Seems that I underestimated just how much we’ve wanted a proper Banjo-Kazooie Threeie, or some equivalent when I wrote about Yooka-Laylee’s funding in just 40 minutes yesterday. Six hours after the launch of the Kickstarter Yooka-Laylee became the fastest video game project ever to reach $1 million, beating out the seven hours previously reached by Tormer: Tides of Numenera. Today, shortly before I began to write this article, they just hit £1 million which was the threshold of the stretch goals set out.
The game will now have a simultaneous Day One release on all platforms (PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Wii U), some weird and unusual transformations, local co-op games, boss battles, exclusive character designs from other ex-Rare artists and professionally translated French, German, Italian and Spanish language options; along with much, much more because the stretch goals have all been met. That’s just amazing.
Posting in an update on the Kickstarter Playtonic expressed their gratitude by jokingly saying “We can’t take our eyes off you for a minute, can we?” regarding the quick funding. They then offered “sincere thanks” to everyone who has backed the game so far, stating that as always the Kickstarter was just to help them improve a game that they always were going to make and that because of the support “you’ve helped us shape it into one fine specimen”.
However they haven’t run out of ideas yet, and have now announced a further two stretch goals, one at £1,100,000 and then other at £1,200,000. The £1.1 mil is for an N64 shader mode option as well as a credits ‘GK rap and video’ from Grant Kirkhope who is responsible for the music for this game as well as many previous Rare games; and the £1.2 mil will get a series of the developers giving a walkthrough and commentary.
The speed that this game has funded is staggering, even for someone like me who completely understands how much everyone wanted a new and good Banjo-Kazooie game (I backed Y-L in the first hour after all). I truly hope that it turns out to be the one that we’ve wanted for so long and that Yooka and Laylee can truly carry the torch and carry on the tradition of buddy-duo platforming that Banjo and Kazooie made so popular.
Yooka-Laylee KS: “1 Million & More Stretch Goals!”: [x]
