A New Banjo-Kazooie Game Could Be Xbox’s Answer to a PlayStation Smash Hit

Out of all the franchises in Xbox’s extensive portfolio, Banjo-Kazooie is probably one of the most troubled ones. Banjo-Kazooie got its start on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, back when the series’ developer, Rare, was fully independent and primarily affiliated with Nintendo. The first eponymous game in the franchise was a bonafide hit, and a sequel to it called Banjo-Tooie was released in 2000. Following Rare’s acquisition by Microsoft in 2001, however, the Banjo-Kazooie franchise gradually faded into obscurity. While Rare developed a few handheld Banjo games in the early 2000s, the only title in the franchise that it has released for home consoles ever since was Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, which proved to be very controversial among fans.

For the last several years, Xbox fans have waited patiently for Microsoft to announce a new Banjo-Kazooie game at one of its annual gaming showcases. So far, however, the company hasn’t revealed anything new related to the series. Given how little official news has been shared about Banjo, some people, including Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope, have concluded that the chances of Banjo-Kazooie being revived at this point are incredibly low, as they believe that it won’t be profitable enough for Microsoft to invest in it. While there may be some truth to these claims, a new Banjo-Kazooie game would be the perfect way for Microsoft to respond to one of PlayStation’s biggest 2024 hits, Astro Bot.

‘I’d Certainly Love to Do It’ Banjo-Kazooie Composer Comments on Hypothetical Third Game

Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope shares his thoughts about the potential return of the still-popular Nintendo platformer.

A New Banjo-Kazooie Game Could Be a Formidable Competitor to Astro Bot

PlayStation’s Astro Bot Was One of the Most Successful Games of 2024

Astro Bot, the titular mascot of the 2020 PS5 pack-in game Astro’s Playroom, received his first-ever standalone non-VR title last year. Developed by Team Asobi, the game (aptly titled Astro Bot) is a 3D platformer, similar to Banjo-Kazooie, and it’s a celebration of the PlayStation brand as a whole. Astro Bot makes great use of the unique features of the PS5’s DualSense controller, and it features more than a hundred different cameo characters, or V.I.P. Bots, that represent many iconic franchises from across PlayStation’s history. There are even some levels in the game, in fact, that are heavily inspired by classic PlayStation IPs, like God of War and Uncharted.

When it was launched on PS5 in September 2024, Astro Bot became an instant hit for both Team Asobi and PlayStation. The game sold around 2.3 million copies in approximately 7 months, and it even won the GOTY Award at The Game Awards last year. In an industry where 3D platformer games often fail to gain interest, Astro Bot single-handedly showed that the genre still has life in it, and that a platformer can be successful even without Nintendo’s or Sonic’s involvement.

A New Banjo-Kazooie Game Could Fill in the 3D Platformer Gap in Microsoft’s Lineup

While Microsoft has dabbled in a lot of different genres in recent years, the company doesn’t really have anything quite like Astro Bot in its current lineup of games. Therefore, there’s never really been a better time for the company to bring Banjo-Kazooie back. Given Astro Bot‘s success, it would make a lot of sense for Microsoft to hand the franchise off to a third-party developer, so that it could make a new mainline installment. Microsoft should also release this hypothetical game on all platforms in order to reach as broad an audience as possible.

Rare, the developer of the original Banjo-Kazooie, has repeatedly expressed little interest in returning to its dormant IPs. As such, it’s unlikely that the company itself will develop a new Banjo-Kazooie game.

Microsoft and Rare Are Apparently Considering Making a New Banjo-Kazooie Game

Of course, as great as a new Banjo-Kazooie game would be, it’s hard to say if Microsoft is legitimately interested in reviving the franchise, but there is some hope. A few days ago, VGC’s Andy Robinson alleged that Microsoft and Rare were listening to pitches from companies like Toys for Bob and Moon Studios about making a new entry in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Supposedly, Microsoft is also considering making a Banjo-Kazooie cartoon or movie adaptation of some kind. While this does all sound exciting, it’s worth keeping in mind that these are all rumors for the time being, and that none of this is set in stone. However, if a new, high-quality Banjo-Kazooie game is ever released, it could end up being a serious competitor to Astro Bot.