They reveal the origin of the name of Banjo-Kazooie

There are always mysteries to be solved, undiscovered riddles or small secrets that have remained hidden for decades. Banjo-Kazooie, one of Rare’s latest productions for Nintendo 64, is now part of Microsoft, as the purchase of the studio also involved the transfer of rights to its intellectual properties. In any case, the name of the franchise starring these two nice characters is more linked to Nintendo than you might expect. At least, it is linked to the family of Hiroshi Yamauchi, the late president of the Kyoto company and grandson of the founder of Nintendo.

An article published by VGC has brought out an unpublished story about the origin of the name Banjo-Kazooie. Andy Robinson, a former Playtonic Games, was one of the only developers in the studio that didn’t come from Rare. During his stay at the company he worked at Yooka-Laylee, in the end, spiritual successor or tribute to Banjo-Kazooie. During one of the conversations he had with developers who had worked on the original title, a story was uncovered that had remained hidden for years. Banjo’s name was chosen in honor of the president’s grandson, whose name is Banjo Yamauchi.