RETROSPECTIVE BANJO-KAZOOIE NUTS & BOLTS

Gregg Mayles tells the story behind the honey bear’s daring, divisive sandbox

- Gregg Mayles

“I think, in some small way, we invented Minecraft first,” jokes Rare’s Steve Maplass. “I’m sure someone owes me quite a lot of money. [Laughing] Sorry, I can’t say that, can I?” Even though Maplass was clearly having a bit of fun during this extract from a Rare Revealed vid-doc back in 2015, he’s got a point: Banjo’s rebooted car constructor was ahead of the curve.

A pioneering sandbox that arguably paved the way for Mojang’s block-breaking mega hit, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is often seen as the black sheep of the trilogy. Looking back, the bear and breegull’s 2008 caper was probably a bit too quick out of the blocks. After all, just three short years later, Minecraft would change the way we look at videogames. It’s obviously pie in the sky thinking to suggest that Nuts & Bolts could have spawned a billion-dollar franchise, yet perhaps Mojang did take cues from the duo’s rebooted vehicle-builder.

It’s a thought that occasionally crosses Gregg Mayles’ mind to this day. “The initial version of Minecraft that appeared a year after Banjo realised the potential of creating things out of blocks, and Rocket League later bought ‘vehicles playing football’ to a much wider audience than we did. Both were simpler, more accessible experiences.” Now creative director at Rare, Mayles acted as lead designer on Nuts & Bolts. Though it’s a passion project that’s still dear to his heart, we pick up on a slight sense of regret as Mayles talks us through the making of this misunderstood reboot.