Banjo-Kazooie comments clarified after Xbox controversy

Over the weekend, Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg found himself at the center of a new controversy surrounding Banjo-Kazooie. The VP of marketing at Xbox Games said at a recent event that “nobody cares about Banjo-Kazooie.” That comment began circulating online, with many fans of the franchise sharing their frustrations with Xbox, and the lack of attention given to the once-successful series. Greenberg has since clarified his comments on X/Twitter in a reply to YouTuber JayWood2010. After JayWood2010 speculated that Greenberg’s sarcasm was lost in translation, the Xbox executive responded that it was and that he has a lot of love for the bird and bear couple.

“Right, I absolutely know how much Banjo-Kazooie means to our fans and gamers everywhere. It holds a special place in my heart because I grew up playing these classic games,” Greenberg wrote on X/Twitter.

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Obviously, this clarification from Greenberg doesn’t make it any more likely that a new Banjo-Kazooie game will actually appear in the near future. However, it does show that Xbox isn’t dismissing the series, and at least that’s something. If fans continue to remind Xbox that they want to see the series make a comeback, it’s possible that a new entry will be released. For that reason alone, it’s worth continuing to share the demand for a new game, mentioning it every time Xbox asks about franchises that fans would like to see brought back to life. That’s what Greenberg was responding to in the first place, and what led to all this discussion in recent days.

It should be noted that there are many potential hurdles that could prevent the development of a new Banjo-Kazooie, including the fact that we don’t know who would create the game. The current makeup of Rare is very different from the one that developed the Banjo-Kazooie games, and they seem to be quite busy working on Sea of ​​thievesa game that has been very successful for Xbox. There’s also the fact that Xbox just acquired the rights to all of Activision Blizzard’s old IPs, many of which have also been neglected for years.

Will Banjo-Kazooie ever make a comeback? It’s hard to say. Rare’s old franchises certainly haven’t been forgotten, as a new Perfect Dark is in development and seems to be heading in a positive direction. We also just got a new BattleToads in 2020, which seemed pretty unlikely before developer Dlala Studios’ involvement. It’s possible that Microsoft will eventually find a studio passionate about Banjo-Kazooie that has the right skills to do the series justice. For now, though, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too high. The original games will at least remain playable on Xbox platforms Banjo Tooie will soon make its way to the Nintendo Switch. The series may be inactive, but at least it hasn’t been forgotten!

Do you think we’ll ever see a new Banjo-Kazooie? Are you happy with this clarification from Greenberg? Share your thoughts directly with me on Twitter at @Marcdachampon Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!