Rare’s iconic bear and bird duo, Banjo-Kazooie, resurfaced on Nintendo’s Switch Online service last year, reigniting calls from fans for a full-fledged revival. And while rumors of a possible return have been circulating, the question remains – is it likely to happen?
In a recent interview with Windows Central, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer acknowledged these requests from fans, emphasizing the importance of finding the right team and opportunity to revisit these beloved 90s characters. His full response was:
Phil Spencer: “You’ve seen from our history that we haven’t touched every franchise that people would love us to touch — Banjo fans, I hear you. But it is true that, when we find the right team, and the right opportunity, I love going back to revisit stories and characters that we’ve seen previously.”
While there’s no guarantee that a new Banjo-Kazooie game would be released on a Nintendo platform, Xbox has a history of collaboration, including bringing Banjo-Kazooie to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC fighter for the Switch.
Furthermore, Rare’s Jet Force Gemini was recently announced for Switch Online, and Microsoft’s 10-year deal to bring Call of Duty to multiple platforms, including Nintendo systems, demonstrates their willingness to expand across different platforms. Earlier this year, they also released Minecraft Legends on the Switch.
When he’s not paying off a loan to Tom Nook, Liam likes to report on the latest Nintendo news and admire his library of video games. His favourite Nintendo character used to be a guitar-playing dog, but nowadays he prefers to hang out with Judd the cat.
