It does not come as a secret that developer Playtonic Games intended its 2017 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee to serve as a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie duology on the Nintendo 64. Players probably do not know, however, that Playtonic wanted the Banjo-Kazooie influences to go beyond borrowed gameplay ideas and loving homage. According to the VGC editor and former Playtonic writer, Andy Robinson, the team initially planned to include the eponymous bear and bird as a cameo appearance somewhere within Yooka-Laylee.
Robinson shared this news in response to a Twitter user who asked about his favorite behind-the-scenes development story regarding Yooka-Laylee. He refrained from revealing too much about this story, only saying that although Banjo and Kazooie were initially going to be included.
The developer, however, could not make the cameo appearance a reality in the end. The wording of his response implies that the development team had already negotiated a deal with Microsoft to incorporate Banjo and Kazooie into the game before the company canned it for whatever reason. Of course, we may never know what actually occurred unless Robinson or someone else relays the rest of this story.
Any information on a new Banjo-Kazooie?
Additionally, Robinson responded to another tweet asking why Microsoft or developer Rare has yet to bring back the Banjo-Kazooie IP. Simply put, Robinson said that the IP’s creators have no interest in exploring it, which at least partially has to do with the fact that Rare’s current staff have no relation to the property. Instead, Rare’s developers have moved on “to do something new.”
That last bit in particular may disappoint Banjo-Kazooie fans who have been waiting for a follow-up game, with the last being Nuts & Bolts in 2008. A cameo appearance in Yooka-Laylee would have gone some way toward pleasing Banjo-Kazooie fans, but for now, they will still have to settle for the duo’s other crossover appearances in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Image via Playtonic Games
