Toys for Bob Signals It’s Ready to Craft a New Banjo-Kazooie Entry
Developer Toys for Bob is once again signaling that it wants to build a new entry in the Banjo-Kazooie universe. Banjo-Kazooie fans have been pushing for a return to the series for almost two decades, especially since Xbox effectively left the franchise on ice after Nuts & Bolts launched in 2008. That spin on the duo’s adventure didn’t land uniformly well with players, and since then, Rare has largely shifted its attention to Sea of Thieves.
Rare joined the Xbox family in 2002, and many of the studio’s most memorable franchises from the N64 era have faded into the background in the years since. While series like Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day remain playable on Xbox systems through Rare Replay, there hasn’t been much new movement for them lately. A Perfect Dark reboot was canceled in 2025, leaving longtime fans of Rare’s N64 heyday with little to celebrate.
Xbox does have a Sea of Thieves movie in development, but fans may feel there are other Rare games that deserve the spotlight first.
Toys for Bob Still Wants to Make a Banjo-Kazooie Game
Toys for Bob is currently working on Spyro: A Realm Beyond, but the studio recently fielded questions about its earlier comments regarding a potential Banjo-Kazooie project. In a conversation with Kinda Funny Games, associate creative director Louis Studdert and studio head Paul Yan explained how strongly the team connects with the Rare franchise. It’s been a long stretch since the last Banjo-Kazooie release, yet the developers still believe it would be “amazing” to return to the series.
“It’s a franchise we love. If you’re a platformer fan, Banjo is right at the top. We’ve got some huge, huge fans of that franchise on our staff—seriously, they’ve even got the Jiggie as their profile pic. They’re at that level of fan. If the chance ever appeared, that would be amazing. We love the franchise.”
“When you look at the through-line of the kinds of games we enjoy making, I can see how that fits too. I think of [those characters] as timeless. They’re iconic, and I believe the games we want to create should connect with a timeless spot inside the player—an ageless feeling. We call it the ‘inner child.’ So, I think they’re wonderful games, and we’re big fans.”
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Toys for Bob has built a reputation around mascot platformers, including prior work on Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. On paper, the studio looks well suited to Rare’s classic-style 3D platforming. It also isn’t the only group interested—original composer Grant Kirkhope has continued to hope he can contribute music to a new Banjo-Kazooie. Still, the call on whether a new game happens ultimately rests with Xbox. At the moment, Microsoft appears to be concentrating on its biggest ongoing franchises, meaning Halo, Gears of War, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls are taking precedence over other possibilities.
Even if Banjo-Kazooie isn’t a top priority at Xbox right now, that could actually play to Toys for Bob’s advantage. The studio became independent after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but it still maintains a good relationship with Xbox. An established independent studio that wants to make a new Banjo-Kazooie game may feel like less of a gamble for Xbox than the company building the project internally.
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Xbox hasn’t exactly forgotten the series, either—it continues to license Banjo-Kazooie products and merchandise. Re-releasing older games and producing new toys and plush items carries far less risk than developing a brand-new installment. That said, it’s still been a slower trickle of attention for fans of other N64-era projects like Jet Force Gemini or Blast Corps, especially compared to what players hoped for over time. There may come a day when Toys for Bob gets its wish and a new Banjo-Kazooie game finally happens, but for now, fans will need to stay patient and watch what Xbox decides next.
