Over the years, there have been a lot of rumors about a new Banjo-Kazooie in development at Xbox, giving hope to fans that have wanted to see the franchise return. Unfortunately, Jez Corden of Windows Central has splashed some cold water on those rumors. During an appearance on the The Xbox Two podcast, there was a conversation about the future of the series, and whether or not fans can expect to ever see it come back. While it’s possible things could change eventually, Corden explicitly made the claim that “there is no Banjo game in development right now.”ย
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The talk about Banjo-Kazooie was part of a larger discussion about family friendly games on the Xbox platform, and Microsoft’s need to bring in younger fans. Corden went on to say that Microsoft likely looks at the money it could spend on franchises like Banjo-Kazooie and would rather give it to Mojang to work onย Minecraft, a franchiseย that continues to do massive numbers for the company. However, Corden argues thatย Minecraftย being available on every platform doesn’t do much for the Xbox brand, and doesn’t get kids to associate the company with a particular set of characters, the way Nintendo has managed.ย
While Corden seems pretty doubtful about the future of Banjo-Kazooie, Parris of Kinda Funny argued that Microsoft has kept the franchise in the minds of fansย with a lot of merchandise over the years, and that would seem to indicate that they know there’s an interest in the brand. However, he was also quick to note that the company might not think an actual game would be worth the return on investment.ย
The last new Banjo-Kazooie game wasย Nuts & Bolts, which was released on Xbox 360 back in 2008. The series has been essentially dead since then, though the characters did make a very notable appearance as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Many people thought that spotlight could result in a new game in the series, but it’s been nearly five years since. For now, fans of the series are just going to have to settle forย spiritual successors like Yooka-Laylee and hope that the situation one day changes.ย
Are you still hoping to see a new Banjo-Kazooie game? Do you think Xbox will ever bring the series back? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
[H/T:ย Gaming Leaks and Rumors]
