Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the first Nintendo exclusives for the Switch 2, has now celebrated its first anniversary. While it was surprising to see Nintendo give DK the spotlight rather than Mario, the game has undoubtedly been a success. It was amongst the Game of the Year nominees at last year's The Game Awards (losing to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) and as of March, it's sold 4.52 million copies, making it the Switch 2's second best selling exclusive right behind Mario Kart World.
A Calculated Risk for Nintendo
Donkey Kong Bananza has been successful for Nintendo but the more you think about it, the more you realise what an odd risk it was. Donkey Kong may be a very recognisable character, but for years he's mostly been delegated to Mario spin-offs, having not helmed his own game since 2014's Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Combined with his appearance in the 2023 Super Mario Bros. movie, DK has been seen by a lot of people, especially younger fans, as just another Mario character.
While a new 3D Donkey Kong had been rumoured for years, it was no less surprising to see it not just be one of the first games announced for Switch 2, but one of its first exclusives; one Nintendo deemed important enough to serve as the closing reveal of the Switch 2's first showcase, instead of something much safer like a new 3D Mario.
Revitalising the Donkey Kong Brand
It's very obvious that Nintendo's goal was to revitalise the Donkey Kong brand; to elevate him to a level of superstardom alongside mainstream franchises like Super Mario and The Legend Of Zelda. It's why he got a redesign, a sizable role in the movie, and a dedicated section of the Super Nintendo World theme park.
On one hand, we'd say it worked. Donkey Kong Bananza may share a lot of Super Mario Odyssey's DNA (what with it being made by the same team and all), but it feels distinctly Donkey Kong thanks to its emphasis on destruction and exploration. It breaks new ground for the franchise, literally, while remaining reverential to what came before, striking the right balance between fresh new ideas and revelling in nostalgia. Also, DK himself is the most endearing he's ever been, thanks to his friendlier-looking appearance (which is closer to the pre-Donkey Kong Country games) and single-minded obsession with bananas, while still developing a sweet friendship with the young Pauline – even if it did drive some fans nuts by breaking the timeline.
Sales Performance and Comparisons
However, at 4.52 million copies, Bananza isn't breaking any records. After all, those aren't Super Mario numbers, with the game reportedly selling only half that of Super Mario Odyssey in the UK; a game that's since sold over 30 million copies worldwide. That's not an entirely fair comparison, as Super Mario Odyssey had some advantages. Mario's a far more famous star, 3D Mario games always do well, and it launched much closer to Christmas and after the host console had been out for longer.
Although we have to wonder why Nintendo didn't just make Bananza its big Christmas 2025 game, instead of relying on Metroid Prime 4, of all things. The template of Super Mario Odyssey's success was right there to copy but Nintendo ignored its lessons. Launching in such close proximity to Mario Kart World contributed to theories that there'd be some cross-promotion, which seemed likely but still hasn't happened. Surely if Nintendo wants to boost the Donkey Kong franchise's profile, it would have added characters like Diddy Kong, Void Kong, and King K. Rool to the one game that almost 75% of Switch 2 players own. Or at least give DK and Pauline more than one costume each, since everyone else has multiple outfits.
Nintendo's Long Game
Nintendo's inscrutability makes it difficult to predict what it has planned (especially nowadays), but even if Donkey Kong isn't pulling in Super Mario level sales figures, we'd wager the company is simply playing the long game.
It's obviously far too soon to expect a Bananza sequel, especially when the team is presumed to be working on the next 3D Mario. In fact, that game is rumoured to be arriving next year and details about it could already have been hinted at in Bananza. The next Mario game may re-use some of Bananza's destructible environments, but this element is likely to be downplayed to ensure Mario and DK's adventures don't feel too similar. Perhaps there'll be an alternative method of altering the environment around you to progress. Bananza's environments had different properties and could be used to construct bridges and the like, but this felt very underutilised, so it's ripe for expanding on in a new Mario game.
Future Prospects for Donkey Kong
Outside of the games, it is assumed that there'll be a dedicated Donkey Kong movie as well (an 'untitled Donkey Kong project' was even trademarked last year). Nintendo's found great success with its two animated Mario films and though DK was a popular inclusion in the first one, outside of a brief cameo he was notably absent in the sequel. Although Nintendo doesn't do movie tie-in games, it so far has attempted some synergy with the films. The first Mario movie was followed by Super Mario Bros. Wonder the same year (which Nintendo said saw a sales boost because of the movie), while The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was preceded by re-releases of the two Galaxy games.
So, Nintendo may be saving a Donkey Kong blowout to capitalise on an associated film. This could mean DK will be returned to the backburner for a while, as it's unlikely his movie will be out until at least 2028. Next year marks the release of the live action Legend Of Zelda movie, which is no doubt why Nintendo's planning a remake of Ocarina Of Time for this year.
It would be a shame, though, for DK to take a long backseat until Bananza 2; something that could be mitigated if Nintendo emphasises the series in future Mario spin-offs by integrating more characters and/or iconography from Bananza. Maybe Nintendo doesn't want the Donkey Kong branding to encroach too much into Super Mario games, but if the company wants DK to gain more recognition, those are the best places to do it. Or if not release some smaller DK games in the interim. Diddy Kong Racing 2? Donkey Kong Party? Or even a 2D game reminiscent of the older platformers.
Whatever the plan is, Donkey Kong Bananza did a fantastic job bringing DK back into the spotlight but Nintendo has got to keep up the effort, if it wants to avoid him being shunted to the sidelines again.
