There have been ongoing requests over the years for the revival of Rare’s famous bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie, but will fans ever see this series return?
The game’s composer Grant Kirkhope already spoke about this earlier in the year – mentioning how he had “zero hope” for a new entry, and now in an interview with our friends at Eurogamer recently, he’s elaborated on why he thinks it’s “unlikely” to happen.
Kirkhope believes there are multiple reasons as to why Banjo-Kazooie likely won’t be revived, but he thinks the “overriding factor” comes down to money:
“If you think I’ve got a hundred and something thousand followers on my Twitter, and that’s the Banjo bubble, if that’s all it is then that’s not going to make any money. You need millions of people to buy the game, and you’ve got to sell it to a whole new generation of kids.”
He’s also not quite sure Rare has the “appetite” for the series’ revival, and even if it did go ahead, Microsoft would probably “stand back” – and so Rare would then be required to do the “heavy lifting” including finding “another studio that could do it”.
The British humour in Banjo-Kazooie is also “really essential” according to Kirkhope – so “you’d have to find the team that’s got “the passion for it and the humour”.
As for if Kirkhope would return to the series, he says he would be back at it “in a heartbeat” if there was an opportunity:
“I’d certainly love to do it. Whether I’ve still got any more Banjo left in me I don’t know, but I’d have a good go.”
Kirkhope’s thoughts on Banjo making a comeback follow comments from Moon Studios and Toys for Bob about a potential revival of Rare’s classic IP.
