Banjo Kazooie launches on Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack in January

What you need to know

• Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription service offering online play, access to retro games, and more.
• The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack includes Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles.
• Banjo Kazooie is set to release on the Nintendo 64 service in January 2022

The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service hasn't gotten the same treatment of several monthly games the way the base subscription has, outside of Paper Mario being announced for the system on December 12. Though Nintendo didn't have any huge reveals for The Game Awards this year, they did quietly divulge some nuggets of information after.

The game arguably wanted by most fans of the Nintendo 64, Banjo Kazooie, is set to release on the Expansion Pack service in January 2022. Nintendo has not announced a specific release date, but the fact that it's being released so soon after Paper Mario bodes well for the service. Some may question the quality of the port announced, however, due to the fact that Nintendo 64 games in the Expansion Pack had some notable lag issues, particularly games like Mario Kart 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Should Nintendo fix these issues, though, it will be a welcome addition to the service, as the game's developer, Rare, was bought by Microsoft many years ago. It will be the first time that Nintendo 64 fans will be able to play the game on a Nintendo console in decades.