable, it did have a lot of quality-of-life issues bogging down the experience a bit. The game deserves a modernization that fixes these aspects that didn't age so well, like losing all your music notes when you die. I know the Xbox version fixes this, but do I look like I own an Xbox?
Removed - unconstructive feedback
As long as I have the ability to purchase these on the switch, cool. Otherwise, I have no interest in renting banjo/007.
Yeah I could see this being true. Just don't fumble the gameplay again like with Nuts and Bolts and it can be a great revival.
I want to be excited, I really do....but modern Rareware just isn't the same as when they were with Nintendo. Banjo Kazooie, Tooie, and DK64 are some of my favorite games of all time, but I don't think they could recapture that magic.
If it ends up being Banjo-Threeie AND it's directed by Gregg Mayles with a team of people who worked on their N64 collect-a-thons, then I feel like I could actually get excited. It'll suck if it's stuck on Xbox though. I would only end up playing it if it came to PC.
im soooo ready. as long as its not souless.
@Not_Soos thankfully restore points fix the note issue even better than Xbox’s method (which wasn’t even originally in that version, it was patched in when players started complaining it was too hard). I understand the association with sickness, I’ve had some great games ruined by associating them with bad times in my life, and I do wish one of my favorite childhood games wasn’t ruined for you. I do however hope it’s not a remaster or remake but rather a new game - while it has some rough patches, the original is fine the way it is and any of the tougher sections are fixed with restore points anyways. We haven’t had a true sequel since Tooie though, decades ago - Grunty’s Revenge for the GBA was, at best BK Lite, Banjo Pilot was a spin-off, and Nuts & Bolts… well, I’m kinder than some towards it, I still say it wasn’t a bad game, it was a bad Banjo game and not what fans want from the franchise. So many of us are still wanting the never released Banjo Threeie and I just hope we get that…
Honestly though, this rumor is so vague it could even just be Tooie on NSO, assuming it’s real. My expectations are so low.
@Faruko and you know this how? A pretty big percentage of the BK community are exclusively Nintendo owners, and Microsoft isn’t dumb. They could very well make sure it releases on Switch, it’s hardly a franchise that needs more powerful hardware and Microsoft has been collaborating with Nintendo more and more.
Not getting my hopes up even if it is proved to be true... Will need to see the game first after last time!
You know the Xbox Showcase is today Nintendolife... Is it not possible to avoid rumours and to post stuff like this afterwards?
@ShadJV
I don't like making restore points on Switch because, unlike Wii U, there's no way to delete them afterwards. It's very easy to accidentally load an old one and lose a substantial amount of progress, potentially across multiple save files. It's incredibly dumb Nintendo took away this very simple feature that could be done on their last generation of systems.
I do think there's room for improvement, like the game desperately needs a map screen. As a newcomer, I found Grunty's Lair incredibly disorienting. I probably spent well over 3 hours running around in circles in the hub world trying to figure out where the next level is. Some of the button combos also feel a little bizarre on a modern console, like having to hold down the ZL button and press a direction on the c-stick to initiate Kazooie's different moves. Then there's smaller things like full 360-degree camera control and a list of objectives like in Super Mario 64 that would be really nice to have.
I understand wanting a new game after having to wait for so long. But for me, I like when companies remaster beloved old games as a stepping stone to get to that point. We've seen it with Crash N. Sane Trilogy before the release of Crash 4 and Battle for Bikini Bottom before Cosmic Shake, for example. I seem to even remember Aonuma say that he was taking the lessons they were learning from remastering all the 3D Zelda games during the Wii U/3DS era and applying that knowledge to developing Breath of the Wild.
I think remasters of more recent games like Klonoa, Spyro, Super Monkey Ball, and Mario Party Superstars were all necessary steps to train new talent on how to capture the magic of the originals in a franchise that has either been dormant or ruined for decades. I expect each of these franchises to get new entries within the next few years if the remasters sell well enough, and the final product will be better because of that experience. As a hardcore fan of classic Paper Mario, I frankly don't think Nintendo is capable of making another game in that style right now and at this point believe they just need to remaster Thousand-Year Door so they can go back to the basics and truly understand why that game worked so well in the first place. Kind of like when a football coach makes the team watch replays of the game to better understand where they succeeded and faltered so they can improve their strategy for the next game.
Even if they don't plan on doing a remaster any time soon, I'm sure I'll feel up to finishing Banjo-Kazooie someday. I feel like I owe it to myself to do that. I actually did revisit it a couple months ago and got to Rusty Bucket Bay, but after taking such a long hiatus, it was hard to get back into it. I think I just need to put it out of my mind for a while and when I'm ready to come back to it, just start a new file from the very beginning.
I don’t have much faith it will be good. The actual people who made Banjo couldn’t even do a good job with Yooka Laylee.
It would be a day one purchase and the same goes for Goldeneye, as long as they don’t move it just to Switch Online service- never gonna pay for games I can’t own!!!!!!
why report it when if true it will not be on a Nintendo platform
@Not_Soos you nearly finished the game then, if you reached Rusty Bucket Bay… I also can’t say the fan name for that stage because it would go against NintendoLife’s rules but let’s just say it’s likely the most hated world in the franchise and incredibly unforgiving. I wouldn’t wish anyone to play that with restore points, and no QoL features will make it bearable.
The button thing simply is because it’s mapping an N64 layout to another controller - it’s button limitations and was fine with c-buttons but there’s just not enough buttons on the Switch for all the moves. The c-buttons map to the right stick, and it sorta sucks and the only fix for that is the N64 controller which is impossible to get and probably overpriced. As for a map… I’ll give you that but I don’t think it’s worth making a remaster over that, nor do I think it’s worth Rare’s limited resources. Rare is pretty small and doesn’t release many games these days, any remaster of Banjo would mean a new entry would be unlikely until the following gen and would delay their other projects. The layout of Grunty’s Lair is confusing but it’s also sorta the point and why it’s fairly small. It’s an 11 hour game (on average for new players - experienced players beat it in a sitting or two), the worlds are pretty tiny, and you only need to backtrack twice for 100% (never for any%) so generally at worst there’s a short fumble between areas.
But still, as a fan of Thousand Year Door I absolutely want a remake, but I doubt they’d learn much from it. Banjo Kazooie I feel that’s unnecessary for even moreso, heck as someone who buys remasters of most games I love it’s one of the few I would refuse to buy. I have it on three platforms and it plays pretty much perfectly. Tooie is the superior game for me and, with your analogy, I’d rather a Tooie remake than Kazooie, similar to how you picked Thousand Year Door rather than Paper Mario 64. A lot was learned from Tooie’s development and using Kazooie as practice for a new game would feel like a step backwards. I’d still prefer a new entry but I at least might buy a Tooie remaster. Not that I think that the remaster thing necessarily, I’m not convinced that helps a series much. BotW feels nothing like older Zelda games, I find the original Crash games pretty horrid even in their remakes, and as for Spongebob I can’t speak on it because I’ve never played those games.
I think we’ll just have to respectfully disagree there is all. If all that gets announced is a remaster/remake, I doubt any announcement for the series could disappoint me more. Sure, in theory they could make a new one if that sells well, but looking at recent attempts to revive collectathons it’s not a mainstream genre and I don’t have expectations it’d perform well enough for Microsoft to want to keep it alive again. I’d rather have a new entry before the series goes back into hibernation for being so niche.
@Not_Soos also I feel like I went past my first point too quickly trying to get to my second point, but I do want to say good job at least reaching Rusty Bucket Bay, you got through most of the game! I hope you enjoyed it at least a bit, despite feeling awful. There’s only really one world after that one and I’ve seen mixed opinions on it, though it’s my favorite. If you do manage to beat RBB without restore points though, hats off to you. I’ve yet to see a newbie manage the game without restore points or save states in quite a few years, that world is brutal and I refuse to even do it without restore points, I suffered enough as a child! 😂
I would love it if we finally got a third game and they done remasters of the first two games with modern graphics too. There are far less popular video game franchises making comebacks now and getting sequels and remakes and I think Banjo Kazooie deserves a second chance. The first two games were very popular and it still annoys me they stopped making them based on the performance of 'Nuts and Bolts' when 'Nuts and Bolts' wasn't even a proper Banjo Kazooie game and would have been like if Nintendo stopped making main series Mario games if one of the Mario Kart, Golf or Tennis games flopped. There were a lot of fans that wanted a third game like Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie.
It could happen, especially with Banjo-kazooie coming to Switch online. Only time will tell but until its official its not happening..... Yet! 🐻 🐦
@Peach64 I didn't mind Yooka Laylee. It wasn't great but I didn't think it was a horrible game and I am glad they are getting another chance to make a 3D Yooka Laylee game 'cause I think now they know what fans liked and didn't like about the first game the second 3D game could be a lot better.
It will also come to PC most likely so you don't have to buy an Xbox. After Nuts & Bolts I doubt anyone has any faith in this game. I personally have zero faith in Rare since they were bought by Microsoft. It all started with how awful Perfect Dark Zero was and went downhill from there.
@Debbiee The issue with this is that collect-a-thon games died out ages ago. It's considered an "ancient" game design method and a lot of developers abused this to pad games with filler. It's the same as how the HD era of gaming was full of crappy open-world games that were uninteresting. It would probably get crapped on after the nostalgia high went away because of its "dated" design. They would have to remake it from the ground up like Spyro or Crash I think to really win over newer gamers.
Everyone is tired of lazy HD ports. Those were nice with the Xbox 360 and PS3, but there's no excuse today. They'd have to remake it to garner good sales and reviews.
Man, people out here writing entire novels in the comment section of a random article about Banjo-Kazooie.
Even if it happens, I highly doubt it would have the charm and heart the originals had. Of course I'd love to be wrong on this, Banjo-Tooie is one of my all-time favourites.
Rare Replay for PC feels like the outcome that would make sense if this rumour was to come true given the Goldeneye rumour.
Let's face it, Microsoft just doesn't know how to make platformer. Unless they gave the game to Toys for Bob to handle, I don't think a new Banjo-Kazooie would work out for them. The old Rare is gone and what's left of them are just some corporate suits.
Yeah, yeah, sure... I won't believe that until I see it with my own eyes. I'm not going to hype myself unnecessarily just to be disappointed again tonight.
But it would make sense for the folks at Microsoft to do a reboot, remake, remaster, or just a simple sequel to Banjo-Tooie while the 3D platformer hype is still fresh and the market hasn't saturated. If Kao the Kangaroo can make a comeback and rumor has it Gex, then there will be no more excuses for iconic characters like Banjo & Kazooie.
This is outrageous! It's unfair! How can they make a new Banjo-Kazooie but not for a Nintendo platform?
I called it when they let banjo kazooie release on the online expansion pack, they want to see how much momentum it would create before deciding if there was still enough of a fan base to make a new game!
I wonder if Rare and Playtonic could work on it as a dream team. There are also people from Activision that have worked on Crash, Spyro and Skylanders. Like Fable, the most important thing is the writer and director! Banjo and Kazooie have a lot of charm. Actually, every character in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie has it.
FOURTEEN years since Nuts & Bolts!
@ShadJV is Rusty Bucket Bay really that bad? I remember the Steam Engine room and the propeller jiggy being annoying but I wouldn’t say its my least favorite world (though definitely not my favorite).
I honestly thought Clanker’s Cavern was the worst, with Click Clock Wood being my favorite.
I played the XBLA version though.
I’ve never played Banjo before, but I’d love to see him make a return!
Oh my freaking god!n I’m so hyped!
If this and Goldeneye happen it will be amazing. I’m still very skeptical though. Not letting myself in for another disappointment.
I really hope so
I hope it's true, but we'll have to wait and see.
@dimi To be fair, they never outright said it would be exclusive to the Xbox.
Honestly, after Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (among other things), I don't know if I even want another Banjo-Kazooie from Microsoft by this point. If anything, I've moved onto Yooka-Laylee and though the first game wasn't "great", it was a lot closer to the "Banjo-Threeie" I wanted than Nuts & Bolts tried to be. I can't wait for the next one in development
Then again, Banjo-Kazooie lost me since Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge...
I will literally buy an Xbox if this is real.
My wallet feels safe, though.
I’m really hoping the rumors are true. I’ll take a remake or a new game.
I'm calling it, Banjo-Tooie on NSO!
Xbox finaly making Banjo Theeie, i doubt this.
@ThomastheTankEngine that’s why. It’s bad because of a couple rooms and making one mistake you have to start over with the notes every time. XBLA fixes that.
@ShadJV that’s fair. Could you imagine how beautiful a remake of this game would look though?
Especially Click Clock Wood. I thought it looked good even on N64, in a remake the level would be gorgeous.
A double pack remake for both Banjo games would be awesome.
Told you! No Banjo-Kazooie once again! That news of a revival was probably just a practical joke.
@mr-duster well its not out in any platform. But i'm crying about Persona trilogy
@RareFan
No Goldeneye either. These “leakers” need to stop.
@Don
Also, once again. No new information about Everwild. But I heard that the current state of Rare and the game is a complete mess.
Great reporting here at Nintendo Life
Oh boy another completely unfounded rumour. Thanks for wasting everyone's time Liam.
Nooooo it did not happen! I am going to cry 😭 my hopes were so high but this had to happen yet again Rest In Peace old friend @Banjo-
@ShadJV LOL, Rusty Bucket Bay is my favorite world in the game.
Yeah I'll believe it when I see it. Also didn't the vast majority of the talent behind the N64 games leave Rare ages ago??
All I gathered from this article was that Banjo and K was released for Smash… WHAT, 3 YEARS AGO… WHAT?!?! It feels like a year ago!
@bimmy-lee Well, this aged like milk.
@dimi That's not what I meant.
@Dr_Lugae yes not even Grant Kirkhope believe in this rumor
@Not_Soos
I would have loved to have seen the Xbox360 versions of kazooie and tooie come to switch since i remember them having some QOL updates and in Tooies case the game runs a lot better (it was one of those N64 games where it felt like it was pushing the system to its limit)
That does seem unlikely given that Kazooie came to NSO but i would definitely buy the hell out of it (Rare replay on switch seemed to be many peoples pipe dream)
Of course I'd be down for more Banjo, but only if it ever came to the Nintendo Switch, I have no desire to buy an X-Box system.
@ThomastheTankEngine true but a new game would look just as beautiful and honestly I like the 64 aesthetic anyways so I’m happy with how it looks. But Click Clock Woods is my favorite visually as well.
@AnnoyingFrenzy you absolute madlad
Just give us Rare Replay first
@ecco6t9
Microsoft if they remaster Banjo or make a new entry should give the project to Playtonic, not Rare. Many of the Rare staff that worked on the originals left Rare and made Playtonic
@Kayloo I hope that it's because it's too early to show what they have and that Banjo-Kazooie is still coming! It's crazy that Bubsy and Kao came back and not Banjo!
Well there is the Nintendo showcase next week banjo could possibly be revealed there not getting my hopes up tho.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Banjo has been away for a long time. But hes finally back in an all new adventure that everyone has been waiting for...BANJO KAZOOIE NUTS AN BOLTS 2.
BHAHAHAHAH
@Mgalens honestly I’d recommend buying a Series S if you never had an Xbox before. The Xbox Series S has so many great games and unlike Nintendo with Switch respects legacy content.
Games from the OG Xbox onwards are playable (you can buy them not locked behind a subscription) and you have the freedom to build a great library to your hearts desire. It’s like the Wii was but now games are tied to your account so its really a one time purchase that carries forward to future consoles. There’s a lot of awesome XBLA titles available for purchase too, and Rare Replay, which has Rare’s XBLA titles packed in is a must have.
Between the stellar backwards compatibility and GamePass, the Series S is an amazing game console. Would highly recommend you check it out if the Switch’s paltry retro offerings aren’t suiting you. The only Rare games missing on Xbox are really only the Donkey Kong ones.
@Banjo- Remember the original 2 Banjo games for N64 were made by Rare but with some help from Nintendo and the Super Mario 64 team. Without Nintendo helping Rare they would had never made such a fun platformer let alone two of em. With Nintendo and Rare no longer together, it doesn't matter if this current Rare is working with Playtonic, without the Nintendo touch, it won't feel the same. The only thing Microsoft could do is make them look better and that's it.
A real Banjo-Threeie (Like Nuts & Bolts sequel) could be cool.
Tbh I wouldn't be so interested in Banjo if it isn't releasing on a Nintendo Platform...
@Banjo- That reminds me.. Have you played the GBA banjo games? I’m thinking about trying them out after all these years? But GBA games might come to Nintendo Switch online expansion pack so yeah
@Zeldawakening good sleuthing sir.
@Serpenterror That's not correct. Rare have explained many times that Nintendo didn't have any input at all in many interviews. Banjo-Kazooie games were 100% developed by Rare. Besides, I know a few people at Rare and they say that Nintendo had nothing to do with their games except for the publishing duties of some of them and, of course, how they requested Dinousaur Planet to be changed and include the Star Fox IP.
As a side note and this is my opinion, Nintendo's magic has been watered down progressively. They're less creative, more "casual", commercially safer and more boring now.
@ThomastheTankEngine Rare Replay was the reason why I got my first Xbox and I can't recommend it enough. Not just for Rare Replay which is one of the best video games compilations ever but you can also play the classic and new Killer Instinct games, Conker Live & Reloaded, the new Battletoads game and a lot of Sega classics as well. Xbox is the best retro console and it respects all your purchases, unlike Switch.
@Kayloo The GBA games aren't as good but if you have the chance you should try them 👍.
@Banjo- Thanks!
@Banjo- very true. Microsoft is the best at game preservation by far this generation, and Nintendo is the absolute worst.
Microsoft has both subscription and purchase options for their games, no game is locked to GamePass, it’s purely an option.
@NintendoByNature - I mean, you’re not wrong... but you are. I disagree this aged like milk. I think it aged more like sushi.
@bimmy-lee dude, modern vintage gaemer had us, hook, line, and sinker. Not even chrometop thought it would happen. I gotta trust my gut next time. Banjo is vaporware at this point.
@Anti-Matter I don't think that game was a great Banjo game at all, but.... The goal and concept of the game were pretty damn clear..??
Honestly I think if they just attached it to another IP instead of Banjo, it would have done very well.
@Rinyuu The great thing about Nuts & Bolts is the creativity involved in making vehicles, access new areas and beat records. I'm not saying that Nuts & Bolts is a great "Banjo-Kazooie" game but it's a great game.
@ThomastheTankEngine That's the great thing about Xbox, you can play many games old and new included in the subscription or you can skip the subscription and still be able to buy every single game.
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