Microsoft to Bring Back Rare Classics - Banko Kazooie and More - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 12 January 2015 / 7,639 Views
Microsoft has plans to bring back some of Rare's classic titles stated the creative director for Microsoft Studios Ken Lobb in an interview with the Inner Circle podcast and reported by GameSpot.
Lobb mentioned Rare classics like Banjo Kazooie, Battletoads and Blast Corps. He did say that he doesn't want yearly releases of games, but to wait until the time is right to bring back each franchise.
"Will there ever be another Banjo, Viva, Blast Corps, Battletoads? Yeah, someday. And I think the reason you see things like [the Battletoads trademark] revived, is because we know there's value," said Lobb.
"So we renewed the trademark. Does that mean it's coming this year? No. Does that mean it'll never come? Absolutely not. We have a lot of passion internally for each of the games. And we have surprises in store in the near and long future."
"Understand that what it's really about is we want to build this suite of IP that we can add to a list of, 'Let's build some new things, let's build some recent sequels, and let's do some crazy stuff like dig back into our portfolio of IP and build some games that people love,'" he added. "I think the best message to give to your listeners is we love the old IP as much as you do--please be patient because we can only build so much at a time."
He added that with Halo and Gears of War it doesn't make much sense to bring back a classic FPS like Perfect Dark. However, he added that a more story driven game that isn't an FPS about Joanna might make sense.
"This is one of the things that I love about [Phil Spencer]: He understands the value of IP," Lobb said. "Not just in terms of let's go make a new one every year. But in terms of, 'let's go think about the portfolio and what makes the most sense at the right time.'"
"In a world where you have Halo and you have Gears, having another Perfect Dark Zero-style game maybe makes a little bit less sense than something that's a little more story-driven around Joanna," Lobb said. "Whether that's third-person with stealth, et cetera, et cetera ... we like the IP."
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A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. Outside, in the real world, he has a passion for the outdoors which includes everything from hiking to having received his B.A. in Environmental Studies. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Please hand these IPs over to Nintendo.
No, Microsoft bought them, its theirs! And here come the downs!
Perhaps it's not a typo, perhaps Banko is Banjo's brother. ;)
Rare was overhyped to begin with, but what's the point now? It's just a name at this point, and a badly tarnished name at that.
What the fuck is Banko Kazooie?
Ohmygosh I'm really excited for Banko Kazooie. My favorite. Does no one actually spell-check these things?
"Ohmygosh I'm really excited for Banko Kazooie. My favorite."
I laughed so hard at this. Thanks!
If only they would have made this decision years ago before the whole Kinect debacle. Maybe some of the Rare veterans who managed to stay around for years would be still be there. You know, like the guy voiced Banjo who was fired last year when Kinect Sports Rivals bombed.
Ken Lobb seems to miss the point that the original Perfect Dark played very differently than Halo. As far as I'm concerned, Perfect Dark is better than Halo will ever be. It's not that I don't like the Halo games at all. I think they are enjoyable to play, but they just don't compare to Perfect Dark.
As for Banjo Kazooie, Blast Corps, and Battletoads, I would have to say that I am cautiously interested. These were all great franchises back in their heyday, but the question is, does Rare still have what it takes to deliver the magic of the older games?
J is very close to K :P. I don't think the person who wrote this article, let alone Ken Lobb, who said all that is even excited about Banjo Kazooie. I'm sorry. Banko Kazooie.
I want new Conker...
I'm sick of writing on every Rare post why people (and journalists) shouldn't treat Rare the way like they do... "A Legend". It's a bunch of assholes living of names over 20 years old...
Whatever, I'm done. I don't think anyone is ever going to realize that.
Agree with you! Rare was already in decline when Microsoft bought them (Mojang isn't). It was bound to happen anyway!
RIP Banjo
All of that aside, what really upsets me is the thought of Xbox One being the only home to future Banjo games. It just doesn't belong there. It isn't right....
