According to recent rumors from ‘credible’ inside sources, a new Banjo-Kazooie video game is likely already in development at Rare.
As one of the best selling Nintendo 64 games and best 90s games, it makes sense to bring this classic to current generation hardware.
Rare is an “Xbox Game Studio”, but it would only be fitting for a future Banjo title to also appear on Nintendo consoles, where it made its debut. We’re not expecting this future release to be an Xbox exclusive.
We already have the classic N64 entry on the Switch Online service. But should we expect to see the next Banjo-Kazooie game on the Nintendo Switch? I wouldn’t count on it.
We are surely in the final hour for the current iteration of the Nintendo Switch, and will very likely see the successor finally announced in 2024.
So we should anticipate that if a Banjo-Kazooie game is in the works, we’ll see it on the current generation Xbox and the forthcoming Switch 2.
Banjo Histoorie
The last entry in the Banjo franchise was Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360, all the way back in 2008.
This was the first entry to release outside of the Nintendo console family, and took the game play in a different direction with most of the focus was on vehicle building.
The game also overhauled the visual style, bringing it into the modern era (what was modern at that time). Surprisingly, this updated aesthetic has held up very well over the years, getting a re-release on the Xbox One in 2015.
But besides some re-releases and character appearances in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we have not seen a new Banjo title in over fifteen years. Surely you would agree that it is time for a return.
With games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Super Mario Bros Wonder showing how gorgeous a retro franchise can look thanks to current generation technology, we’d absolutely love to see what Banjo would look like in the modern era.
The Future For Banjo-Kazooie
Recent rumors (as shared by Nintendowire) point to a new Banjo-Kazooie game already in early development.
A known leaker and anonymous insider, Nate Drake, recently shared purported knowledge of the Banjo game getting the green light in early 2023.
And with Phil Spencer of Microsoft having been quoted as saying “Banjo fans, we hear you”, it’s safe to bet that the retro classic could see a revival in the near future.
With the development cycle of most quality games taking at least 3 years, we wouldn’t anticipate seeing the game announced or released in 2024.
We are most likely looking at a late 2025 – early 2026 release on the Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2.
Needless to say, the crew over here at Retro Dodo are incredibly intrigued to hear that one of the best platform games of all time could have a contemporary title in the works.
We will be keeping a close eye on this one, and will update our readers when solid details are made available.
