The Bear and the Bird are finally coming home, as Banjo Kazooie is confirmed to be arriving on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak service, and it will be live very soon. Nintendo confirmed the Microsoft owned franchise would be making its way to NSO last year, as Rare originally developed the titles for Nintendo 64.
Banjo Kazooie on Nintendo Switch Online is available from January 21 in the UK and Europe, though if you are in the US, it will go live on the evening of January 20. Following on from the release of Paper Mario 64 in December, it seems the current rate of N64 games is around once a month. Though we hope that this slow pace doesn’t continue, as the service costs much more now, Nintendo should be doing what they can to honour that cost with valuable games.
Hopefully, these won’t be the only Rare developed games that make their way over, as fans are clamouring for other classic titles such as Goldeneye 64, Diddy Kong Racing, and Perfect Dark. In fact, recent leaks suggest that Microsoft and Nintendo may have come to an agreement, and Goldeneye 64 might actually be coming to both consoles in the near future.
See the announcement below and relive that incredible opening theme from Grant Kirkhope. Who would have thought a bird and a bear could bring so much joy.
The iconic bear and bird duo are raring to go on #NintendoSwitch! Banjo-Kazooie joins the #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack line-up on 21/01. 🧩 pic.twitter.com/d0GL9kL8QQ
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) January 19, 2022
Platforming fans, be sure to check out our guide to the best Switch platformers, to get even joyful jumping on your Nintendo system.