QuickTake: Project Dream, Rare's Banjo-Kazooie precursor, has leaked, and I've played it

After years of having screenshots and watching videos of Project Dream, the precursor to Rare's Banjo-Kazooie, a playable build was released on September 9. It's a big win for game preservation, as it was generally believed that the game was under lock and key at Rare's headquarters at Manor Park, Twycross.

However, as the Internet Archive link explains, the leaker who made this build available said it was mainly due to how the gaming industry currently stands, with Microsoft's mismanagement of several companies that have gone independent, such as Double Fine, as well as a misaligned focus on AI, as well as other factors.

I've been playing Project Dream on my iPhone via the Delta emulator, and it's a great reminder of how important game preservation is, and what other builds of cancelled games could be out there.

Another Dream

After a simple title screen, you're brought right into a level that you've likely seen before via screenshots and a video that Rare itself published via its 2015 Rare Replay collection. You can run, jump, and use the sword to attack one of the crocodile enemies. There's also a moment where you need to avoid a dinosaur squashing you.

It's fun, and it would have worked in 1995 - but if it was released any later, Project Dream would have felt far too late, with games like Tomb Raider, Super Mario 64, and others coming out around this time that would revolutionise the gaming industry and make Project Dream feel dated.

But it's also why it morphed into Banjo-Kazooie, and we got a fantastic title out of it. Nevertheless, being able to play Project Dream is brilliant. The leaker requested that anything published should reference the contents of the text file attached to the game in the downloaded folder; below is the text:

Today (September 9, 2026), I’m releasing the SNES proof-of-concept alpha of Project Dream, the prototype that would go on to become Banjo-Kazooie.

I’ve held on to this for years; it was fun to have something that only a handful of people had, and as I am several people removed from how it got out of Rare to begin with, I didn’t want to risk that it could somehow get someone else in trouble (so how I got it is a story I don’t plan to share.) I will just say that I got it from someone who got it from someone, who got it from somewhere.

But with the current state of the industry and Microsoft's current heartless gutting and mismanagement of Rare and other companies it controls, plus with how long it's been, I feel it's more important to make sure this is properly preserved, and the ROM dissected by people with far more knowledge of how to do such things.

I hope that by releasing this, it also inspires other people to release what they have as well. I know the Twelve Tales: Conker 64 prototype is out there somewhere, but sadly, this is the only thing that I have.

There is little joy left in the industry, as it relentlessly marches towards AI, layoffs, anti-preservation and ownership tactics, and, in Microsoft’s case, the support and approval of literal genocide in Gaza.

Let’s get the last beautiful things hiding on our hard drives out there for everyone. That's all we have left.

Please delete Microsoft and Sony from your lives, install Linux, boycott Switch Game Key Cards, and buy Nintendo Switch 2 titles that still come with the full game on the cartridge. Your dollar is the only thing that counts in our late-stage capitalist hellscape.

The attached zip contains a .bin file of the raw dump, and then the same file renamed to a .sfc to work in emulators, as well as this text file.

If any game journalists choose to report on this prototype release, I would ask that they kindly include the full contents of this text file as a courtesy to me for finally getting this out to you all.

Be blessed, and love each other.

Signed,

FvckAsha&Phil

It's also interesting to note from the above that another build, Twelve Tales: Conker 64, which was an almost-complete game before it morphed into 2001's Conker's Bad Fur Day, is out there. With how things are looking with physical game media and the industry as a whole, it feels more important than ever for game preservation to be at the forefront of anyone who may have a build that others would love to play.

I'm also aware of certain versions of games that are in the hands of individuals who would rather keep them to themselves - and to a point, I respect why. But none of us are on this planet for very long, and making these slices of history, or what could have been, is important to fill the gaps in certain stories that have not been otherwise known.

You can download the Project Dream build here to play on your system or emulator of choice.