Banjo-Kazooie devs unsure if the franchise will return

Banjo-Kazooie recently turned 25, and while many players feel a pang of nostalgia for the series, its original creators aren't "convinced the audience is there" for a new game.

A number of developers that created the original Banjo-Kazooie game have spoken about its development and why Xbox probably won't be making Banjo-Kazooie 3 or reviving the franchise.

Banjo-Kazooie probably won't make a return

In celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, VGC spoke with several of the game's original creators: Lead programmer Chris Sutherland, composer Grant Kirkhope, and character designer Steven Mayles. While the trio shared their amazement that fans continue to love the franchise that began in 1998 on the Nintendo 64, they also said that it's unlikely that the franchise will return, despite the fact that "every five years people still want to talk about it."

It sounds as if the developers don't feel like the original conditions for the game's development could be replicated now. “We were all mates: we went out together, we drank together, we did everything together," Kirkhope said. "So I feel like all that humor in the game that everyone talks about, that’s just us piss-taking on a daily basis up and down the corridor.”

Mayles said that the constant checks and approvals that are needed for modern game development would make it difficult for Banjo-Kazooie to be made today. "It was, ‘here’s a few lines describing a character’ and maybe a funny picture Gregg [Mayles] had drawn, and you were off. I don’t think that would work now on triple-A projects, if Banjo-Kazooie was remade, because things take so much longer to make. But in those days that was a big part of it for sure.”

When asked about the potential for a remake, Mayles said, “I can’t really speak for Gregg, but he’s really the custodian of the franchise. He doesn’t really like to look back and tread over old ground, so I don’t think he’s ever been bothered about doing anything else with the franchise. He’d rather move on to new experiences — as far as he’s concerned, he’s been there, done that."

Similarly to Mayles, Kirkhope also feels like Banjo 3 won't be happening. “I feel like you’d have to get a team with the humor that we had back then and that’s hard to replicate,” he said. “I think Rare would be open to somebody if they found the right team, but I don’t feel like that team exists. Also, I’m not convinced the audience is there either.” Sutherland, however, seems to be a little more optimistic: “I would hope that somebody is going to bring out something… some kind of sequel or ‘next in line’ game. At least before a point where I can still remember that the first one existed! But hopefully sooner.”

If this story has given you a nostalgia hit, and you'd you would like to join Banjo on an adventure now, the Banjo-Kazooie series is available in Rare Replay alongside some of the best games on Game Pass.

Related stories:

Industry News

Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.