A former composer at Rare, Grant Kirkhope, believes that there isn’t an audience for a possible thirdBanjo-Kazooiegame. For the uninitiated,the originalBanjo-Kazooiewas a 3D platformer released on Nintendo’s 64-bit console, where it was one of the games that helped bolster Rare’s success alongside the SNESDonkey Kong Countrytrilogy. The series recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023 this past June, with former developers of Rare commenting on its success and legacy, including its composer Grant Kirkhope.
Grant Kirkhope is a British music composer, who is best known for his work on different video games during the N64 era. His most noteworthy works includedBanjo-Kazooie, alongside other games developed by Rare such asGoldenEye 007andDonkey Kong 64. He left Rare back in 2008 after Microsoft bought the developer to go freelance, though he has occasionally returned to do compositions for Nintendo, such as theBanjo-Kazooiesoundtrack medley inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Despite the series' longevity, Kirkhope and other former developers at Rare believe there wouldn’t be an audience to get a third game in the works.
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In an interview between VGC and former Rare employees Chris Sutherland, Grant Kirkhope, and Steve Mayles, they all believed that a revival was very unlikely. Steve Mayles believes that with Gregg Mayles [Rare creative director] being the “custodian” of the franchise, he’d want to focus on new experiences rather than tread old ground withBanjo-Kazooie. Kirkhope also confirmed this sentiment, stating that a “Banjo 3” couldn’t happen as it would need a team that had the same kind of humor that they had back in the day, but he also believes that neither that kind of team nor audience for it exists.
Kirkhope’s comments regarding how the “audience isn’t there” might seem a little strange considering that there was very vocal support to seeBanjo’s inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, but that doesn’t always necessarily translate into one that would want a third game. A third game would also be burdened by the expectations of what a 3D collectathon platformer should be, whether it should be defined by what was working in the 90s or translated into something that would be more modern.
One attempt at recreating the 90s with the sameBanjo-Kazooiecollectathon focused premise wasYooka-Laylee. Even though it was pegged to be a spiritual successor that even had staff who came from Rare work on it,the reception toYooka-Layleewas still quite frosty. There have been other attempts to recapture the bear and bird’s platformer magic, however, such asClive ‘N’ WrenchandHat in Time.
Banjo-Kazooieis available now for all Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack owners.
MORE:25 Years Later, Banjo-Kazooie’s Legacy Lives on in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Ratchet and Clank, and More
