3D platformer ‘Yooka-Laylee’ leaps onto store shelves in April

Yooka-Laylee, the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie designed by several members of the original game’s development team, is almost upon us, offering classic 3D platforming and a zany new world — the game hits store shelves and digital retailers in April.

“Today we can finally confirm that Yooka-Laylee will launch on April 11, 2017, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, and Linux,” developer Playtonic Games announced.

The game is now available for pre-order and will retail for $40 when it launches. Anyone who pre-orders will also gain access to the Yooka-Laylee “Toybox,” an open-ended playground intended to tide fans over until the finished product is ready to launch.

For Kickstarter backers who initially pledged support to receive a digital version of the game, they’ll be able to upgrade to the physical edition, though Playtonic said that its “first priority is to make sure that physical backers receive their game as soon as possible and not weeks late.”

Playtonic also revealed that it intends to bring a version of Yooka-Laylee to the Nintendo Switch, though the studio’s wording makes it sound very unlikely that it will launch day-and-date with the system. The new platform comes at a price, however: the Wii U version of Yooka-Laylee has been completely canceled, and Playtonic is offering users another version of the game without a fee. Those who only own a Wii U appear to be out of luck.

“Despite out best efforts and exploring every possible avenue over, we’ve unfortunately encountered unforeseen technical issues that mean it will be impossible for us to release the game on Wii U as initially planned,” Playtonic said. For those looking to receive a full refund instead of getting another version of the game, the studio recommends contacting Kickstarter directly, though it will also be offering an upgrade program for those who intend to purchase it on the Switch, instead.