Tag Archives: Grant Kirkhope

Banjo-Kazooie Composer Wishes Ex-Rare Staff Members Would Make Banjo 3 For Wii U

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banjo_kazooieOn a recent episode of Game Grumps, Banjo-Kazooie composer and former Rare staff member Grant Kirkhope says he keeps wishing that all ex-Rare staffers would unite, form a company and ask Nintendo to give them the funds needed to make Banjo 3 for Wii U. While it would be a dream come true for many fans of the series, the mentioned scenario is highly unlikely, as Rare is a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios, which also owns the Banjo IP.

The latest game in the series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, was released in 2008 for the Xbox 360 and, partly because its gameplay and story, it wasn’t considered a direct sequel to the first two games, both of which were originally released for Nintendo 64.

“I keep wishing that all the ex-Rare staffers would just get together and form a company, and go to Nintendo and say ‘give us the money. We’ll make you Banjo 3 for the Wii U’ or whatever. …Just make Banjo 3 like it should have been made back then and it would be great, and it would be great on Wii U, and all the ex-Rare guys would be together again all happy and kissing each other. … I just keep thinking we should just give it a try.”

-Banjo-Kazooie composer and former Rare staffer Grant Kirkhope

Former Rare Composer: ‘Microsoft Has Completely Ruined Rare’

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Rare, once a Nintendo second-party developer, is a subsidiary of Microsoft. While working with Nintendo, Rare developed many memorable video games that include Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope is saddened by the current state of Rare and claims that “it’s Microsoft’s fault.” Kirhope goes on and says, Microsoft has “completely ruined that company [Rare], and it makes me cry every day of my life.”