Banjo-Kazooie coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, revealed at E3 2019
Rare's darlings are set to join the Smash lineup later this year.
What you need to know
- Banjo and Kazooie were revealed as the latest fighters headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- Rumors of Microsoft and Nintendo teaming to bring the pair to Super Smash Bros. have been swirling for weeks.
- Nintendo also revealed heroes from Dragon Quest will be joining the fight.
Nintendo is tapping Microsoft-owned studio Rare for its next fighters headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Banjo-Kazooie will be the next additions to Nintendo's DLC character lineup for the brawler, and the pair look like they're ready to bring the fight to Mario and company.
In a brief trailer shown during its Nintendo Direct stream at E3 2019, Nintendo showed Banjo and Kazooie in action. Kazooie can fire off eggs at enemies for a ranged attack, while Banjo can whip Kazooie back and forth, slamming it into enemies. The pair can also double jump with a little help from Kazooie's wings to get back to safety.
Your favorite bear-bird duo, Banjo & Kazooie, is joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Grab the Fighters Pass and get ready for when Banjo-Kazooie arrive on the battlefield this fall. https://www.smashbros.com/ pic.twitter.com/tsypQJpdBCYour favorite bear-bird duo, Banjo & Kazooie, is joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Grab the Fighters Pass and get ready for when Banjo-Kazooie arrive on the battlefield this fall. https://www.smashbros.com/ pic.twitter.com/tsypQJpdBC— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019June 11, 2019
This marks the first time the pair have appeared in a Smash title, but Nintendo is no stranger to tapping properties outside of its own first-party offerings for characters. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the widest selection of characters of any Smash game so far, with characters ranging from Sonic to Pac-Man and Snake from Metal Gear.
Banjo-Kazooie will presumably be available as part of Nintendo's $25 Fighter Pass, which unlocks all DLC characters for the game. It's likely we'll see the pair available as a separate purchase as well.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has the most comprehensive lineup of fighters we've seen from any Smash game yet. Now, Banjo-Kazooie are set to raise that bar even higher, marking their first entry in the Smash series.
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Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl.