Grant Kirkhope says three studios have pitched Microsoft or Rare on a Banjo-Kazooie new game, but none appear to have moved forward yet.
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Three pitches, zero announcement, and a little more hope
Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope says he knows of “like three companies” that have pitched Microsoft or Rare on making another Banjo-Kazooie game, and that he does not think any of those pitches were successful. That is the concrete development behind the latest round of Banjo-Kazooie sequel hope: outside studios appear to want the bear and bird back, but Microsoft and Rare have not announced a new game.
Kirkhope made the comments to FRVR, with Video Games Chronicle and Eurogamer both reporting the remarks. The composer, whose work is central to the original Banjo-Kazooie identity, said his view has shifted from “zero chance” of another Banjo-Kazooie to a “slight chance.” That is not a confirmation of a project, a developer, a platform, or a release window. It is a signal from a key original creative voice that the internal climate around Rare’s old platforming series may be less frozen than it once seemed.
The tension is obvious. Banjo-Kazooie remains one of Rare’s most recognizable platformer names, yet the sources here point to a series that outside teams have tried to revive without producing a public greenlight. A Banjo-Kazooie new game is still unannounced. The story is not that Microsoft has secretly revealed Banjo-Threeie. It is that the appetite around the IP keeps resurfacing while the rights holders stay quiet.
Kirkhope’s optimism comes with a warning label
Kirkhope’s change in tone is modest by design. Speaking to FRVR, he said he used to say there was “zero chance” of another Banjo-Kazooie game, but now feels there is a “slight chance.” Eurogamer framed that as a possible Banjo-Threeie becoming only slightly more likely, while VGC noted that Kirkhope had previously doubted the odds of a revival even after Banjo and Kazooie’s popular appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
That distinction matters because Kirkhope is not claiming to know that a new game is in production. He is describing a climate of possibility, partly tied to leadership changes at Rare. VGC and FRVR both report that Kirkhope believes Rare may be more open now than it was before, specifically after Craig Duncan’s departure from Rare leadership. Eurogamer similarly reports that Kirkhope thinks the studio could be “a little bit different right now” and “a bit more open to discussion.”
His optimism is also personal. FRVR reports that when asked whether he would want to return for another Banjo-Kazooie, Kirkhope answered, “Absolutely,” adding, “Sign me up.” That enthusiasm will land with fans because music, comic timing, and tonal bounce are unusually important to Banjo-Kazooie’s appeal. Still, a composer wanting in is different from Microsoft funding a project. The sources support the former, not the latter.
Why the pitches reportedly did not move forward
The reason these Microsoft Banjo-Kazooie pitches appear to have stalled, according to Kirkhope’s comments as reported by FRVR, VGC, and Eurogamer, is not a lack of outside interest. It is the combination of Rare’s historical reluctance and its current workload.
Kirkhope told FRVR that Rare “just typically say no to everything,” saying he had known people who presented cartoons and other ideas to the studio, only to be rejected. Eurogamer reports the same broader point: pitches from outside developers supposedly have not gone over well, and Kirkhope does not think any of the roughly three companies that pitched Microsoft or Rare were successful.
There is also the practical question of who would actually build it. According to Kirkhope, Rare is “too busy” to make a new Banjo platformer itself. VGC identifies Rare as the Sea of Thieves studio and reports Kirkhope’s view that the future of Banjo-Kazooie is likely outside Rare’s walls because of Sea of Thieves and other projects. That would make an external developer the plausible route, but external development only works if Microsoft and Rare are willing to let another studio define the feel, humor, and structure of a Rare platformer.
For a series like Banjo-Kazooie, that is a high-trust decision. Kirkhope told FRVR a future developer would need to understand the series’ “very Brit humour.” From a platformer craft perspective, that is not a cosmetic concern. Banjo-Kazooie is remembered for tone as much as verbs: the chatterbox characters, the daft naming, the musical punctuation, the collectible rhythm, and the slightly rude storybook energy. A technically competent 3D platformer would still miss the assignment if it sanded away that personality.
The outside studios named around the conversation
Kirkhope did not name the three companies he says pitched Microsoft or Rare. VGC reports that one is understood to be Toys for Bob, the studio known for Crash and Spyro, and says Toys for Bob has been vocal about its passion for Banjo-Kazooie. Eurogamer also points to Toys for Bob as at least one publicly interested developer, citing co-studio head Paul Yan previously suggesting the team could “have a lot of fun” reviving Banjo after its work with Crash Bandicoot and Spyro.
VGC additionally reports that Moon Studios, the developer associated with Ori, is another developer said to be interested. VGC notes that one of Moon’s designers recently published an impressive-looking Banjo-Kazooie fan game in PlayStation’s Dreams, as reported by Kotaku. That is not evidence of an official Moon Studios Banjo project. It is evidence that the idea has fans and advocates close to teams with platforming credibility.
FRVR’s interview adds a different name through Kirkhope’s own taste rather than through a reported pitch. Kirkhope said Day 4 Night Studios, currently working on Bradley the Badger according to FRVR, could be a decent fit for a future Banjo-Kazooie. That is a recommendation, not a deal. The pattern across all of these names is clear: the most credible path discussed in the sources is an outsourced Rare platformer, not a Rare-developed sequel.
Microsoft’s silence is the most important fact for players
Microsoft and Rare have not announced a Banjo-Kazooie sequel in the provided reports. There is no confirmed developer, no release date, no platform list, no trailer, no price, no Game Pass plan, and no preorder page. For readers searching for a Banjo-Kazooie new game, that absence is the practical takeaway.
The silence does suggest caution inside Microsoft’s handling of the property. If multiple studios have pitched the IP, as Kirkhope says, then the barrier is probably not awareness. Microsoft and Rare know the name has value. The unresolved question is whether that value fits Xbox’s current publishing priorities, whether Rare is willing to supervise an outside team, and whether a pitch has cleared the creative and commercial threshold needed for an actual greenlight.
FRVR reports Kirkhope’s belief that Microsoft may be more open now because it “need[s] the games” and because leadership is interested in using existing IP. Eurogamer similarly connects his comments to Xbox’s apparent focus on proven franchises. Those are Kirkhope’s and the outlets’ readings of a broader business mood, not an announcement from Microsoft. Until Xbox speaks, the safest interpretation is that Banjo-Kazooie remains a dormant series with renewed external interest rather than an active product.
How to read the sequel hopes without getting burned
There is a real reason Banjo-Kazooie fans are paying attention again. The strongest source here is not an anonymous rumor account, but Grant Kirkhope speaking publicly to FRVR about studios pitching Microsoft or Rare and about his own increased optimism. VGC and Eurogamer both reported the same core remarks, including the point that Rare’s leadership changes could make outside discussions easier than before.
There is also a real limit. Kirkhope says he does not think any of the pitches were successful. The studios are mostly unnamed. Toys for Bob and Moon Studios are discussed through reporting and prior public interest, not through a confirmed development agreement. Day 4 Night is presented as a possible fit by Kirkhope, not as a Microsoft partner. None of the sources say a Banjo-Kazooie sequel is in production.
For now, the best reader guidance is simple: treat this as a meaningful revival signal, not a reveal. If Microsoft wants a new Rare platformer to exist, the available reporting points toward an external studio needing Rare’s blessing and Xbox’s funding. If it happens, the big creative test will be whether that team can build a modern 3D platformer that understands Banjo-Kazooie’s strange little machine: movement, music, collectathon pacing, and British comic texture all clicking together. Until Microsoft breaks its silence, the bear and bird are still waiting at the edge of the map.