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Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic Games’ homage to Rare Ltd’s Banjo-Kazooie series, was released in 2017. Playtonic, which was founded by a number of former workers of Rare, set out to make a contemporary game that channeled the emotion and comedy of classic Nintendo 64 games.
Yooka-Laylee claimed that Banjo-Kazooie was not a direct relative, however that was not always the case. Andy Robinson, a former employee of Playtonic, disclosed on Twitter that the game was going to have a bird and bear relationship at some time! Sadly, Robinson did not offer any other information. Fans can only speculate as to what took place behind the scenes.
On his N64, Banjo and Kazooie was initially launched in 1998. Just two years later, the game’s sequel was released since it was such a success. The rights to the series were also included in the 2001 sale of Rare by Nintendo to Microsoft. was added and the original game is now playable on Nintendo Switch Online, providing fans of Banjo-Kazooie with a small celebration. The brand had not received a new game since 2008’s Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, and fans were excited to see the characters return. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Microsoft or Rare have any current intentions to continue the series.
As for Yooka and Laylee, the characters appeared in the 2019 spin-off his game Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. A third game has yet to be announced, but the character has made numerous cameos over the past few years. Kao the Kangaroo recently added a Yooka-based costume as a free DLC piece. Banjo and Kazooie may not be playing new gigs anytime soon, but Yooka and Laylee are clearly keeping their legacy alive. It’s a pity that the characters couldn’t appear side by side!