Nintendo is reportedly planning ‘a big Donkey Kong push’ including animation
Insider claims a new game, animation and theme park world are planned for the franchise
Nintendo is reportedly planning a big push for its Donkey Kong franchise, including a new game, animation and theme park world.
That’s according to historically reliable Nintendo insider Zippo, who previously claimed that a new Donkey Kong game is in development at Nintendo EPD, alongside other insiders and publication Nintendo Life.
This week the insider claimed that the in-development video game was part of a larger push for Donkey Kong planned by Nintendo.
“I’ve been told by multiple people that Donkey Kong is the next franchise in line to follow Mario in Nintendo’s push for their game franchises to become multimedia juggernauts,” they said.
“Donkey and co. aren’t just getting a new game, they’re getting animation (Before this catches fire, my sources did not specify whether or not this was a movie or a show, just that an animation featuring DK characters was early in the works.) a big theme park expansion, merchandise, etc.
“This new game is not just a one off, DK is being taken seriously at the big N again, and that should be good news for fans everywhere.”
According to reports, Universal Studios is already pushing ahead with plans to expand the Super Nintendo World theme park with a Donkey Kong-themed world, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest this is the case.
As reported in VGC’s Super Nintendo World review, Super Nintendo World Japan – which opened in March – features a locked door hidden towards the north of the park with a very DK-esque design.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently indicated that the company is exploring the potential of creating more animation content beyond the planned Super Mario movie, featuring its other game series.
The Super Mario movie is currently in development at Despicable Me studio Illumination, with a 2022 release window previously scheduled.
further reading
The Mario Odyssey team is working on a new Donkey Kong game, it’s claimed
Nintendo has historically been very protective of its intellectual property, only greenlighting television and film projects for the Zelda animated show and Super Mario Bros. movie 30 years ago.
However, during the past decade, the company has increasingly moved to leverage its popular IP in various ways. The company’s Nintendo Tokyo store opened in November 2019, and Super Nintendo World theme parks are set to open at Universal Studios locations around the world.
In its corporate management meeting in September last year, Nintendo said it had “already embarked on multiple other visual content projects” alongside Illumination’s Mario movie.
