Nintendo left the original developer out of the credits for the new HD Switch port of 2010 Wii platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns, but it swears the snub doesn't reflect who it really is.
"We believe in giving proper credit for anyone involved in making or contributing to a game's creation," Nintendo tells Eurogamer, "and value the contributions that all staff make during the development process."
Despite this purported ethos, the credits for Donkey Kong Country Returns' Switch port vaguely acknowledge "the work of the original development staff" rather than the studio itself, Retro Studios, which was also wrongfully left out of the end credits for 2023's Metroid Prime Remastered. Instead, Nintendo issued Retro more imprecise recognition, opaquely declaring that the game was "based on the work of Metroid Prime (original Nintendo GameCube and Wii versions) development staff."
"While many studios did amazing work on the remaster," former Retro developer Zoid Kirsch said at the time, "I'm let down Metroid Prime's Remaster does not include the full original game credits. I worked with so many amazing people on the game, and everyone's name should be included in the remaster."
Despite Nintendo's reputation for insistently seeking its own credit – such as in the case of its ongoing lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair – the developer is notoriously cagey about the other studios it partners with. Before Princess Peach Showtime released in 2024, for example, Nintendo shut down fan speculation of who made it by saying dryly that "the development team will be credited in the game credits."
Mario Kart 9 appears to take the Switch 2 back in time, swapping out Princess Peach’s sleek racing suit for the outfit she wore when she debuted in the kart racing series.
