Looks like Banjo Kazooie is getting the "Mighty #9" treatment!

[Kyanbu The Legend]

http://www.screwattack.com/news/play...-banjo-kazooie

Playtonic Games, an independent studio consisting mainly former Rare employees, announced it wants to create a spiritual successor to old Rare titles like Banjo-Kazooie.

The six-man development team consists of Rare Ltd. The veteran developers are project director and software engineer Chris Sutherland, managing director and creative lead Gavin Price, character art director Steve Mayles, technical director and software engineer Jens Restmeier, environmental art director Steven Hurst and technical art director Mark Stevenson. The team’s bios show that most of the team was around during Rare’s Donkey Kong Country era and worked on other Rare titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Viva Pinata!.

The developer’s official website showcases an image of brush and leaves with two sets of eyes peering out through the dark. “Who’s hiding in here?” the caption reads.

Price said the current goal is to expand the team to 15 people and ensure Project Ukelele is a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. The developer wants to ensure the game captures the 90’s Rare feel.

“Without giving the game away, I think it's pretty obvious what kind of game we're making from the history of the team,” Price told Edge magazine. “We consider it a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. We want to make a game where you control a fun character, learn new skills, add some new twists to the genre, and also listen to Grant's tunes!”

The team plans to release Project Ukelele for PC and “certain” consoles. The developer said it has enough funding to complete the project, but they are open to a publishing deal to secure the project. Price said he would love to see Playtonic’s game on a Nintendo platform.

“There's a history of working with Nintendo, so we'd naturally love to see our game on a Nintendo platform,” Price told Edge magazine. “If people tell us to make Wii U our target console platform, then we've got the flexibility to do that.”

The Banjo-Kazooie IP and rare are both owned by Microsoft, so the team would have to ensure there is enough difference in their project and Rare’s franchise so there would be no legal issues. Rare was bought out by Microsoft in 2003.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is struggling to find the next chapter for Rare. Xbox head Phil Spencer said the studio is free to do what it wants, and various Xbox executives said past Rare franchises will return. Fans of ‘90s-era Rare are skeptical of what the developer can produce without core members of the original team.

If Playtonic is successful, fans may not have to look toward Rare for the next chapter in Rare-style games. The idea behind Playtonic is to play out the idea of an independent Rare.

“Imagine there's an alternative timeline where Rare became independent instead of being bought by Microsoft,” Price said. “What would that company be like? What would it have gone on to become? That's our ambition.”

Do you believe Playtronic can success where Rare has not?

In other words we're getting (NOT)Banjo Kazooie 3. From remnants of the old team that made the original 2.

BANJO FANS REJOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!