It's taken years, but Banjo-Kazooie fans have finally finished decompiling the code of Rare's classic 3D platformer, paving the way for new community experiences
Aug. 30, 2024But where will the community go from here?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
It’s been a long time coming, but fans have managed to fully decompile all of Banjo-Kazooie’s code, meaning that it’s now possible for unofficial PC ports to be developed, not to mention many,manymore mods for Rare’s classic 3D platformer.
Video game decompilation can sound pretty complicated, but what it boils down to is reverse engineering the game to end up with usable code (not the original source code, mind you). Once that’s obtained, the doors are blown wide open for mods, ports, and all sorts of community projects – we’veseen this before with the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the originalPaper Mario was similarly decompiled last year.
But what now? Well, this could mean everything, or it could mean little, depending on what fans decide to do with the decompilation. The code itself is essentially a tool toallowfor the likes of native PC ports and mods, but it’s all up to talented fans to produce those things themselves. Regardless, there’s no doubt that this must be a triumphant moment for everyone who’s been working on it for so long – it’ll be interesting to see where the community goes from here.
For more games like Banjo-Kazooie, be sure to check out our list of thebest platformersof all time.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
Antonblast review: “Explosively reinvents the destructive energy of Wario Land”
The joyous momentum of 16-bit Sonic is finally recaptured in 3D thanks to Penny’s Big Breakaway, once you learn its fantastic and unique controls
A month after approving free versions of Unreal games that “started it all,” Fortnite creator Epic shouts out a group of fan devs “for their continued support in keeping the legacy alive”
