Where Is The LongAwaited Return of BanjoKazooie

Where Is The Long-Awaited Return of Banjo-Kazooie?

As fans continue to rally behind the Banjo-Kazooie property, Microsoft continues to remain eerily silent on its longer-overdue return.

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Where Is The LongAwaited Return of BanjoKazooie

Now that the Xbox Games Showcase has closed out, fans of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise have begun to wonder if Microsoft is even interested in bringing the beloved bear and bird back. The series itself has been without an entry since Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts arrived on the Xbox 360 back in 2008. Ever since then, consumers have had to make do with cameos in games like Sea of Thieves.

Despite this elongated absence, interest in the classic brand from developer Rare Ltd. has been surging in recent months. This is thanks largely to rival hardware manufacturer Nintendo going so far as to license Banjo and Kazooie for an appearance in Super Smash Bros Ultimate after an almost absurd amount of fan demand. The end result made for one of the best Smash additions of all time, but one that has served as the first true appearance from the duo in over a decade. That in and of itself is an odd realization given how prominent the pair was in the late 90s.

Setting aside how surreal it is to witness Nintendo caving to fan demand for a competitor’s IP, Xbox has yet to do anything to capitalize on the excitement of the franchise. Many were holding out hope that the Xbox Games Showcase would be a platform to reintroduce Banjo-Kazooie to a new generation of gamers, especially given the recent and immense success of 90s-era reboots for titles like Crash Bandicoot. Which form this return should take is subject to debate, as gamers continue to push for both a remake of the original two titles (with fans aptly dubbing the pitch Banjo-Redooie) and a brand-new iteration like Banjo-Threeie.

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There’s no clear indication if anything is planned for the series at all, outside of presumed references in Rare’s newer games like Everwild and nostalgic collectibles licensed by opportunistic third parties. The issue Microsoft faces at this point isn’t necessarily if it should bring Banjo-Kazooie back, but rather, how it would go about doing so. Rare, the studio responsible for making the original games, has changed drastically since those releases first dropped on the Nintendo 64. At that point, the question becomes whether or not the project is better suited for internal development at one of Microsoft’s now many in-house studios or if the task should be outsourced – both of which would receive oversight from Rare similarly to the more recently resurrected Killer Instinct and forthcoming Battletoads.

What seems obvious to consumers really isn’t all that clear behind the scenes. Neither of these options is a quick decision, especially when considering that the longterm viability of the entire series hangs in the balance. There are strong candidates available internally and externally for a Banjo reboot, such as the newly-acquired Psychonauts 2 studio Double Fine or Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games. Then again, perhaps Microsoft has another plan. The hope at this point is simply that Microsoft does have a plan, because if it doesn’t, then it’s just another missed opportunity by the company.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/banjo-kazooie-return-rumors/

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