Sure, let me dive into this. So, right off the bat, have we all just accepted that Banjo-Kazooie’s comeback is a long shot? I mean, Grant Kirkhope—yes, the composer—feels it’s mostly a money thing. Which makes sense, sorta. Cash rules, right? And even though the fans are clamoring for it, we’re left with this lingering uncertainty about whether our beloved bear and bird duo get another run on modern consoles. It’s like dangling a carrot and then… nothing.
Okay, so here’s the scoop. We’ve known Banjo-Kazooie since its N64 days. Ah, nostalgia. And even though the last taste of them came with "Nuts & Bolts" on the Xbox 360—seriously, 2008, what a time—many of us are just sitting here, twiddling thumbs, waiting for Rare to make a move. Then in 2024, Aaron Greenberg from Xbox kinda surprised everyone. He dropped this sarcastic bomb on Twitter, like, "nobody cares about Banjo-Kazooie." Ouch. Fans felt that like a punch in the gut, even though he later said he didn’t mean it. Classic case of internet miscommunication, or maybe a misfire on humor? Who knows.
I mean, I get it—Grant’s skeptical about a third game. He told Eurogamer that profit’s the big hiccup here. I guess if it doesn’t promise big bucks, it just sits in the vault. Plus—here’s a kicker—even if Rare decided to let someone else pick it up, they’d have to nail that signature British humor. Imagine if they butchered it. The horror. But Kirkhope did promise he’d be back to drop some tunes if it ever happened. A tiny glimmer of hope, perhaps?
And hey, April brought a tiny twist. Toys for Bob said they’d love to revive Banjo-Kazooie, and so did Moon Studios. The latter even went ahead with some big talk, hinting they could rival 3D Mario. Now that’s ambition. Meanwhile, Rare’s tied up with Sea of Thieves and whatever’s cooking with Everwild.
So, here’s the deal, though. No new game announcements, but Banjo-Kazooie’s hitting the Nintendo Switch 2. N64 games there come with some neat extras—think button mapping and a retro filter. Nintendo’s all about that nostalgia punch, huh?
And there you have it—just a messy, honest take. Maybe we’ll see Banjo and Kazooie again, or maybe not. I guess we wait, hope, and keep hitting those social media drums. Because, really, who wouldn’t want another trip down memory lane with those two?
