New Donkey Kong Has Been in Development for Over Three Years, Insider Says

Shortly before E3, known Nintendo insider Zippo – who’s had a solid track record of accurate Nintendo-related leaks – claimed that a new 2D sidescrolling Donkey Kong game was in development. Allegedly being made by the Super Mario Odyssey team, it was claimed that the game would be announced at Nintendo’s E3 2021 show ahead of a launch later this year. Its announcement obviously didn’t happen- so what does that mean for the game?

Well, according to Zippo, it definitely exists. In a new blog post, the insider insisted that a new Donkey Kong game is in the works, and has been apparently for over three years at this point. The insider states that the game isn’t a one-off, and that apparently the IP is “being taken seriously” at Nintendo, who want Donkey Kong to become their next “multimedia conglomerate” after Mario.

Zippo claims that a Donkey Kong animation is also in early development right now- this could either be a film or a show, though the insider isn’t sure about this particular point. Meanwhile, the multimedia expansion apparently also includes merchandise, a theme park expansion, and more.

“Just be patient,” Zippo writes. “You’ll be hearing more sooner rather than later.”

If this game has indeed been in development for over three years, we hopefully aren’t too far away from getting official word on this from Nintendo. As for Donkey Kong’s multimedia expansion, it makes a lot of sense on paper for the franchise- though of course, with Nintendo, you can’t ever be too sure about anything, especially if something makes sense.

Either way, it sounds like we might hear more about this soon, so stay tuned.