Steve Mayles, the creator of the Banjo and Kazooie characters, spoke via Video Game Chronicles about how pleased he is that the characters have been added to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.
“Now they have returned in Smash, I’ve been surprised by the reception,” says Mayles. “Part of it is being away for so long, and a part of it is returning to a Nintendo console. And maybe just a small part because they are decent characters!”
While Mayles is pleased that Banjo-Kazooie is getting some modern love on a Nintendo console, he admits that he hopes that this is just the start of a grand return for the characters.
“Could the reaction of fans to Banjo and Kazooie in Smash persuade Microsoft to make another Banjo game?” Mayles wonders. “The revival of Spyro and Crash went pretty well after all… I think a fairly safe way to gauge demand for a new game would be a remaster of the original two games. Then if the interest is there perhaps we could see Banjo return in the new no-expense-spared game he and Kazooie deserve.”
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That’s an interesting thought. Rare and Microsoft clearly hold the rights to make more Banjo-Kazooie games, but we don’t know if that means they will. Given that all major games in the series were included with the Rare Replay collection, they may be hesitant to somewhat double-dip into that well by remaking the original titles. It really comes down to whether or not they feel that the demand is strong enough.
As for a new Banjo-Kazooie game…well, that would be something. Fans have been begging for Rare to make another 3D platformer, even if there is some debate regarding how well every aspect of those classic games has aged. It will be interesting to see what Rare does next after their Sea of Thieves updates have slowed down.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.