Crash Bandicoot Developers Urge Xbox to Support Banjo-Kazooie
Developers at Toys for Bob, the studio known for their work on the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon franchises, have publicly expressed interest in reviving the Banjo-Kazooie video game series. In a recent interview, studio head Paul Yan and design director Avery Coleman indicated that their team maintains a strong desire to develop a new entry in the platforming franchise, which is currently owned by Microsoft under the Xbox brand.
Development Interest at Toys for Bob
The studio’s interest in the Banjo-Kazooie intellectual property is rooted in the team’s historical experience with platforming games. During an appearance on the Xbox News Cast podcast, studio leadership noted that the developer has proactively pitched concepts for the revival of the franchise to Xbox management. Toys for Bob, which recently transitioned to an independent studio following its departure from Activision Blizzard, maintains a collaborative relationship with Microsoft, having secured a partnership for their upcoming project.
Despite this openness, the studio clarified that no formal development cycle for a Banjo-Kazooie title has been initiated. The project remains in a state of conceptual exploration rather than active production.
Current Status of the Banjo-Kazooie Franchise
The Banjo-Kazooie series has remained largely dormant since the release of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts in 2008. While Rare, the original developer of the series, remains a subsidiary of Microsoft, the studio has shifted its focus toward other titles, such as Sea of Thieves and the upcoming Everwild.
Microsoft has not announced any plans to return to the franchise, though the characters have appeared in other titles, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate via a licensing agreement with Nintendo. The property remains under the purview of Microsoft’s gaming division, which controls the licensing and development rights for the platforming series.
Xbox leadership has not provided a public response to the specific pitches mentioned by the Toys for Bob developers. The future of the series remains contingent on internal strategic decisions at Microsoft regarding the utilization of its legacy intellectual properties.