News
Banjo-Kazooie Spiritual Successor YOOKA-LAYLEE Announced
May 1, in the year of our Lord 2015 --
PLAYTONIC was formed in 2014 by veterans of Rare Ltd, including
Steve Mayles, creator of the beloved Banjo and Kazooie
characters, and Chris Sutherland, the software engineer
responsible for more than two decades of iconic games. Between
them, the seven-person PLAYTONIC team has over 100 years of
combined experience working on blockbuster franchises.
YOOKA-LAYLEE (previously ‘Project Ukulele’) will be released in
2016 and star the charismatic new heroes Yooka and Laylee. Using
an arsenal of special moves like Yooka’s tongue grapple and
Laylee’s sonar blast, players will explore – and expand –
gorgeous 3D worlds filled with collectibles and secrets to
discover.
The highly-anticipated project will feature worlds crafted by
the artists behind the genre’s most beloved classics, plus a
dream soundtrack created in collaboration with legendary
composers David Wise (Donkey Kong Country series), Steve Burke
(Kameo: Elements of Power) and Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie
series).
PLAYTONIC is using Kickstarter as a means of both expanding the
scope of YOOKA-LAYLEE and bringing it to more platforms. The
game is currently planned for release on PC, Mac, Linux,
PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U, with release timings
dependent on the success of the crowdfunding campaign. They have
already reached their goal in Kickstarter.
“When we first announced our project earlier this year it was as
much about gauging interest from fans as anything, and it’s fair
to say that the response has been massive,” said Gavin Price,
managing director and creative lead at PLAYTONIC.
“Until now our development has been self-funded, but Kickstarter
presents us with the amazing opportunity to deliver YOOKA-LAYLEE
at the level of scope and scale that fans demand – and on their
games platform of choice. Our team has decades-worth of ideas
that we hope we’ll now finally have the resources and freedom to
bring to reality.”