E3 is less than a month away, which means it’s officially pre-E3 silly season, where the gaming industry is flooded with rumors, reports, leaks, teases, and speculation. The latest bit that has everyone talking involves two IP from yesteryear: Banjo-Kazooie and Conker. So, what’s the hooplah all about? Well, First 4 Figures — a UK/Hong Kong-based toy and model company that makes collectibles and merchandise for many video game series — has been invited by Rare to attend Microsoft’s E3 2019 conference. Recently, First 4 Figures released both Conker and Banjo-Kazooie collectibles, both of which are Rare IP. That said, some parts of the Internet find it interesting that Rare invited them to the conference, and believe this could suggest either a new Conker game will be revealed during the show or the long-rumored new Banjo-Kazooie will rear its head.
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Of course, this is a bit of a stretch, but there’s something to it. It’s interesting that Rare invited First 4 Figures to the show, but not particularly peculiar. Rare has worked with First 4 Figures in the past, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this is nothing more than a congenial gesture. But why is Rare inviting anyone in the first place? Isn’t that Microsoft’s job? If so, why did Rare tap Microsoft to get First 4 Figures invited unless it was going to reveal something that would involve First 4 Figures? Who knows. Unfortunately, all we can do is speculate.
New Banjo Kazooie or Conker game to be revealed at Microsoft’s E3 2019 briefing? First 4 Figures has been invited by Rare to attend the conference, they recently made statues for both Conker and Banjo. #E32019 pic.twitter.com/6mlhwHsEA9
— Spyro Universe 💎 (@SpyroUniverse) May 16, 2019
As you may know, 3D platformers have been making a bit of a comeback recently after a long absence from the industry. Between remakes and new indie releases, the genre has been resurrected and there’s a lot nostalgic-driven demand for the platformers of old to return, some of which have, but others like Conker and Banjo-Kazooie, are still seemingly waiting for their turns. Of these two series, Banjo-Kazooie is undoubtedly the more likely to return, simply because it was and still is much more popular than Conker ever has been.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. Would you like to see either of these two series return?
