A new Donkey Kong game could be in development with the Super Mario Odyssey team

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Catch us waiting around for the big guy in New Donk City

Super Mario Odyssey
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The next Donkey Kong title could currently be in development with the same team that brought Super Mario Odyssey to life, according to a recent rumour. 

According to Nintendo Life and YouTuber The Lonely Goomba, Nintendo is looking to bring Donkey, Diddy, and the rest of the Donkey Kong Country gang back for a new game created by Nintendo EPD, the team behind Super Mario Odyssey.

This rumor originally began after The Lonely Goomba tweeted that “I heard an unlikely rumor that the Mario Odyssey team are working on a 3D Donkey Kong game.” This was seemingly backed up by Nintendo Life who also stated that they had heard the same rumor from an “independent source.” However, they also noted that their source claims that the game is set to be a 2.5D game and not 3D like Super Mario Odyssey.  

For Nintendo to want to bring the big guy back actually makes a lot of sense. Not only has Donkey Kong been fairly quiet on the release front since Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze initially for the Wii U in 2014, and later on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also Donkey Kong’s 40th anniversary this year. 

Things get even more interesting when you take into account Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan. There’s been several rumors and even some sightings of a possible Donkey Kong-themed world coming to the park sometime soon, but at the moment traces of Donkey Kong found in the Universal Studios Japan app along with some early prototypes of the park is all we have to go off. 

Fingers crossed that Donkey Kong will be crashing his way onto the Nintendo Switch sometime soon. Until then we’ll just have to enjoy Super Mario Odyssey and hang about in New Donk City until the bongo-loving gorilla decides to show his face again.

Find out just how much of New Donk City was inspired by Donkey Kong with our Super Mario Odyssey Easter Eggs guide.  

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.