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Yooka-Laylee dev squashes rumors of work on new Banjo-Kazooie

Yooka-Laylee dev PlayTonic has snuffed out rumors that they could be working with Rare and Microsoft on a new Banjo-Kazooie game.

TJ Denzer

November 6, 2019 9:30 AM

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Those hopeful fans who were banking on a rumor that the folks at PlayTonic were going back to the Banjo-Kazooie were in for a taste of disappointment today. PlayTonic heard the rumor as well and has issued a firm statement on the matter. They are not working on a new Banjo-Kazooie game with Microsoft and Rare.

The rumor formed on November 3, 2019 when PlayTonic Character Developer Ed Bryan (and creator of characters like Mumbo Jumbo in Banjo-Kazooie) posted an innocent image of a Microsoft tote bag on his personal Twitter. Given that Microsoft currently owns Rare and the rights to Banjo-Kazooie, it set some people off, wondering if it was hinting at a new collaboration between PlayTonic and Microsoft.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Early on November 6, 2019, PlayTonic addressed the rumor with an official statement from the studio’s Twitter, denying any current or planned efforts with Microsoft on a new Banjo-Kazooie game.

Right now, Yooka-Laylee is running a pretty positive track record for PlayTonic with the original game and its follow-up, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, offering a myriad of nostalgic and new lighthearted 3D platforming experiences via its fresh characters. Sure a new Banjo-Kazooie game developed with the talent that made so much of those original games would be neat, but PlayTonic has a pretty good new chapter of gaming going on with their current franchise as well.

Banjo-Kazooie hasn’t been entirely quiet either. The characters don’t have a new game of their own to speak to, but they have made appearances in other games, such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate as a DLC character and via a special pirate ship in Sea of Thieves.

It’s nice little offerings to keep the character and their memory alive, but it would seem that anyone looking for more than that, at least from PlayTonic, are out of luck for the time being.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.