May2024
Feature Who Is Playtonic's Voice Of The People?
The driving force of change
Frances 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...
November2023
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...
October2022
News Kao The Kangaroo Teams Up With Yooka-Laylee In Free DLC, Out Soon On Switch
And today on other platforms
Tate Multimedia is answering one of our most burning questions — what happens when you put a kangaroo, a chameleon, and a bat together? Well, you get some free DLC for Kao the Kangaroo. This free costume pack is a crossover between Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee and the Kao. Once you download the DLC — which is available...
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...
August2022
News Yooka-Laylee Developer Playtonic Warns Of 'Lil Gator Game' Scam
"Stay safe everyone"
The Yooka-Laylee developer and publisher Playtonic Games has issued a warning via social media about a new scam currently doing the rounds - linked to a game it's publishing. It seems "someone" is offering a beta test opportunity for MegaWobble's Lil Gator Game. scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other...
March2022
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,
November2021
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...
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...
February2021
News Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic Celebrates Six Years In The Biz With New Publishing Label
"Playtonic Friends had been brewing as a serious ambition for a while"
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic turns six this year – and is marking the occasion by showing off a brand-new logo and by launching a new publishing label which aims to bring some of the world's best Indie games to market. Playtonic Friends is the name of the new label, and it...
January2021
Feature Banjo-Tooie Turns 20 - The Rare Team Tells The Story Of Bombs, Bugs And Bottles
"Bottles got what was coming to him"
Nowadays, there's nary a game that doesn't finish with a post-credits tease to tee up a sequel or spin-off. There's always a tantalisingly loose thread or Easter Egg hidden in the DLC hinting at a further instalment. It would be a very bold move, though, to name your sequel and directly reference it in a game...
December2020
Feature Switch Developers Open Up About The Impact Of COVID-19
We speak to Dotemu, Image & Form, SMG Studio and Playtonic Games
Most of you reading this will have encountered some sort of social restrictions over the past month or so due to the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently experiencing. While security measures designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus vary on a per-country basis, necessary...
"It’s very much like being in quarantine and lockdown all the time"
Last month music label Materia Collective put out the original soundtracks to both Yooka-Laylee and its sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on a host of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. The music from both of Playtonic Games' love letters to platformer
November2020
News Yooka-Laylee Teams Up With GungHo's Volta-X For A New Collab
Update: Now live
Update: The Yooka-Laylee x Volta-X collab is now live! GungHo Online Entertainment America has shared all the details you need: Introducing the playable crewmate, Yooka (with sidekick Laylee on his back) and a new story mission. You can now experience new, character-specific skills and abilities once the loveable duo join your...
August2020
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...
May2020
News Still On The Fence About Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair? Now's The Time To Strike
It's currently on sale with 33% off in all regions
We really liked Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Playtonic dropped the full-3D approach of the original for a purer 2.5D look, and, in our book, came up with something of a spiritual successor to the Donkey Kong Country series (yes, we know that series is ongoing, but this was made by the many...
April2020
News Yooka-Laylee Is Now Three Years Old
Happy Birthday!
Can you believe it? Playtonic's unlikely duo Yooka-Laylee is now three years old! The original game of the same name was first released on the 11th of April 2017 after a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. And although it never saw the light of day on Nintendo's Wii U, it did eventually show up on the Switch. To celebrate this...
March2020
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...
January2020
Reminder Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Demo Is Now Available On Switch
Try before you buy
Update (Thu 30th Jan, 2020): As promised, a free demo for Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair is available to download on Switch as of today. If you haven't tried this one out yet, what are you waiting for? Original Article (Mon 20th Jan, 2020 14:45 GMT): When we reviewed Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair back in October...
News Playtonic Releasing A "Little Patch" For Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair On 30th January
"no Beettalion were harmed"
One of the best platformers released last year was Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Although the game launched in a perfectly playable state, the developer Playtonic has since been working on a "little" patch for it that includes multiple bug fixes and general changes. This update has already been released on Steam...
November2019
News Playtonic's Steve Mayles Releases Special Donkey Kong Country Artwork To Mark Its 25th Birthday
As other staffers share mementoes from the period
Donkey Kong Country turned 25 yesterday, an event which is sure to have made many of us feel very old indeed. To celebrate the anniversary, Playtonic's Steve Mayles – who worked on the game during his tenure at Rare – has posted a special piece of artwork showcasing the game's heroes: Mayles...
"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 joining 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...
October2019
Video Digital Foundry Thinks Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Runs Pretty Great On Switch
Find out how the Switch version compares
Earlier this week, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair arrived on the Switch, so how does it hold up compared to other versions? As usual, Digital Foundry has released a technical comparison and we're happy to report it's good news for anyone who has picked up a Nintendo copy. The Switch version runs at a...
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...
News Playtonic Is Adding Impossible Lair's N64 Tonic To The Original Yooka-Laylee Game
Retro glory
If you pre-ordered Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, you'll get access to a special Yooka 64 Tonic. This formula makes the unlikely duo look like they were created during the Nintendo 64 era. It follows on from an update earlier this year, tha
Video Playtonic On Why Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Is Worth Your Time And Money
Straight from the chameleon's mouth
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launches tomorrow, and we've already decided that it's well worth your time. However, what would the lovely folks at Playtonic say if they were making one last, desperate plea to get you to part with your cash? Ponder this question no longer, as we've enlisted those very same...
