10 Video Game Developers That Stupidly Ditched Popular Genres

9. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

The Change: Dedicated platforming to mini-games & racing.

There are certain subsets of Nintendo fans who swear blind - albeit quietly - that Banjo-Kazooie was the REAL champion of N64 platforming, taking everything Mario 64 set in motion and perfecting it.

Because of this, it cemented Rare as platforming champions regardless of whether you were in this camp or not, and after Banjo-Tooie was another solid instalment, the wait began for another instalment.

In one of the most divisive moves in Rare's otherwise exemplary history, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts would release not as a dedicated platformer - though you could still freely explore some hub areas - but as a customisation-heavy racer with repetitive mission structures.

Fans were noticeably p*ssed, and it didn't help that a reveal trailer had put a focus on new abilities for Kazooie that weren't meaningfully in the final build.

Fan-funded Yooka-Laylee - coded by ex-Rare devs - would attempt to scratch the itch with a new set of characters, but that too failed to catch on.