Microsoft and developer Rare apparently have no plans for the beloved Banjo-Kazooie franchise at the moment. According to a new report, there aren’t any new Banjo-Kazooie games in development right now, which might come as sad news for fans hoping that the franchise will see the light of day again.
According to Windows Central’s Jez Corden, there simply aren’t any new Banjo-Kazooie games in development right now at Rare or possibly other Xbox studios. Corden is usually a reliable source when it comes to Microsoft gaming leaks and inside information so it’s safe to assume that Xbox isn’t cooking up a surprise revival or anything like that.
The last entry in the adventure/platformer series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, released back in 2008 and received mostly positive reviews at launch. It has since become somewhat of a forgotten relic and underappreciated classic depending on which part of the community you follow, though it was a clear departure from the franchise’s best days on the Nintendo 64. There has since been no effort to make another game or remaster/remake, for that matter.
Fans were given a spark of hope when back in 2019, Nintendo announced that Banjo and Kazooie would be joining the roster of its fighter, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Since then, a report emerged in 2022 that seemed confident a new Banjo-Kazooie game was in development – one source speculated that it might’ve been in development at Sackboy studio Sumo Digital. Unfortunately, nothing came of those rumours. Corden’s report seems to seal the franchise’s fate, at least for now.
Xbox has been in some hot water lately and it has nothing to do with the company unceremoniously shutting down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin.
Capcom recently announced the awesome Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics for PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, though there was no mention of an Xbox version. This was mainly due to Xbox consoles apparently not supporting Capcom’s MT Framework, the company’s older game engine. That didn’t stop a majority of Xbox players from being very displeased with how many games have been skipping Xbox altogether lately for one reason or another.
Source: Jez Corden
