Few people want another entry into the Banjo-Kazooie franchise more than me. And Anthony! Every time the Xbox has any showcase where games will be revealed, I hold out hope to hear that familiar “GUH-HUH!” followed by a surprise reveal of a new Banjo-Kazooie game. Every. Time. So, when legendary Rare composer (and voice actor), Grant Kirkhope, says nobody wants a new Bear and Bird adventure, it kills me inside.
No, Grant. I cried when Banjo and Kazooie were confirmed to be in Smash. I’d be completely inconsolable if Banjo-Kazooie received another game. Hell, as of this writing, the Xbox Developer Direct is happening in under an hour from now. And even though nothing is pointing toward a BK revival, I’m still holding out hope, dammit!
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Yes, some idiots online would hate it. But, pragmatically, there’s never been a better time for another Banjo-Kazooie! Astro Bot won multiple Game of the Year awards. Psychonauts 2 and It Takes Two, two platformers, were, respectively, runner-up and winner of a major game award! I don’t want to hear “Oh, there’s no audience for platformers” because it isn’t true!

grant kirkhope, you’ll never deter me from believing I’ll see ‘banjo-kazooie’ again
As if I haven’t suffered enough as a Banjo-Kazooie mark, in 2023, Kirkhope joined a dev roundtable conversation celebrating the game’s 25th anniversary. He iterates, of course, that he doesn’t see a pathway forward for the franchise.
“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.”
I’ll stop believing in the great Banjo-Kazooie dream when I’m dead, Kirkhope. Those first two games (regardless of the general consensus around Tooie) shaped my adoration for 3D platformers. The characters are charming, the environments are varied and fun to navigate, and the puzzles are an absolute joy to figure out. Even if the devs themselves don’t think it’d work, I’ll fly the BK colors my damn self until the duo graces our screens with another grand adventure.
Prove that nobody wants it. A poll. A Kickstarter. Something. Because often, gamers don’t know what they want until it’s right in front of them. And Banjo-Kazooie deserves the opportunity to dazzle the gaming masses once again.
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