Nintendo has once again omitted the original developers from a remaster’s credits
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD’s credits don’t name anyone who worked on the original Wii version
Nintendo’s latest Switch remaster once again omits the original developers in its credits.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is released on Thursday, offering a hi-def remaster of the 2010 Wii platformer.
However, while the Wii version was developed by Retro Studios, the Switch remaster was instead handled by Forever Entertainment, the Polish studio previously responsible for remakes of Panzer Dragoon, The House of the Dead and Front Mission.
While the Forever Entertainment staff’s names are listed in the game’s credits, however, the Retro Studios staff who worked on the original game go unnamed.
Instead, as spotted by Nintendo Life, they’re represented by a single message reading: “Based on the work of the original development staff.”
This isn’t the first time Nintendo has omitted the original developers from the credits of a remaster, and it isn’t even the first time it’s happened with a Retro Studios title.
In February 2023, developers involved in the making of Metroid Prime criticised Nintendo’s decision to essentially remove them from the credits of Switch port Metroid Prime Remastered.
Again, rather than listing everyone who worked on the original game, Remastered’s credits simply include a single screen that says: “Based on the work of Metroid Prime original Nintendo GameCube and Wii version development staff.”
The issue of properly crediting developers in video games is an ongoing one, with numerous companies criticised for not giving proper credits to creators.
With no real regulation beyond International Game Developers Association (IDGA) guidelines – which aren’t enforceable – game developers are effectively at the mercy of their employers as to how, where or if they’re credited.
IGDA guidelines advise that anybody who has worked on a game’s development for 30 days (or 5%) must be credited.
Further reading
It’s not clear how this affects remasters, given that they’re often handled by new teams building on the work of previous teams who may not have been directly involved with the new version.
VGC’s Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review calls the game “a fine, if unessential Switch remaster”.
“With improved presentation and controls, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the definitive version of a classic platformer,” we wrote. “Though it lacks the variety and bold ideas of its sequel, and offers little new content, it’s a worthwhile experience for those who missed it the first time around.”
