Donkey Kong
Image: Nintendo

Try not to go bananas over this, but Nintendo has filed a "new" trademark for the Donkey Kong series. This one is seemingly a little different from the usual ones. Instead of another stock-standard renewal, it actually seems to have been updated to mention "downloadable programs for portable and electronic consoles".

It's already ignited speculation that something video game-related could be on the way to the Nintendo Switch. In saying this, it should probably be treated as nothing more than a simple update potentially just future-proofing the Donkey Kong series. Trademark renewals are a regular thing for classic Nintendo IPs.

Earlier this year in May, for example, Nintendo filed trademarks for four classic titles. One of these happened to be for Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! on the Super Nintendo. This was alongside other titles from series such as Zelda and Metroid:

Rumours about a new Donkey Kong game have been circulating online over the past year - with one, in particular, suggesting Nintendo EPD (the team responsible for Super Mario Odyssey) could be working on a new entry.

Apart from the upcoming Mario movie, when do you think we'll see DK make a return? What kind of adventure would you like to see him feature in next and would you like to see the retro Donkey Kong games return? Leave your own thoughts down below.

[source dkvine.com]