Topic: The DK Franchise Discussion Thread

Now that Retro Studios is in charge of Metroid Prime 4 we haven't the slightest idea about what would happen with Donkey Kong in general. Personally, I think that Nintendo is or could be on the process of finding a good studio for DK. Personally, I hope that Ubisoft is one of the studios that Nintendo has in mind for this excellent platforming franchise.

@SamusLv7 It would be helpful if you could edit your comment with your own thoughts. You know, to start the conversation. The ''this is a thread where you can talk about x'' threads feel a bit pointless to me if the OP doesn't even have to add anything to the conversation.

So, currently we don't know what is the status of the DK franchise. Some people and leaks said that Retro has been working on a sixth entry of Country games. However, we don't know if this is true. Nothing has been said from Nintendo and/or Retro. Retro has been working on Donkey Kong games since they finished developing Metroid Prime 3, possibly until the recent announcement of their appointment to develop Prime 4.

@Octane I see. Sorry for that. I will update it.

Perhaps retro has been working on a DK game for the past few years? It’s all been quiet from them recently. Never know lol. Maybe they are just about ready for Nintendo to publish it and this MP4 work from Nintendo came at just the right time.

I know it’s a long shot, but still.

@Bevinator Yes, that is probably the case. There's a rumor that said that the DK game that Retro has been working these last years is named Donkey Kong Country Wooded Fury. It's a bit unfortunate that Retro couldn't made a 3D Donkey Kong, assuming that these years they are most likely making a 2D DK. Would be interesting to see them make a 3D game.

Would love a 3D game. Will probably end up being 2D though. Either way it’ll be day one for me @SamusLv7

From the rumours that have been circulating the internet for the past year or so, Retro were initially working on a new IP in the horror genre which, was potentially cancelled and work shifted to a Star Fox Racing game which again is likely to have been cancelled late last year. The Metroid Prime 4 was commissioned after Retro produced a tech demo which Nintendo approved and thus is why they are now handling the game going forwards.

Unless Nintendo have been working on it internally, I wouldn't get too excited about the potential of a new game in the franchise anytime soon.

@Bevinator you can bet that it will be day one for me too 👍

Yes, I am also aware that, which is why I am neither hyped nor disappointed. Just in a regular mood regarding this matter.

After seeing how the DK Adventure DLC of Mario + Rabbits Kingdom Battle has been made so well, I think that the best studio would be Ubisoft. Maybe a few Retro developers can give them some advice in the beginning, and they'll continue forward after that.

@ReaderRagfihs I miss some of the voices of him of DKC like when he got hit by an enemy.

@FragRed i could not see Nintendo handing as important game as MP4 (especially after the restart) to a company that has failed to deliver on two pitches so i have to assume they have done something to warrant the chance to return to the franchise. If Retro are nearing the end of development of something (maybe a 2019 DK game) then surely they could already be working on MP4 while testing and tweaking is done on that.

@bluemage1989 That’s what I would hope too, that they’ve near the completion of something and are either now moving onto Metroid Prime 4, or soon will be. I was just referring to what rumours have been circulating. Until something is announced or leaked, it could go either way with whether their previous project or projects will get released. I would certainly expect it to be shown in the next Direct if it were so close to completion, whatever it turns out to be.

I agree. The fact that the only 3D game in the franchise wasn't that well liked could be an advantage, because there is more room for improvement. Sort of how the movie Heat was a great remake because the movie it was based on (L.A. Takedown) wasn't very good.

@Agriculture Good point. Whoever is put in charge of a 3D Donkey Kong must take notes of some of things that the players didn't like from the 64 entry. One of the most things that players point out, is the change of Kongs mechanic, which was limited to the barrels contrary to the first three Country games which can changed with the press of a button. I think that the best way to solve this, is that they incorporate an item that can make you change of Kong at any time.

I loved DK64, in part because it wasn't another 2D entry. Just like SMB to SM64, it was a fresh run through a franchise.

@JackEatsSparrows That's also one of the reasons why I love it 😊 To be honest, I never had an issue with the amount of collectibles, among other things that critics and players have pointed out.

@SamusLv7 Never had an issue, either. I mean, collectibles are a staple of adventure games, even then.
Mario had stars and coins; Banjo had music notes, jinjos and jiggys. Plus... you didn't have to collect everything. That's like complaining that there's too much lettuce in a salad.

@JackEatsSparrows Fair point. I never finished 101% Donkey Kong 64. I was kid by then and didn't have the experience that I now have with video games.