Of all of the various franchises that now exist under the Xbox brand, none has more fans calling out for a new entry than Banjo-Kazooie. It’s been 17 long years since Nuts & Bolts released, and 25 since Banjo-Tooie. If you were hoping for some kind of optimistic news to look forward to, we unfortunately do not have that for you. The composer for the Banjo-Kazooie games, Grant Kirkhope, tweeted out today that he has “zero hopes” for a new entry. He also doesn’t think players would be happy with it even if they got one.
After posting the above, he later had a follow up saying he loves the Banjo community, and responded to a fan saying he would do a third Viva Pinata soundtrack “in a heartbeat.”
While Xbox hasn’t done anything with the bear and bird besides let them join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, they know fans want them back. In December 2023, Phil Spencer said in an interview with Windows Central that he was aware of that. Currently, the biggest hope for a new entry is from Toys For Bob, who broke off from Xbox and then partnered with the company for their next game. We’re not even a year removed from that announcement, so it will be a while longer before we learn more on what that is.
Will there ever be a Banjo-Threeie?
Of course, just because the original composer of Banjo-Kazooie might not know about a new game in the works doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The original Perfect Dark also had a soundtrack made by Kirkhope, but the next game being made by The Initiative doesn’t involve him. That being said, Kirkhope has always had a strong connection to the Banjo-Kazooie series. You can regularly check his social media feeds and find some kind of mention in there. Kirkhope could be trying to lead fans astray to try adding more shock value to a future announcement, but we imagine he would be quiet if he were involved in a new Banjo game.
