Microsoft held its Xbox Games Showcase event yesterday, showing off a massive number of brand new titles, from Halo Infinite to Fable. The show was widely viewed as a success, showing off a huge variety of titles and making for what was perhaps the best Xbox gaming showcase ever. But even so, some fans still felt a bit unsatisfied with many old IPs not making a return. One of the titles that was noticeably absent was the fan-favorite platformer series Banjo-Kazooie.
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The bear and bird duo famously started on the Nintendo 64, appearing in both the 1998 classic Banjo-Kazooie and its equally acclaimed sequel Banjo-Tooie. The titles are widely love by fans of the 64-bit console, and are generally regarded as some of the best games that the 3D platformer genre has to offer. It was unfortunate, however, when the duo were made Xbox-exclusive after Rareware’s purchase by Microsoft in 2002. The duo have since made very few re-appearances, with 2008’s Nuts and Bolts being widely disliked by most fans, and no true third installment ever created despite some rumors.
Banjo and Kazooie made a return when they appeared as playable characters in Nintendo’s flagship fighting game franchise, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The duo hadn’t returned in years, and seeing them recreated in glorious HD alongside classic characters Mario, Sonic, and Mega-Man felt like a dream come true. Perhaps fans anticipated more from the duo, with many tweets going out before Xbox’s live event yesterday, guessing and hoping for some sort of HD remake of the classic Nintendo 64 titles.
With HD remakes and sequels to old franchises becoming popular, it would only make sense for the dynamic bear and bird duo to make a similar comeback. That’s what many fans on Twitter have seemed to believe, at least, with many of them asking when Banjo-Kazooie will return. Fans have made both hilarious and depressing posts, asking and begging Microsoft to consider bringing the characters back.
Whether their voices are heard or not, it’s unknown whether the duo will make a real comeback in anything other than Smash Bros. One thing is undoubtedly true, however: if a “Banjo-Threeie” is ever announced, there is clearly a fan base waiting patiently to play it.
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