“Today was my last day at Rare,” posted Mayles. “Thanks to everyone who played and enjoyed any of the games I helped create while I was there. Also thanks to all the people that worked on the games alongside me.”

Mayles has worked with Rare for quite a bit of time, with his first work with the studio involving the game Solar Jetman from all the way back in 1990. Since then, he has served various roles on different projects.

He also went on to work as game director on some of the most critically-acclaimed and beloved games Rare has made, from Super NES title Donkey Kong Country, to Banjoe-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie on the Nintendo 64, and even Viva Pinata on the Xbox 360. Most recently, Mayles also worked as creative director on multiplayer pirate game Sea of Thieves.

Mayles’ departure from Rare also poses doubts on the future of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, since he also worked on the last game that the franchise had seen – Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts on the Xbox 360. Earlier this year, composer of the first game in the franchise, Grant Kirkhope, had noted that he had “zero hope” for a new game in the franchise.

“I’ve said it before … but .. I have zero hope for another Banjo game, plus all you die hard fans would instantly hate it and slag it off no matter how good it was, it never works,” posted Kirkhope on social media back in January. Despite this, however, he also said that he would be open to working on the soundtrack for a potential new Banjo-Kazooie game.

The departure of Mayles was likely part of a larger restructuring taking place at Rare in light of the cancellation of Everwild back in July. At the time, reports had indicated that, along with the game itself being cancelled, there would also be some changes coming to how Rare has functioned.

Interestingly, back in September, former Rare executive producer Louise O’Connor saw a major promotion, being appointed as the chief of staff for Xbox Game Studios as a whole. O’Connor had worked on quite a few projects at Rare before the promotion, with her first credit with the company showing up on adult-comedy platforming title Conker’s Bad Fur Day on the Nintendo 64 all the way back in 2001.

In the meantime, Rare has also confirmed that it is changing up how it releases content for Sea of Thieves. In a lengthy post, the developer revealed that, going forward, seasonal content for the multiplayer pirate game will be released over the course of three months in distinct phases. Along with this, it has also announced that the Sea of Thieves Insider Programme will be coming back in 2026.

VGC’s Andy Robinson said on the site’s recent podcast that he “heard more recently that pitches are being listened to” for reviving the platformer. The last title was Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, which received mixed reactions for deviating away from what made the series so beloved.

That’s not all, as Robinson has heard of a few high-profile developers who allegedly want to head up a new project. “I heard constantly the name that comes up is Toys for Bob, who really wanna do one. Funnily enough, I heard Moon Studios, as well, was another one who’s really interested.” While the former is known for Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time!, the latter is renowned for the Ori series and is currently working on an action RPG, No Rest for the Wicked.

He noted that there’s “always talk about interest” for a cartoon or movie on Banjo-Kazooie. However, despite “talk for ages” about “outside interest,” Rare was seemingly more keen on making new properties. Gregg Mayles, who was directing the cancelled Everwild and worked at the studio for 35 years before leaving, was a huge proponent of looking forward.

Whether a new Banjo-Kazooie title is greenlit remains to be seen, especially given Microosft’s development troubles thus far. Stay tuned for updates, as always.

“There’s so many, and that’s one of the exciting possibilities of being independent,” said Yan when asked what IP the studio would like to work on since its independence from Activision.

“One company we’d like to work with is one we’re already working with; Team Xbox,” Yan continued. “They’ve been a great partner and they also have a very interesting roster of characters that Toys for Bob could have a lot of fun with. The honey bear is the first one that comes to mind. I think we all can agree Banjo’s been hibernating long enough, right?”

Toys for Bob announced its separation from Activision back in March. During its time with the publisher, the studio had worked on quite a few titles, including the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Skylanders, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Shortly after achieving its independence, Toys for Bob announced that it had reached an agreement with Microsoft.

Microsoft confirmed that it would be publishing the first game by the studio back in May 2024. While details about this title haven’t yet been revealed, considering the studio’s pedigree, it will likely be a 3D platformer in the vein of classics from the Nintendo 64 era of gaming.

Toys for Bob has proven its pedigree when it comes to developing fun 3D platformers with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Back in April 2024, a developer had revealed that more than 5 million copies of the game had been sold.

As for Banjo-Kazooie, composer of the original game, Grant Kirkhope, believes that we are unlikely to see a new game in the franchise any time soon. Through posts on social media, while Kirkhope said that he would love it if the franchise came back, he remains unsure about whether there is a market for that genre anymore.

“I’ve said it before … but .. I have zero hope for another Banjo game, plus all you die hard fans would instantly hate it and slag it off no matter how good it was, it never works,” wrote Kirkhope.

Xbox’s VP of games marketing Aaron Greenberg had previously also spoken about the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, mentioning that he understands how much the franchise means to its fans. The statement came after some dismissive remarks by Greenberg during an event where he said that “nobody cares” about Banjo-Kazooie anymore.

Currently, the only ways to play Banjo-Kazooie are on the Nintendo Switch thanks to its range of classic games available through witch Online, and Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S through Rare Replay, which included the classic platforming titles as part of the collection.

Banjo and Kazooie are also available as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The duo was released as a single character that uses moves based on both Banjo’s and Kazooie’s abilities as part of Challenger Pack 3 back in 2019.

“I’ve said it before … but .. I have zero hope for another Banjo game, plus all you die hard fans would instantly hate it and slag it off no matter how good it was, it never works,” posted Kirkhope on X.

For context, Kirkhope has been involved with the Banjo franchise since the first game, having worked on music for the original Banjo-Kazooie, the sequel Banjo-Tooie, as well as Xbox 360 title Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. His comments on a potential sequel not happening came after answering a fan’s question on whether he would be open to working on a new game’s soundtrack. “Of course,” he responded.

This isn’t the first time that Kirkhope has spoken about how there will likely not be a new Banjo-Kazooie game. The composer revealed in an interview back in 2023 that the studio that originally made the game would be open to it if it had the right team for it, “but I don’t feel like that team exists,” said Kirkhope. “Also, I’m not convince the audience is there either.”

While no real news about a potential new Banjo-Kazooie sequel has popped up, Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg spoke about the franchise back in October, mentioning that he understands how much the franchise means to its fans. However, despite this statement, Microsoft has been quiet about the title despite having owned the IP for quite some time now. The most we’ve seen about Banjo-Kazooie is the inclusion of the first two titles to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, allowing players to play classic Nintendo 64 titles.

There have been rumours, however, that indicated that a new Banjo game might be in the works. These rumours stated that the new game would be a reboot of the original, with a complete overhaul of vision and scope. There has been no official word, however, and even rumours haven’t been able to speculate about what studio would be working on the title.

July 2024, however, brought about a new rumour that might dash the hopes of Banjo fans. The rumour indicated there is no Banjo-Kazooie game in the works. This is despite the fact that an earlier rumour stated that a Banjo project had been greenlit back in 2022. Interestingly, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also spoken about Banjo-Kazooie back in 2023, also stating that the title would work “when we find the right team, and the right opportunity”.

In the mean time, aside from replaying the originals, the closest Banjo fans can get to experience the same kind of gameplay would be to either go with other titles like Yooka-Laylee, or perhaps go the Nintendo route with its Mario titles. Fans of the characters might also want to look at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where Banjo-Kazooie were added to the platform fighter’s roster.

Of course

— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) January 22, 2025

I’ve said it before … but .. I have zero hope for another Banjo game, plus all you die hard fans would instantly hate it and slag it off no matter how good it was , it never works.

— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) January 23, 2025

Taking to Twitter, Greenberg suggested that his aforementioned statements had been sarcastic and were misinterpreted, before adding, “I absolutely know how much Banjo-Kazooie means to our fans and gamers everywhere.”

Of course, whether or not we’ll see a new Banjo game anytime soon is the question that will still be on many minds. Though there have been some reports that have suggested that a reboot is in development after having been greenlit a couple of years ago, others have claimed that no new Banjo title is being worked on right now. 

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has certainly made it clear in the past that the company is very aware of fan requests for a revival, though previously, he has also said that whether or not the Banjo IP returns is going to be up to Rare, the studio in charge of it. 

It seems, however, that that return might be farther off in the future than some may have expected. Journalist Jez Corden touched on the topic of a new Banjo game during a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, where he claimed that as of right now, contrary to prior claims, a new Banjo game isn’t actually being worked on.

“It’s not,” Corden said on the topic of whether a new Banjo title is in development. “I can tell you right now, categorically, there is no Banjo game as of this podcast.”

Earlier this year, prominent leaker NateTheHate claimed that a new Banjo game had been greenlit by Microsoft in early 2022, before later adding that following being greenlit, the project would go on to be “reworked from its original vision and scope”, and that it was still in early development.

Microsoft itself has, of course, yet to communicate anything related to the future of the Banjo franchise in an official capacity, but if it is true that the series indeed does not have a new instalment in the works, it’s likely that the company is going to maintain its radio silence.

Prominent insider NateTheHate, who previously claimed that a new Banjo game had been greenlit in 2022, recently said on ResetEra that the title was currently being “reworked from its original vision and scope”, adding in another message that it seems like changes are being made “for the better.” Nonetheless, given the shift in development, it’s likely going to be even longer before we hear anything concrete about the game.

Something that still remains unknown is which studio is developing the Banjo game (assuming that it’s real, of course). The series has always been under Rare’s control in the past, but it’s unclear if the next game will also be Rare-developed.

Interestingly, though Microsoft or Rare haven’t given much indication that a new Banjo game is coming, Xbox boss Phil Spencer acknowledged the widespread demand for the series’ revival.

Recently, prominent leaker NateTheHate claimed on ResetEra that a new Banjo game was officially greenlit back in early 2022, before adding that there’s still plenty of work to be done on the game, and that in these early stages of development, there’s plenty that is far from set in stone about what the project will end up being.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a new Banjo game being in the works. If one is indeed in development, it would be interesting to see what studio is in charge of the project. Microsoft has previously said that whether or not a new Banjo game gets made will be up to series developer Rare, but Rare is, of course, busy with Sea of Thieves and Everwild.

Then again, with the likes of Toys for Bob and Double Fine Productions under its belt, it’s not like Microsoft’s first party lineup is lacking in firepower where platformers are concerned.

And though there’s no concrete word just yet that one might be in the works (though there’s no shortage of rumours that may or may not be true), we do at least know that Microsoft is aware of the loud demand for the return of the beloved platforming franchise.

Speaking in a recent interview with Windows Central, Microsoft Gaming CEO touched on the topic of the company’s dormant first party properties, and acknowledged that there are several of them that it hasn’t touched, Banjo being one among them.

“You’ve seen from our history that we haven’t touched every franchise that people would love us to touch — Banjo fans, I hear you,” he said. “But it is true that, when we find the right team, and the right opportunity, I love going back to revisit stories and characters that we’ve seen previously.”

What would it take for a Banjo revival to be greenlit though (or a revival of any other franchise, for that matter)? According to Spencer, it would have to be a case of a development team being drawn to a project, rather than being told to revive a series by Microsoft.

“There has to be passion in the team behind the projects,” Spencer said. “That doesn’t mean that the team has to be the original team, every time. I’m not one — and maybe this is just my approach — I’m not one to come in and take a franchise from a team and remove them from the discussion or development process on how something new gets built. I think the original creators, the culture — frankly, some of the lessons we’ve learned from past experiences here are very important.”

This isn’t the first time that Spencer has spoken about a potential Banjo revival. Back in 2020, he said that whether or not a developer should work on a specific series is a decision that’s up to themselves, rather than Microsoft.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Banjo composer Grant Kirkhope said he was skeptical of the chances of a revival owing to a lack of the kind of audience that such a game would need.

Deus Ex

It may sound counter-intuitive considering the scope of Mankind Divided and Human Revolution, but Deus Ex has always thrived on the number of choices it gives players. The different play styles, dialogues and approaches would fit well within the context of a tighter narrative and maybe encourage multiple playthroughs. As for what kind of story it would tell, given all the factions, conspiracies and whatnot, and whether it should feature Adam Jensen or a brand new character remains to be seen.