Tag: Playtonic Games
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Feature Who Is Playtonic's Voice Of The People?
The driving force of change
s Williams, Head of People @ Playtonic Here at Nintendo Life we've followed Playtonic's journey since its inception back in 2015. We caught up with the team behind Yooka-Laylee and its follow-up Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair last year to see how the studio had grown and what they are working on next. During...
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Video What's Going On At Playtonic, The Studio Behind Yooka-Laylee?
A Rare find
It was almost 10 years ago that a group of former Rare developers got together and established Playtonic Games. This was a team consisting of many of the minds behind Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and other such classics, so when their first title, Yooka-Laylee was released in 2017, we were relieved to see that level of creativity...
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News Nintendo Goodies Up For Grabs In Playtonic's Charity Auction For SpecialEffect
Update: Auction is live, including Banjo and DKC items
Update [Mon 3rd Oct, 2022 17:45 BST]: The auction items went up over the weekend. Up for grabs are various art prints featuring Playtonic Friends games and the developer's own Yooka-Laylee, plus retro-flavoured offerings from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and others. There...
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News Playtonic Celebrates 5 Years of Yooka-Laylee, Teases Some "Surprises"
What could it be..?
It's been 5 whole years since Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee launched (albeit Switch owners needed to wait a bit longer) and the publisher is looking to celebrate the milestone throughout the day, even teasing some "surprises". We'll be sure to keep an eye on Playtonic's feed and update on anything worthwhile, but we're absolutely...
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News 'Yooka-Laylee' Creator Playtonic Expands With Second Studio
"We want to broaden our reach, without going too far"
Playtonic Games, the studio behind the Yooka-Laylee series, has opened a second office in the UK town of Leamington Spa. Playtonic – which was founded in 2015 by former Rare staffers – recently gained investment from the Chinese giant Tencent. It has released two games so far,
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News Playtonic's Original Yooka-Laylee Game Is Getting A Follow-Up Title
A new adventure is on the way
In a bit of a shock announcement earlier this week, Playtonic - the UK developer comprised of former Rare veterans and known for titles such as Yooka-Laylee - revealed Chinese video game giant Tencent had acquired a minority stake in the business. If it's got you wondering what's to come, in an interview with friends...
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News Playtonic Announces Tencent Investment And Major Expansion Plans
"Things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years"
Playtonic has undergone rapid expansion since its initial Kickstarter success with Yooka-Laylee over six years ago, with a number of Rare veterans on board. It followed that up with the rather good Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, before delving into publishing last year with...
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News Yooka-Laylee Developer Playtonic Games Teases New Reveal Coming "Soon"
"We know you're wondering what we have cooking"
Playtonic Games, the UK-based developer behind Yooka-Laylee and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, has teased a new reveal that should be headed our way "soon". The studio took to social media today to offer some kind words to fans and to promise that a reveal is on the way. "We'd like to give...
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Book Review Flicking Through The Vibrant World Of Yooka-Laylee And The Kracklestone
Over a hundred pagies long
The spiritual successor to the legendary bear and bird besties, Yooka-Laylee, nearly shook the earth when they were revealed through a Kickstarter project by Playtonic Games, the brand new studio made up of ex-Rare developers. Since the original reveal back in 2015, the team has managed to put out not just one, but two...
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News Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Update Makes The Final Stage Easier To Beat
And it's completely optional
The folks over at Playtonic Games have unleashed several announcements for the Yooka-Laylee series of games, including an important update for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. The first announcement regards Impossible Lair's erm... impossible lair, with a new update allowing players to dial down the difficulty if...
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News Playtonic Games Isn't Working On A New Banjo-Kazooie Game, Despite The Rumours
"They're rumours."
Ever since Banjo and Kazooie were officially confirmed as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters last summer, rumours and speculation surrounding new games and remasters for Rare's legendary series have been doing the rounds online. One such rumour suggests that Playtonic, a studio housing plenty of ex-Rare staff, is helping Rare,...
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The perfect (Play)tonic
In these trying times we could all do with a some relief - a little pick-me-up to get us through the day. When we're feeling blue, throwing on some classic Rareware tunes from the likes of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie perks us up no end. As luck would have it, both composers behind those winners feature on the...
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"What’s changed? So far as I can tell, not a lot!"
Earlier this week, Playtonic Games announced that veteran character artist Ed Bryan was ing the team behind Yooka-Laylee on a full-time basis. The ex-Rare man has been away from the games industry since leaving Rare eight years ago, but now reenters the fray as Playtonic enjoys the success of...
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News No, Playtonic Games Isn't Making A New Banjo-Kazooie Or ing Microsoft
Playtonic shares official statement
Over the past few days, you may have stumbled across rumours and speculation suggesting that Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games is either working on a new Banjo-Kazooie title, or that it has been acquired by Microsoft. Neither of these things are true. The rumours appear to have started soon after it was...
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News Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Is Open To Making A Mario Kart-Like Racer Or Splatoon-Like Shooter
"Really, we could work on any kind of game"
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is out right now on Switch, with the folks over at Playtonic Games doing a cracking job of tickling our nostalgia bone. The game reminds us of Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie and even Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle all mushed into one, and it'
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News Escape 'The Impossible Layer' In Playtonic's New Yooka-Laylee-Inspired Mario Maker 2 Course
Celebrating Impossible Lair's launch
Having released Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair to great reviews just yesterday, we'd like to think the good folks over at Playtonic Games are sitting with their feet up, relaxing after shipping one of them there vidya games. Of course, as with all devs who have just shipped a game, they're probably still...
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Feature Yooka-Laylee Devs Make Super Mario Maker 2 Courses
Play four levels from Playtonic Games!
Next up in our Super Nindie Maker 2 series, we're lucky enough to have a bumper offering from Playtonic Games. Following on from the opening gambit courtesy of Shovel Knight designer Mike Herbster, the developers behind Yooka-Laylee and its 2.5D sequel Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair have cooked
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News Playtonic Devs Recall The Trials And Errors Of Making Yooka-Laylee
"We all knew where the issues were."
Playtonic Games - the studio grown primarily from ex-Rare staff - struck gold with its idea to crowd fund a Banjo-Kazooie-style collectathon revival via Kickstarter. Raising over £2 million for 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee, the devs were hugely successful in tapping nostalgia for the kind of game that had fallen...
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News Team17 And Playtonic Games Share Super Mario Maker 2 Levels For You To Play
Can you beat them?
If you're on the lookout for some new Super Mario Maker 2 levels to enjoy, hopefully these creations from Team17 and Playtonic Games will do the trick nicely. There are two courses on offer from Team17 - the studio behind Switch games like My Time at Portia, Overcooked,
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News Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Games Teases New Game Reveal
And we won't have long to wait
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games looks set to share details on its next game as soon as tomorrow, according to a cheeky tease. Lovingly crafted from some of the creative talent behind games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, Yooka-Laylee is currently the first and only game from the UK-based studio...
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News The Next Yooka-Laylee Adventure Will Be A Crowd-Funded Graphic Novel
Kickstarter runs until 16th November
Yooka-Laylee started out life on Kickstarter and went on to become the fastest video game project to hit $1 million on the crowd-funding platform. Following their first outing on the Switch and multiple other systems, the bat and chameleon are now ready for their next adventure. The only catch is it'll take on...
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News Looks Like Playtonic Is Ready To Reveal Its Next Game
Plus "extra content" for Yooka-Laylee
UK studio Playtonic has broken its silence to celebrate the first birthday of Yooka-Laylee, as well as hint that it's about to lift the lid on its next project. In a recent blog post, Playtonic said: Yes, hands up, we’ve been a bit quiet for a while. But we promise it’s because we’ve been far too busy...
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News This Playtonic Art Could Be The Closest We'll Get To Seeing Banjo-Kazooie And Switch Together
Former Rare artists celebrate their Nintendo past
To celebrate the long-awaited release of Yooka-Laylee on Switch, Playtonic's artists have been paying tribute to their past connection with Nintendo. As you know, Playtonic's core team is made up of former Rare staffers who worked on some of the company's most famous NES, SNES and N64 era titles...
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Feature Yooka-Laylee Jumps Onto Switch in December - We Learn All About It
Resolution, unique features and hopes for the future
Yooka-Laylee was one of the most high profile and successful Kickstarter campaigns of 2016, but its path to Nintendo systems has been a little troubled. The planned Wii U version eventually bit the dust, with confirmation coming after it was already suspected, and the game had a mixed critical...
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News TriForce Announces The Yooka-Laylee Collector-Boxie
10-inch statue of your favourite buddy duo
TriForce - a creator of high-end, officially licensed scale replicas of famous video game characters - has revealed its next venture, and it's likely to be of interest to fans of Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee, which is due out on Switch some time in the near future. The company is producing a 10-inch...
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News Playtonic Games is Working on Unity Issues for Yooka-Laylee on Switch
"We understand the frustration that it’s taken so long"
Yooka-Laylee arrived back in April across PC and various systems, but it's had a longer route to Nintendo hardware. The Wii U version somewhat predictably bit the dust, and since then it's been a wait for the title to make its way to the Switch. Playtonic has given various updates, and...
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News Playtonic Gives Update On Yooka-Laylee For Switch
Studio needs to be 100% confident before giving a release date
With the prospect of taking it anywhere, some have held off on purchasing Yooka-Laylee as they wait for it to be released on the Switch. Developer Playtonic Games has now given a little insight into how far along it is, saying that the "final issues" are being worked out. This news comes...
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News Yooka-Laylee Could Be Much Improved By The Time The Switch Version Arrives
Playtonic working "with speed" towards Switch port
It's fair to say that Yooka-Laylee didn't exactly live up to the monumental expectations placed upon it by critics and fans alike, garnering mixed reviews last month when it landed on non-Nintendo platforms. Our sister site Push Square awarded the PS4 version 6 out of a possible 10, concluding that...
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Round Up Yooka-Laylee's Scores Are In, And Critics Appear Divided
A return to form or a step backwards?
Yooka-Laylee isn't out on the Nintendo Switch yet, but it launches on other platforms very soon - so soon, in fact, that reviews have just gone live. As one of Kickstarter's most successful video game campaigns there was a lot of expectation surrounding this title, the debut of Playtonic Games - a studio made...
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Hands On Striking a Chord with Yooka-Laylee
UPDATE: Switch version reconfirmed, coming "very soon"
UPDATE: Mere moments after we published this feature, it was confirmed during the Nindie Direct that the Switch version of Yooka-Laylee will be launching "very soon" and will feature all of the game's multiplayer modes. ORIGINAL STORY: The employees over at Playtonic have been through a lot to...
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News Yooka-Laylee Formally Confirmed for Switch Along With Wii U Backer Options
"We continue to work closely with Nintendo"
There was understandable disappointment late last year when it was confirmed that Yooka-Laylee is no longer coming to the Wii U. Playtonic Games did give a strong indication that it would bring the title to Nintendo Switch, though the wording wasn't quite ironclad. It now seems to be a firm proposition,...
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News Playtonic Games Adds Two More Former Rare Devs to its Ranks
"Super Scheduler and Handheld Hancho"
Playtonic Games - which is currently working on finalising Yooka-Laylee for launch - has published a blog post announcing that two former Rare designers have ed the ranks at the studio. Throughout the development of Yooka-Laylee the studio has been picking up various former Rare employees, including coders...
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News Yooka-Laylee To Make Playable Debut At EGX 2016
Hands-on with the dynamic duo
Highly anticipated 3D adventure Yooka-Laylee will be playable by the public at this year's EGX event in the UK, it has been revealed. Created by a team of former Rare staffers and published by veteran firm Team 17, Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platformer which takes inspiration from the likes of Banjo-Kazooie and the Donkey...
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News Playtonic Handling Wii U Version of Yooka-Laylee, Team17 Porting To PS4 And Xbox One
"We wanted to make sure that Wii U gets the right attention"
It's tempting, in light of the system's declining role in the market and modest base, to be rather fearful around third-party Wii U projects. With Yooka-Laylee moving into 2017 it'd be understandable to feel twitchy; yet thankfully this is a Playtonic Games title, with the studio being...
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Interview Playtonic On Yooka-Laylee Progress And Its New 2017 Release Window
Going behind the scenes on the exciting platformer
Yooka-Laylee is aiming to bring back the long-forgotten 3D platforming/collectathon genre that helped make developers such as Rare juggernauts of the industry, and is also one of the last shining beacons of hope for long-suffering Wii U owners. We were lucky enough to have a first-hand look at the...
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News Playtonic Raises the Curtain to Show Off A Lot of Yooka-Laylee Details
"Today is just the preliminary act"
Yooka-Laylee caused a big stir when it was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, with developer Playtonic Games being formed by a group of experienced former Rare employees. When we went hands on and visited the studio we couldn't help but be excited about its potential. Playtonic Games has been relatively quiet in...
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News Playtonic Games Reveals New Character and David Wise Track for Yooka-Laylee
Three new staff also up
Yooka-Laylee made quite an impact when it was revealed in Spring 2015, with the newly formed Playtonic Studios gaining a lot of attention by virtue of a promising Kickstarter pitch video and the fact that the team was largely comprised of former Rare staff. Already positioned as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie,...
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News Legendary Former Rare Character Artist, Kev Bayliss, s Playtonic to Work on Yooka-Laylee
Credited with DK's Country design, Killer Instinct work and much more
The words 'Rare' and 'Legend' go together very often, and we try not to use them unless they're necessary. In the case of former company Character Artist / Graphics Director Kev Bayliss it's a fair description, however, and the pleasing news is that he's now ed Playtonic...
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News Nintendo UK and Playtonic Games to Host a Special Super Mario Maker Live Broadcast
Yooka-Laylee studio to show off its creations
With Super Mario Maker approaching we can expect a variety of promotional activities from the big N, and Nintendo UK has an live stream that could be one to watch for retro and eShop fans. It's announced on Instagram that it'll be hosting a live broadcast with Playtonic Games, the team of...
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News Team17 Is Publishing Yooka-Laylee And Wants To Produce A Physical Version
“There is a large demand for a physical game”
UK veteran Team17 is publishing Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee, it has been announced. The 3D platformer raised more than £2M via Kickstarter earlier this year, and is coming to the Wii U. Team17 will assist with localisation, certification, QA, marketing and other business concerns. Here's what...
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News Playtonic Happy to Move Away From "Box-Ticking" Culture At Microsoft-Owned Rare
Creative lead Gavin Price talks about fresh beginnings
Yooka-Laylee has been hailed as a platforming rebirth created by some of the UK's most talented developers, and has recently become one of Kickstarter's most acclaimed success stories. Developer Playtonic - which is made up of former Rare staffers and, in recent months, has added more in the...
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News Yooka-Laylee’s Game Worlds Will Be Contained Within "Magical Books”
A novel idea
Playtonic's spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie and popular Kickstarter project, Yooka-Laylee, aims to recreate the magic of the 3D platform titles of yesteryear with charming characters and classic level design. With development well underway, creative lead Gavin Price has recently discussed the team's approach to level creation in...
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News Introducing The Very First Character In Yooka-Laylee, Trowzer The Serpent Salesman
A snake wearing tros
characters were very much a staple of 3D platform games during their prime, and it looks like Playtonic Games will continue this tradition with the recent reveal of the first character in Yooka-Laylee: Trowzer, the serpent salesman. A business-snake whose career never took off, the smug salesman is...
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News Yooka-Laylee Hit The $1 Million Point Faster Than Any Other Game In The History Of Kickstarter
On course to be the UK's biggest gaming Kickstarter campaign, too
Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee reached the $1 million marker faster than any other game on Kickstarter, it has been revealed. The campaign smashed its initial funding goal of £175,000 in less than 40 minutes, and by the end of its first full day had
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News Yooka-Laylee Character Designer Spills on Creating Playtonic Games' Quirky Heroes
"Big eyes, big teeth, big belly. You can’t go wrong with these traits"
If the core appeal of your game is 3D platforming, there are key ingredients that simply must be included - slick controls, a smooth camera and solid mechanics are naturally part of the recipe. Immediately charming characters are also a must, though - unlike some genres where...
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News Yooka-Laylee Sets a New Stretch Goal to Smash, This Time for a Fully Orchestrated Soundtrack
A Rare treat
Yooka-Laylee is proof that combining industry veterans of an iconic development studio with a genre that brings to mind the late '90s is a tonic for success. From that laboured bit of wordplay we segway to Playtonic Games, which has quickly turned from a start-up of excellent developers into a significant Kickstarter success story...
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News Yooka-Laylee Double-Jumps Through Final Kickstarter Stretch Goal In Less Than 24 Hours
£1 million in the bag, day one Wii U release assured
Update: Playtonic Games has now announced two new stretch goals on its campaign page. £1.1 million will bring an N64 'shader mode' plus a DK rap + video in the credits, while £1.2 million will add a developer walkthrough and commentary video. At current momentum these will likely be ed in...
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News Yooka-Laylee Kickstarter Campaign Smashes Its Funding Goal In Less Than An Hour
Thousands of backers jump in for spiritual Banjo-Kazooie Successor
Playtonic Games, a new studio comprised of ex-Rare developers, has been generating a lot of hype for its first project. We know from speaking to the studio, however, that it'll be absolutely stunned by the reaction to the Kickstarter campaign for its first game - Yooka-Laylee. After...
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Exclusive Behind The Scenes On Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee
Meeting with a Rare breed of developers
They say that the apple never falls far from the tree, and that's certainly true of UK startup Playtonic Games. Based on an industrial estate in the middle of the rolling English countryside, this team of former Rare developers is but a stone's throw away from the historic town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, where Rare...
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First Impressions Hands On With Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee
Damien and Thomas share their initial impressions
The cat - or should that be chameleon - is out of the bag. Fledgling UK studio Playtonic Games has lifted the lid on the stars of its début title - Yooka and Laylee - and has sent Rare-loving Nintendo fans into a frenzy of anticipation by confirming that the game will be coming to the Wii U eShop...
