A statement from us! pic.twitter.com/nZHqI5GaYe
— Playtonic (@PlaytonicGames) November 6, 2019
“While we would love to work with the bear and bird again, that ball isn’t in our court. With that said, we are keen to continue progressing as a studio, carrying the experience of games we worked on, old and new, to create new characters and adventures for you to (hopefully) love.”
The statement was issued on Playtonic’s Twitter account after rumors began the surface that the company was purchased by Microsoft. The Banjo-Kazooie name was then thrown into the mix since most of Playtonic’s staff is comprised of ex-Rare developers, including the recently hired Ed Bryan.
It was Bryan who kicked off the rumors in the first place after he published a photo of a bag with the Microsoft logo on it. Playtonic was also recently registered under a different name.
Well, I never really had any plans to use this again. pic.twitter.com/r3wS18vrrR
— Ed Bryan (@ItsMingyJongo) November 3, 2019
Although longtime Banjo fans are still holding out hope for a new Banjo-Kazooie game, Playtonic has found critical success with its throwback 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee. Banjo is also available as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.Read IGN’s Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair review here. Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.