If recent rumors come true, Banjo and Kazooie will be joining the Super Smash Bros. series after years of fans requesting him.
Just before E3 is set to get underway, rumors of the newest fighters coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the Fighters Pass have started popping up, with Rare’s Banjo Kazooie being one of the biggest names.
The Nintendo 64 veterans haven’t been seen on a Nintendo console in more than a decade, and with Microsoft owning the character, things have never looked suitable for a potential revival of the classic platformer – at least on the Nintendo side of things.
That was until the past year or so as Microsoft and Nintendo have started working closely together, bringing games like Cuphead to the Nintendo Switch while allowing others like Minecraft access to Xbox Live Achievements even while playing on Nintendo’s console. The Bear and Bird have been closely linked to the Smash series for years, with fans wanting the classic mascot to battle it out with the likes of Mario, Link, and Sonic, but these recent rumors show it might actually be happening.
A potential new design for Banjo has been making the rounds on social media, that along with Microsoft saying most of their studios will have something to show off during their E3 conference has fans looking to Rare. Outside of Sea of Thieves, they haven’t done much in recent years, so now might be the perfect time for a Banjo revival.
That could mean either a remastered version of Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, and maybe even Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts getting announced or a completely new entry in the series. Something like finally giving fans a true sequel in Banjo-Threeie or maybe pulling a God of War and starting fresh with a new Banjo-Kazooie title is a possibility too.
Following the initial round of rumors, more posts about the concept and possibility of Banjo being the next DLC fighter for Smash Ultimate popped up on ResetEra. This wouldn’t be out of line after having Cloud from Final Fantasy VI join the roster back on the Wii U and the recent addition of Joker from Persona 5.
The current belief is Erdrick from Dragon Quest will be the next to join the roster, followed by the likes of Minecraft Steve and Doom Guy. None of these rumors have any weight behind them as of yet, but the partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo leans a lot of credence to the possibility of Banjo finally coming home.
E3 is just around the corner, with Microsoft’s conference taking place on June 9 at 3pm CT with Nintendo following on June 11 at 10am CT. You will find your answers there.
Published: Jun 5, 2019 03:54 pm