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Yooka-Laylee--PlayTonic's spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie
News reported by 
Editor
February 10, 2015, 21:29:02
 
UPDATE: Kickstarter is live, funded, and up until Tuesday, June 16th! Let's hit some stretch goals!


PlayTonic site link

Go check it out! There's only a couple nuggets of info (and a mysterious piece of art), but apparently Edge will be releasing a new issue on Thursday with the first look at this new game, "Project Ukelele." My guess is some sort of Hawaiian-themed 3D platformer? I'm down.


If you’ve made it this far towards our fine internet abode, then you’ve probably worked out that we’re a new game developer, formed by some blokes who did those games you may or may not have liked as a nipper.

However, if you’ve stumbled here by accident in search of non-sexual relationship advice, allow us to explain what on Earth is going on…

Playtonic’s the name, and fun games, unique characters and absolutely-frickin-amazing worlds to explore are our game. Or at least they will be, once we eventually get around to releasing our first project instead of faffing around on WordPress.

Ahem. Currently we’re a sextet of artists, programmers and designers – sort of like The Pussycat Dolls with computer science degress – with one thing in common; we were all once core member of famous UK studio Rare, where we helmed franchises such as Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country and Viva Piñata.

We’ve got the bloke who programmed Donkey Kong Country, the character designer behind Banjo and Kazooie, and the artist who made your console fit to burst with lavish environments across a decade’s worth of adventure games.

Together, our all-star ensemble is aiming to build its debut game, ‘Project Ukulele’, into a worthy spiritual successor to those fondly remembered platforming adventures we built in the past.

By now, you might be thinking, ‘hold on mate, didn’t you make similar claims after drinking too many shandies in the pub in 2012, you muppet?’ Perhaps. But this time it’s real! We’re making a real, proper, actual game. Look: we even managed to trick convince Edge magazine to do us some pages!

You can read all about our venture and see the first artwork for our game in Edge issue 277, which is on sale from February 12.

So what’s next? Well first of all you need to know that our journey is at an early stage – we’ve barely left the Shire and Sean Bean’s still an alright guy.

Over the coming months we’ll reveal more about our project and future growth plans, and we very much intend to get you involved and listen to your views on our game’s direction. You’ll ultimately shape the destination of our project and we plan to continue exchanging sweet glances across cyberspace at you until we get there.

So go on then – follow us on Twitter, slap your thumbs up on our Facebook and sign up for updates. ‘ Cos it’s time to get this wagon rolling…



(well, it definitely has Rare's quirky sense of humor and unusual vernacular)

What do you think?

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Posted: 02/10/15, 21:29:02  - Edited by 
 on: 04/05/17, 22:56:13    
 
Why not sign up for a (free) account and create your own content?
 
@Mr_Mustache

You gotta at least add in a Queen song to the subtitle. Like "Ogre Battle: Fat-Bottomed Girls".


Posted by 
 on: 02/11/15, 10:46:38
@chrisbg99

I'd play it.


Posted by 
 on: 02/11/15, 10:56:03
Just received an e-mail from Gavin (Price, I presume) of Playtonic, who basically encourages anyone interested in the project to make their voices heard, because they want all the feedback they can get when it comes to platforms and stuff.

"Quite a few people seem to want a Wii U version, that’s for sure!"

Here's hoping!


Posted by 
 on: 02/11/15, 19:57:55
Do I get to collect 17 odd-colored bats to feed a mentally challenged animal people don't know exists just so I can get an item that allows me to process the 683 pieces of pristine bark that I need to backtrack across the entire game to get...all just so I could get another item that allows me to make the one step forward I originally wanted to make.

I'd really love that kind of Rare game back.


Posted by 
 on: 02/11/15, 20:26:53
Whatever it ends up being, it can't be worse than Flip's Twisted World...


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 00:09:30
I'd like to see what new things they bring to the table. I actually kinda liked DK64, but it was basically Banjo with DK paint on top. Wonder what they'd do differently today.

Also is Grant Kirkhope going to be involved??


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 01:02:36
I think Rare was starting to learn their lessons about the overabundance of collectibles in their games and were starting to tone things down. Banjo-Tooie for example streamlined the way collectibles worked, making everything much more manageable and unlocking worlds was just done through puzzle pieces. Hopefully they'll keep that in mind.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 01:30:57
@Mop it up

Sometimes you just wanna collect things though. Amirite Destiny players?

I dunno. Maybe make rewards for finding collectables more relevant to encourage people to explore rather than making it a chore.

I'm sure people have no real issue hunting for heart pieces in Zelda, because they directly contribute to giving you more health. Similarily, weapons and items give you new abilities. There's a fine line between collecting for fun vs collecting for obligation.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 02:02:14
A bit of art leaked from EDGE


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 02:57:02
@Infinitywave

Hmmm. It isn't much, but cool nonetheless.

As far as his speculation of it possibly being a 2D platformer? Naaaaaah. It wouldn't exactly be a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie then, would it? It'd be more like a spiritual successor to DKC. Besides, there's no shortage of excellent 2D platformers in this industry right now, but objective based 3D platformers are just about non-existent.

@PogueSquadron

Considering he's been teasing about it forever and his Twitter account is full of activity about the project, we can safely assume so!


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 03:17:41  - Edited by 
 on: 02/12/15, 03:19:19
Wii U where it belongs plz.

Triple A Station One gamers have their Destiny.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 04:10:57
@Mr_Mustache They did.

You just need to get a Neo Geo Pocket Color.

And learn Japanese.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 04:34:10
@CPA Wei

Their website shows the people in charge:
http://www.playtonicgames.com/index.html

The Stamper brothers aren't involved, but most of the guys listed have been with Rare for 20 years.


This is super cool news, but it's just not Rare enough for me without that classic Rare sound. We need David Wise, Grant Kirkhope, Robin Beanland, and the others along for the ride.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 06:23:27
Why does their website look like it's from 1998? Did they make it on Geocities?


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 06:28:35
I feel like I'm going crazy, but I swear I read something by them talking about imagining an alternate universe where instead of being bought by Microsoft, they went indie instead.

Which makes me think... they don't seem too happy about having been bought by Microsoft.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 06:46:43
@Hinph
Agreed. I'm really hyped about the game right now, mainly because it's being marketed as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, and if it turns out to be some 2D platforming type deal my hype will go straight down to zero. Er, 0. I love me a good 2D platformer, but this needs to have full 3D movement and unreasonable amounts of stupid stuff to collect.

@Jargon
The website is obviously the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie's website too.

@Zero
Did you watch Chris Seavor's director's commentary type let's play of Conker's Bad Fur Day? I got the impression that there was quite the corporate culture clash when Microsoft came into the picture.


Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 12:30:11
@Zero

Yeah, the cultures of each company were simply not compatible with one another. Microsoft wasted an ass-load of money and killed a great developer. Why buy a company only to change everything about it? At least they finally seem open to utilizing some of that Rare IP, even if they have other studios handling development.

I watched an interview with Ed Fries on YouTube the other day, and it sounds like the Microsoft execs had their heads way up their asses in those early days of the Xbox division. They were even going to rush Halo 2 out a year before it was ready, which would have been a wonderful way to kill their most important IP. Ed Fries won that fight, but then it was the same story over and over, so he just had enough of the bullshit and left.

I really enjoy this guy's interviews, though, though they are mostly classic PC game developers:



Posted by 
 on: 02/12/15, 13:35:20  - Edited by 
 on: 02/12/15, 13:39:41



Posted by 
 on: 02/13/15, 17:25:10
Nice to have it confirmed!


Posted by 
 on: 02/13/15, 18:04:46
@r_hjort
That took me way too long to get.


Posted by 
 on: 02/13/15, 18:31:56
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