Donkey Kong has been missing in action since the port of Tropical Freeze arrived on the Nintendo Switch in 2018. More recently though, there have been rumours about Nintendo EPD (the team behind Super Mario Odyssey) working on a new video game entry in the DK series.
Leaker Zippo previously "backed up" these rumours and now they're at it again with a fresh update about what's apparently going on behind the scenes. In a new blog post, they claim Donkey Kong is going to be the next big Nintendo IP to be transformed into a multimedia juggernaut.
It's not just going to be a "one-off", according to their sources - the plan is to go beyond games with a brand new animation, a theme park expansion (as rumoured) and merchandise. Signing off, the leaker says "DK is being taken seriously" again by Nintendo and claims the details about all of this will be revealed soon.
"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.
"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."
Nintendo has mentioned on a number of occasions how it's interested in expanding its reach. So far this includes work on a Super Mario film and the recent launch of the theme park Super Nintendo World - so it would make a lot of sense for Donkey Kong to join in on the fun.
There's also been plenty of evidence suggesting Super Nintendo World will eventually be opening a Donkey Kong expansion. As of March this year, even more discoveries have been made.
What do you make of this latest rumour? Would you be interested in a new Donkey Kong animation? How about a new game and more focus, in general, on DK and his pals in the future? Leave your thoughts down below.
[source nintendoenthusiast.com]
Comments (78)
The belief I will have when I see the realities of the rumors
Don't let this get to Nintendo or they will cancel it, like the Zelda series.
Y'know what I'd REALLY like outta this? A continuation of the horrible DKC cartoon. Oh, and it's gotta replicate the horrible 3D models too. Give em stupid catchphrases, stupid plots, everything that makes you think of a generic 90's cartoon and not DK. It would be THE ULTIMATE april fools and given how huge of a meme following the original cartoon has, it would be the perfect way to gain respect within the hardcore nintendo fanbase
Obviously fake. Both his rumours are based on stuff that already happened for DK(Animation) and Fire Emblem(Remake).
It's quite literally phony TV Psychic "predictions" spun as a leaks.
He might as well have said they're revealing a new Mario game next year.
Is this the 40th Anniversary celebration of the character that Nintendo hasn't revealed any plans of?
More rumours - why post articles like this?
You also pushed the rumours where a new DK game developed by Nintendo would be released around E3 and that never happened…
Gossip and giving fuel to rumours isn’t a good look..
Also the Switch Pro will be revealed next week with the Zelda HD collection and Metroid Prime HD collections that are also totally done and completed and will be out any day now, and also Sega is going to make F-Zero GX2+alpha for the Dreamcast 3 (they're skipping the number 2 because a fortune teller whose uncle works at Nintendo told them it was bad luck).
Why bother posting rubbish rumours from these people who have been consistently proven to be full of it?
i wish there were a new donkey kong game instead.
Ye just when you want to get back to me about that new donkey kong game.
Need to do a third installment of the "new" donkey kong country games or a 3D DK.
Please.
@PBandSmelly And he better sing in it too!
DK should get a new game. Its long over due. But that's where it should stop. He isn't a viable character that will raise the Nintendo brand. They do make some weird decisions in Japan.
@3RedTriangles
😂😂
@Olmectron
What? When has Nintendo said they cancel the Zelda series? Or did I misunderstood your post?
That's the second dk related rumour in a matter of months. It's incredibly unlikely but could there be a 5-10min dk direct like the pokemon one back in February?
Probably not.
OOOO boooy, someone must have taken a huge leaky dump again, rumors are back
@Clyde_Radcliffe
I need more Bluster Kong fancams, give him a song with a full-on ORCHESTRA
@Cia He was mentioning the Zelda Netflix series.
I like rumors, they’re fun!
And so begins the Nintendo Cinematic Universe.
@3RedTriangles Because we are unfortunate enough to click on the articles, which generates revenue for them. Until we stop reading such articles, there will be plenty of uncles working at Nintendo
I remember the atrocity that was the last Donkey Kong show (those horrendous songs will forever be a stain on animation, as a whole), so I'm not at all excited about this. Nintendo has the funds and the know-how to start its own animation studio to handle its IP, they're just too ***** cheap to do it.
Give us another DK, Nintendo! It's been more than 7 years since the last one...
Let's hope the rumours are true and we get another one next year, bolder and more ambitious than TF, if possible (it was too similar to the rest of them).
@Cia
Someone on Twitter spread a rumor about a Zelda show in the works.
Some time after that he said the show was probably cancelled because it leaked.
So yeah, people are now treating this as if it was official, when It was just a "leaker" cancelling his own "leak" because he knew it wasn't the truth.
There was a kids show on French TV in the late nineties, running for 5 seasons, hosted by the Kong family (everything was animated).
I wonder if it aired in any other country because I would find it strange that it was only created for French TV.
what happened to the rumored 2.5D Donkey Kong game? is the game still hapenning?
It's strange to me that, if the rumours are true, Nintendo would focus on the Donkey Kong Franchise for media outside of games, instead of a different IP like Zelda or Splatoon.
Nintendo's direction over the past few years reminds me increasingly of Sega after they left from making consoles, and that is NOT a good thing. After the Dreamcast folded and Sega announced their intention to go third-party, lots of folks thought it would be great as we'd now be getting all their beloved IPs on anyone's platform of choice. Of course in hindsight that never happened; most of those franchises haven't seen a new installment or even a remaster after two decades and counting, largely because of a single, "safe", Hedgehog-shaped obstacle standing in the way.
Similarly, most fans thought that Nintendo diversifying their business to include theme parks, mobile games, and animation wouldn't really impact their core console videogame development. But the evidence since then suggests otherwise: a high ratio of ports and remaster of first-party titles (primarily Wii U) for the Switch, certain franchises being relegated to mobiles (as Mario Kart is currently) or animation (Donkey Kong), an eShop glutted with garbage, and an almost universally criticized online service whose cloud saves they have repeatedly ignored support for in their own first-party games (BotW and ACNH both required fan outrage for them to bother incorporating it for either). Even this E3, which was a golden opportunity for Nintendo to take advantage of the PS5 and XBox Series X/S' slow starts with regard to "AAA" software support, yielded some good but no genuine must-have, system-moving first-party titles for the holiday season, shades of leading with Luigi's Mansion 3 and not much else a couple of years ago due to ACNH's delay.
I still love the Switch and think it's a great system, but there's no denying that Nintendo's corporate focus has shifted away from it to a degree, enough for the effects to become noticeable for their consumers.
@Giancarlothomaz Now it's more likely, with this new rumour, but not for this year, anyway.
I think the rumoured DK 2,5D and Mario Kart 9 are still happening, but Nintendo is waiting a bit to reveal them. Perhaps in the next Direct...
@AtlanteanMan I think Nintendo also wants to give visibility to those big third party exclusives they have probably put some money on. Games like Bravely Default 2, Monster Hunter Rise (and Stories 2, as it's a console exclusive), No More Heroes 3 and Shin Megami Tensei V are also coming out this year, big games that mix up with the first party titles to increase the catalogue, like Bayonetta 2 or Astral Chain did. It's a mistake to ignore them.
Anyway, remember that there's a pandemic, and the development has slowed down. I bet next year will be crazy, tons of new big games will come all together. For now, we have Zelda BotW 2, Splatoon 3, Pokemon Legends, Mario & Rabbids 2, Rune Factory 5 and Project Triangle Strategy, but we can expect many more like the rumoured new DK, Mario Kart 9 and the exclusive Resident Evil.
Be patient and enjoy the HUGE amount of games we are getting, as we haven't got this amazing third party support since the SNES era.
@Jake_qwerp
I remember when Donkey Kong Country came out, it blew everyone away - mostly because of the graphics, granted - but Rare had given it a lot of personality and generally it just felt like something new and modern at a time when the SNES was really showings its age. The characters were funny and the setting/music was amazing.
Before that, Donkey Kong had really been forgotten for that generation of kids. The arcade game was slow and hard to get into compared to modern platformers. But DKC was a huge mainstream success. Its difficult to explain how much it exploded - my parents who never played games (besides Tetris) played through all of DKC several times together. It was probably more popular than Mario for a few years. That's probably why it got that original animated show.
So, if the rumors are true, it seems like they're trying to do a similar relaunch of DK again now - trying to get Donkey Kong back to the massive mainstream success it had before. A multimedia approach would help that. Zelda doesn't need an animation to gain popularity - that franchise is doing fine. But DK has probably dropped to around c-list when it could be as massive as Zelda if managed well.
Nintendo has always taken DK seriously. Games just take time. Also Nintendo has enough IP's to worry about. Nintendo is made out of actual people, not robots. Now get out of your chair and find another hobby to accompany you. Go outside have a walk maybe, get some fresh air.
I really wish Zippo would stop talking out of his you know what.
Would prefer a new DKC game, but okay. From what I remember, the 90s DK cartoon was uniformly awful.
"Banana Slamma!!"
ugh.
"I'll shower you with coconut cream pie"
@NintendoKnight Lol! I forgot about that one. Those writers knew what they were doing.
Get back the songwriters and DK's singer for the MoCap show and it's a deal.
Donkey Kong 64 remastered please!
D-K.. Donkey-Kong!
@Don forget a remaster I want a brand new game in the likes of the 64 version.. 64 version was the sh** though
For everyone else.. a little trip down memory lane with the ever so catchy DK rap from DK64
https://youtu.be/npuuTBlEb1U
@PBandSmelly
I actually love this show and I would be very pleased if Nintendo remade this. It was funny, strange, and everything a good cartoon should be. If anyone wants to watch it I recommend Tubi or Prime Video.
@SuperCharr
It is the best show ever
@OldManHermit
You want banana slamma
Banjo show you banana slamma https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XYq08kJGp4M
I hope DK will get better treatment, new games, merchandise…I want to buy all DK related stuff!
DK RAP REMAKE!!!!!????
Assuming it's true, I just hope it's not going to be like that Eldritch abomination of a Donkey Kong Country cartoon from the 1990s.
No character models where their eyes look like they're going to pop out of their heads, no generic storylines, and good God, no musical numbers,
DK in Lego form too??
@PBandSmelly I think you mean "All Fool's Day" Joke, like in that "Just Kidding" episode. It isn't an official All Fool's Day Prank until someone says "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle."
But Nintendo's the guys trying to push for this thing, so don't get your hopes up or down, Remember such hits as the Kid Icarus shorts and Star Fox Zero: The Adventure Begins.
@GoldenSunRM It wasn't someone, it was Netflix themselves that "leaked" it. With that breach of trust, Nintendo canned the planned Zelda series along with a separate Star Fox series. I believe that's the main reason why Netflix isn't on the Switch.
This month, we are celebrating 40 years of Donkey Kong. He's been around since 1981 as an arcade game.
If this is true then it better have some of the bangers from that awful donkey Kong show haha. Just the ones where DK and k.rool rap about diddy being dropped off a cliff, and the one where DK sings about how could this be happening to me. Hey this could happen Nintendo loves porting things.
The more love for DK the better!
@NatiaAdamo
Can you post a link with proof?
I honestly only know about a tweet made from a random someone. Never heard that it was Netflix itself.
I hear this rumors of a potential Nintendo show almost every year. First Zelda, then Metroid, then Splatoon, and now DKC.
I believe dk would make a better cartoon/animated movie than mario, if based on the dkc universe. it has an awesome cast of characters
@echoplex It did, on what used to be known at the time as Fox Family Channel (later known as ABC Family, and now FreeForm) To this day, the only way you could watch it for free is either on IMDB TV on Amazon Prime Video or on the FilmRise Free Movies & TV App on the Roku. King K. Rool's Deviousness and his majestic singing voice are reasons enough for me to main him on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I need not tell you that it was how I won second place in a tournament on Free Video Game Day.
As for voices, I think that is impossible, because Aaron Tager, the voice of Cranky Kong, died a few years ago.
Bring it on. Just hope It's fun, entertaining and overall done well. Donkey Kong and his cast of characters are a hoot. So the more exposure, the better
@AndyC_1101 They link back to the article that reported on those rumors. It didn't say it would be shown at E3 for sure. Just said seems likely, which really sounded like more of an educated guess that didn't pan out than a confirmed thing.
@the_beaver so a anouncemt for the rumored 2.5D Donkey Kong game developed by Nintendo EPD tokyo at TGA 2021/E3 2022? with a summer/Holiday 2022 release?
@GoldenSunRM If you Google Zelda Netflix show, a number of articles surmising on the situation pop up. The closest to a confirmation that it was genuine and that it was Nintendo pulling the plug because of a Netflix leak is the account of a comedian, Adam Conover, who was supposedly working on a claymation Star Fox adaption. When the leak happened, Nintendo supposedly freaked out and pulled the plug on everything, including the Star Fox series.
@Giancarlothomaz Who knows! But I'll be bolder: I'll say it will be released within the first half of 2022. Why? Because a new Super Mario 3D is going to be released for sure! XD. And that will be the holiday 2022 title for the Switch.
One thing to consider is that this could be a Star Fox Zero situation. The "animation" could be a 15-minute episode that never gets a followup, for a bold game that doesn't please everyone. Here's hoping it's better than that, of course.
@echoplex That cartoon aired in Mexico, last time I saw it on open TV was on mid 2006 as early as 6am. Funny enough the dub actor who voiced Donkey Kong later sang the Latin American opening of Kirby: Right Back at Ya
The DK cartoon also aired in Japan, they had an entirely different opening that, if I remember correctly, looked like an actual musical.
I'm okay with this as long as it's a big ambitious new game instead of a really safe platformer.
Cool. Like just about every other Nintendo rumor I’ve heard this last decade, it probably won’t happen. Love to be wrong but I won’t hold my breath.
@3RedTriangles I guess the word rumor doesn’t mean anything? 😬
Zippo? Yeah, okay. Whatever.
Seems like all the "E3 leaks" didn't teach guys like these any lesson, now that a few days have pass Im expecting rumors are coming back full force.
It has been documented that more often than not Nintendo pull off things just to make people like this look bad
@Giancarlothomaz
The only thing that has been rumored about this Donkey Kong game that it is currently being developed internally at Nintendo EPD by the same team responsible for Super Mario Odyssey and all the other 3D Mario titles. That's it.
Despite some speculation that it would be at E3 (since that's obviously when new games are announced), no one knows when the game will be revealed or released, . Heck, people still seem to be debating whether the game is 2.5D or 3D.
@AtlanteanMan
I'm really not certain how you took an unsubstantiated rumor of Nintendo making a Donkey Kong animation and turned that into a rant of how Nintendo is on the cusp of abandoning the Switch, but okay 🤷
@westman98 too much comfliting reports on this rumor, knowing Nintendo this they will problaby make this rumored Donkey Kong game 2.5D, not 3D despite many people hopes, and they can anounce at TGA 2021/E3 2022
The thing im looking foward to most is them reintroducing king k rool as a prominent character in Nintendo so he might appear in more spin-offs and merchandising
@WolfyTn
I’m definitely down for a new DK game but there’s no reason why both a new DK game and a remaster of DK 64 can’t co-exist. I’m actually surprised that DK 64 only got re-released once on the Wii U virtual console given how many times the DKC games were re-released.
@HammerGalladeBro @YoshiAngemon
I'm a bit confused here. Are you talking about a standalone cartoon? Because I remember there were no stories, no singing. They were just here hosting the show, with fake interviews and introducing the next part of the program : 'and now, let's get back with [insert 90s tv show name], have fun kids!'. I was 15 or so at that time and it felt very out of place to have the DK family doing this.
edit : found a youtube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXEmslKVLaQ (the singing bit at the end is just lip-synching to a song that was released at that time, which is even weirder)
Mmm-Hmm. Sure.
Another rumor for DK that won't be true.
@echoplex Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, the standalone cartoon we got it in Mexico, but this DKTV we didn't.
he deserves a new game. donkey kong is forty years old. the oldest nintendo mascot.
Before "expanding your reach", why not cover your own ground first and give us fans a new 3D Donkey Kong game. I mean, the last one was DK64. I don't think we're asking for much here.
Nintendo don't care for Donkey Kong anymore, his relevance was during the SNES/N64 era, stop lying Zippo
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