Banjo-Kazooie Spiritual Successor Hits Kickstarter Goal in Less Than 40 Minutes

Fans of 3D platformers have probably been noticing Playtonic Games’ recent teases regarding a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. Yesterday, the team of ex-Rare veterans announced that “Project Ukelele” will formally be known as Yooka-Laylee. As with Banjo-Kazooie, the title refers to its two protagonists. Instead of a bear and a bird, this time players will control a green lizard thing and what appears to be a really happy bat.

But that was yesterday. Today, the project’s Kickstarter page launched and blasted past its £175,000 ($264,600 USD) goal in less than 40 minutes. It currently stands at over £300,000 (or over $454,000 USD), and stretch goals include local multiplayer modes and a simultaneous day one release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U. The team is hoping to release the project by October of 2016, and a variety of burp- and fart-based special moves have been promised for the titular duo.

3D platformers have been in short supply in recent years, and the speedy response to this crowdfunder certainly points toward a demand for the once-prevalent genre and serves as a notice that Kickstarter is still a viable path for these sorts of nostalgia-tinged projects. Personally, I was never super-interested in the Banjo games, but as a fan of the genre I’m looking forward to seeing how the final product turns out.

So sick!

Will there be kinect support?

i'm am excited for this future gaming product

Awesome news. Can't wait to see how this turns out. What do you think will come out first, this or A Hat in Time?

For a multi-platform game?

Their initial goal seems really low. I hope the donations multiply it many times.

PC version or I don't care.

There haven't been a lot of 3D platformers because they are bad

Yeah, buddy! I needs me some 3D platforming nostalgia. I'm a bit burnt out on the 16 bit sidescrolling indie games of late.

Interested, but will wait till release.

Awesome! I'm so happy to see this take off. And fully funded in only 40 minutes!? Incredible.

@venekor: Did you not look at the Kickstarter page? They've confirmed doing a PC version already.

I enjoyed Banjo Kazooie a million times more than Mario 64 as a kid/teen. Even if 64 is more important, I still don't enjoy it that much. The personality matters to me much more.

I am totally down to play a new 3D platformer.

I am interested to see how this pans out as one of the more higher profile "Hey we used to make this game, we're making a new one" Kickstarters. Not sure if a modern 3D platformer just means, a 3D platformer, but with higher fidelity. Or if that's even a bad thing.

Not gonna back this, but interested in seeing how it turns out.

Apparently you don't care anyway considering that the cheapest backing tier that gets you the game is the Steam version, but it's way more edgy to be immediately dismissive of everything.

@coaxmetal: 100% agreed. I don't have much interest in playing a straight up platformer anymore

I can't wait for the sequels Eelectic-Geetar and Droom & Bass.

Wow, this is really interesting and incredibly ambitious. These guys are attempting to deliver a simultaneous PC/Mac/Linux release of a game that is supposed to be bigger than Banjo Kazooie but on a lower budget and in less time. All for a significantly lower price!

It looks like the funding might be so good that the budget isn't as much of a concern, but still I want to see how they're able to pull this one off. Very exciting.

Definitely looking forward to this. I would Kickstart if I knew for sure I'd have one of those consoles or a gaming pc when it comes out.

It's a chameleon, Dan...

I mean, just because it got funded doesn't mean it will be released. Would be cool though. Still gotta play Banjo-Kazooie.

A Hat in Time's Kickstarter was about two years ago, so it'll hopefully come out pretty soon. It seems to be in closed beta right now.

Hell yeah !

Check out the music samples on their kickstarter page. The polish on those two tracks alone was enough to get me to drop cash on this.

I really like their stretch goals. Far too many Kickstarters with stretch goals that read '1.5 million: We'll make the game more fun!' (looking at you Torment.)

DAN RYCKERT TOP NEWS REPORTER

HOTTEST SCOOPZ AROUND

Well they just doubled their initial goal in 2 hours. I'm guessing this might hit the million pound mark by the goal date easily.

Also, listen to the music they have up on the page. SO GOOD

Burps and farts, eh? I might have to get behind this (though not downwind).

The end of game quiz show stretch goal just got hit!

I'm excited for this and A Hat in Time. Finally, after all these 2D platformers it's time for 3D platformers to come back.

Aaaaaand... backed. I am a child of the N64, and as a result have a lot of fondness for what Rare put out on that console.

Actually kinda surprised at how interested I am in this, Loved Banjo-Kazooie but I thought I had left platformers behind.

Projecting a simultaneous release on 4 platforms in a year and a half while only asking for 260k is very off. If I had to make a prediction right now based on pretty much nothing, I'd have to say this'll probably turn out to be heavily delayed or a hot pile of garbage. I don't want it to be bad of course, but I don't even think these types of games work too well anymore. Good luck is all I can say.

Wish the crew the best! I was never a fan of the games but seeing that a lot of people keep this close to heart you just want them to succeed.

Awesome! Happy for them! :) I've been meaning to replay the original Banjo! Maybe this is a sign!

I'm excited about this despite being equally sad that Nuts & Bolts is dead :(

I was tempted to back this but it's exactly the kind of game that will be free on Games With Gold eventually.

Nuts and Bolts was the best Banjo game, the other games were...ehh.

Not very good.

@virtualtitan: The KickStarter isn't to fund the game, it was set for release regardless of the outcome, as they had investors. It's just to expand the game into what the dev's wanted, like NightCry.

I'm more interested in the sound track than the actual game so far. I'm not into it enough to back it but if it comes out with some positive buzz I'll pick it up.

God, I hope they make a Viva Pinata ripoff.

I always found it interesting how people complained about the direction the Banjo series took with Nuts and Bolts. I thought that was a fun new direction for that series but the way people were complaining and pining for a classic Banjo game was really odd.

That being said I hope this game turns out well. I would like to play a modern take on those classic platformers that were all the rage.

And the Mumbo-Jumbo transformation equivalent is unlocked!

Glad they're doing a Wii U version, and good for them on getting backed. I don't think I'll back it though. Now that they've already met their goal, I want to see how this turns out before I pay for it. I'm cautiously optimistic about the whole thing; all I know for sure is that the music will be great.

Why? people still want to collect a trillion different objects?

YES! So glad this is happening!

The only thing that would make this game better would be if it was a Viva Pinata spiritual successor. Get hyped!