Banjo In Smash? XBox Head OK With The Idea

As you’re filling out the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot, you might assume there are certain realistic limits to what you can suggest. As nice as it would be to see a Rare character or two appear in the game, appearing there googly-eyed like the Nintendo 64 days never left, you know Microsoft would never allow it.

Or wait, maybe they would. Someone asked the president of Microsoft’s XBox division, Phil Spencer, if Banjo was a possible candidate for Smash DLC, and Phil responded.

Pedro @PedroDarkinson
@XboxP3 Nintendo is holding a poll for the next Smash Bros DLC, and Banjo is a popular choice! It would mean so much if you could get him in

Phil Spencer @XboxP3
@PedroDarkinson I think it would be cool if Banjo was in the next SSB DLC. We’ve worked with Nintendo on Rare IP before, no issues.

Between this and Jetpac appearing intact in the upcoming Virtual Console release of Donkey Kong 64, it’s nice to see the wall between Nintendo and Microsoft slowly crumbling. There was friction when MS wanted to remaster Goldeneye and put it in XBox Live, and Big N wouldn’t allow it. They seem to be on better terms now. One day, in the far future, it might not be far-fetched to see more games from the Rare library show up in Nintendo’s marketplace — maybe not Goldeneye, but perhaps Jet Force Gemini, Blast Corps, or maybe even the original non-Microsoft-rejiggered versions of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Hey, Sonic has been on Nintendo consoles for over a decade now; never say never.

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