Microsoft is letting Nintendo add a beloved, classic video game character to 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'
- Banjo-Kazooie will join "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" as a downloadable character in Fall 2019.
- The dynamic duo got its start on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998, but joined team Xbox when Microsoft purchased Rare, the developer of "Banjo-Kazooie" and "Banjo-Tooie."
- Banjo (the bear) and Kazooie (the bird) were among the most requested characters in fan votes.
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More than 20 years after its debut on the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie will appear in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" as a downloadable character.
Nintendo announced Banjo-Kazooie during its presentation at E3 2019, the year's biggest gaming event.
While the pair got its start with Nintendo, Banjo-Kazooie joined the Xbox stable of characters when Microsoft purchased game developer Rare in 2002. Fans of the 1998's "Banjo-Kazooie" and its sequel, "Banjo-Tooie," have been demanding for the duo to appear in the "Super Smash Bros." series for years, but the Xbox exclusivity seemed to keep the character off the roster.
The move might be another sign of Nintendo and Microsoft's increasingly close relationship, but considering that "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" now features Sonic the Hedgehog and characters from "Final Fantasy" and "Street Fighter," bringing back the stars of a classic Nintendo game doesn't seem like too much of a stretch.
Kazooie hitches a ride in Banjo's backpack, but they work together to fight and navigate obstacles. In their own games, they work to foil the plans of Gruntilda, an evil witch. In "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," they'll be fighting to get the best of Nintendo's other iconic characters.
Banjo-Kazooie is actually the third downloadable character included with the "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" fighters pass; the second, the protagonist of "Dragon Quest," was announced earlier in Nintendo's E3 2019 presentation. Banjo-Kazooie will be released this fall, while "The Hero" from Dragon Quest will be released during the summer.
Each character in the fighters pass can be purchased for $5.99 and also comes with a stage based on their game. Check out the full reveal trailer for Banjo-Kazooie below: