Microsoft’s Phil Spencer Says it “Would Be Cool” if Banjo Appeared in Super Smash Bros.

Start filling out those write-in votes!

By Marc Deschamps. Posted 04/06/2015 10:45 Comment on this     ShareThis

In the build-up to Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Nintendo GameCube, Rare’s bear and bird pair of Banjo and Kazooie were once hotly rumored to show up as playable characters. Of course, at the time, few fans expected that Nintendo’s beloved second party developer would soon be sold to Microsoft, leaving that hope little more than a pipe-dream.

As times change, however, new opportunities develop. Since the days of Melee, Nintendo has incorporated a few third party characters into the roster, and just last week, the company announced open voting for new playable characters. Naturally, third party characters have become the most talked about options. One unlikely pair of characters that fans have nominated is Banjo and Kazooie. While the likelihood seems slim, the small movement in favor of the pair got an unlikely ally this weekend: Microsoft’s own Phil Spencer! The Xbox head was asked on Twitter about the possibility of Banjo appearing as a playable character, and he seemed quite open to it!

“I think it would be cool if Banjo was in the next SSB DLC. We’ve worked with Nintendo on Rare IP before, no issues.”

While Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel are currently unavailable on the Virtual Console, Nintendo and Microsoft have worked together a handful of times since the Rare acquisition. Notably, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge and Banjo-Pilot both appeared on the Game Boy Advance. Additionally, Donkey Kong 64 is finally slated to appear on Wii U, despite the fact that Rare’s Jetpac arcade game is in the title.

An appearance by the characters likely still remains a long shot, but there’s never been a better opportunity than the present! Stay tuned to Nintendojo where we’ll have more information if it becomes available! In the meantime, check out today’s staff round table to see who the Nintendojo writers are voting for in the Super Smash Bros. polls!

Source: Twitter

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