The latest layoffs! New works in the "Banjo Bear Adventure" series may be cancelled

　　According to foreign media reports, the rumored new work "Banjo Bear Adventure" may have become the latest victim of Microsoft's latest round of business restructuring and has been included in the company's recently cancelled project list. Although Microsoft has never officially confirmed the existence of the new work in the series, rumors have continued to ferment for a long time, and the latest signs indicate that the game may never be able to meet players.

This classic 3D platform game, first launched by Rare Studios and Nintendo on the N64 platform in 1998, initially tells the adventure of Bear Bird’s partner Banjo and Kaka fighting against the witch Grandi to save his sister Totti. The series has released two orthodox sequels and two GBA-exclusive works, but since the 2008 Xbox 360 platform "Banjo Bear Adventure: Fantastic Screws", the IP has fallen into silence for sixteen years.

　　The turning point seems to have occurred at the end of 2023, when the well-known whistleblower NateDrake revealed on the ResetEra forum that the new work in the series is under active development. However, the source recently changed its words and said that due to the long-term no update on the project, "it is speculated that development has been shelved at this stage, although this project did exist two years ago." This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to players who are looking forward to the revival of the series - especially after Microsoft's gaming business CEO Phil Spencer once publicly stated that he "knows what players expect from the new work."

　　It is interesting that the original composer Grant Kirkhope said in a recent interview that "I am very happy to participate in the creation of the third orthodox work", and now this statement is even more regrettable. According to industry observers, the miscarriage of this project once again highlights Microsoft's swing attitude towards traditional platform game IP. Even if the protagonist of "Banjo Bear" joined "Nintendo Star Fight" as an iconic character, it failed to change his fate of being marginalized.