The studio behind the revival of beloved mascot platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro has expressed interest in doing it again — this time with Banjo-Kazooie.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Canadian Guy Eh, studio head Paul Yan discussed Toys for Bob’s recent move to become an independent studio, and what the team hopes to work on next.
“One company we’d like to work with is one we’re already working with — Team Xbox! 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,” Yan said. “The honey bear is the first one that comes to mind — I think we can all agree Banjo’s been hibernating for long enough, right?”
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new Banjo-Kazooie title, with the last release being Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts back in 2008. Since then, the only appearance by Banjo and Kazooie has been as a playable fighter duo in Super Smash Bros. The Banjo-Kazooie series was originally developed by Rare, which is now owned by Microsoft, along with the rights to the franchise.
Over the last decade, Toys for Bob has become one of the biggest studios in the platforming genre. At one point, it was known primarily for the Skylanders games, before it released the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy in 2018, followed by Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time in 2020.
After those busy few years, Toys for Bob was moved into a support role for the Call of Duty franchise, in addition to developing Crash Team Rumble. It was even reported that Activision forced the studio to cancel Crash Bandicoot 5. All of that—combined with 86 employees being laid off by Activision—likely played a role in Toys for Bob announcing its decision to go fully independent in February 2024. Despite the split, the studio has maintained a close relationship with Activision’s new parent company, Xbox.
We still don’t know what Toys for Bob has been working on since becoming independent, although rumours have pointed to a new Spyro game. While nothing has been confirmed, Toys for Bob might be the best hope fans have of seeing Banjo-Kazooie return to life.
