The famous bear and bird are making their triumphant return to a Nintendo console tomorrow, January 20th, 2022. Banjo-Kazooie will be playable on the Nintendo Switch tomorrow as part of the Nintendo 64 Online service that is exclusively available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
Banjo-Kazooie is one the most famous video games of all time and is frequently regarded as one of the greatest 3D platformers of all time alongside titles like Super Mario 64. The game’s release on Nintendo Switch Online marks the first time a Banjo-Kazooie title has been on a Nintendo platform in over 20 years.
Banjo-Kazooie famously launched as an N64 exclusive in 1998 back when the developer, Rare, was partially owned by Nintendo. Rare would release a sequel, Banjo-Tooie, also for the N64, before being purchased by Microsoft in 2002. One more sequel, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, was released almost a decade later as an Xbox 360 exclusive.
The titular duo has made several appearances in other video games, with no appearance more prominent than their addition to Nintendo’s beloved fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A fan poll from 2015 revealed that Banjo and Kazooie were the second most requested characters to join the franchise, behind only Sora from Kingdom Hearts (a series that is also launching on the Switch this year).
Banjo-Kazooie will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscribers on January 20th, 2022, through the Nintendo 64 app.
