Donkey Kong Bananza Developer Finally Confirmed by Nintendo, Sparking Questions Over When Switch 2's 3D Mario Will Arrive

Nintendo has yet confirmed the improvement squad down Donkey Kong Bananza — and arsenic galore fans had suspected, the upcoming Switch 2 blockbuster is being made by the squad who antecedently worked connected Super Mario Odyssey.

In a presumption attended by IGN up of a caller Donkey Kong Bananza hands-on preview, Nintendo said that the aforesaid unit who worked connected Odyssey besides developed this caller DK title.

The confirmation comes aft Nintendo antecedently held disconnected from stating which of its teams were down the game, adjacent aft Bananza was playable publically astatine the Switch 2's planetary motorboat tour.

Still, the quality volition apt travel arsenic nary surprise. Fans had suspected Odyssey's talented developers were apt moving connected DK's impressive-looking crook successful the spotlight, and had pointed to assorted links betwixt the 2 titles — not slightest their shared absorption connected the quality Pauline — arsenic clues to their creators.

Odyssey, released for Switch successful October 2017, was helmed by Super Mario 3D World manager Kenta Motokura, and produced by some Super Mario Galaxy manager Yoshiaki Koizumi and Super Mario Galaxy 2 manager Koichi Hayashida.

Nintendo did not authorities specifically whether each oregon lone immoderate of the Odyssey squad were backmost for Donkey Kong Bananza — and fans volition apt beryllium keen to cognize astir Koizumi's engagement present successful particular.

A cardinal fig progressive successful the instauration and promotion of the archetypal Nintendo Switch, Koizumi was amazingly absent from the announcement of Switch 2. A Nintendo seasoned with much than 3 decades of acquisition astatine the company, Koizumi began his vocation arsenic an illustrator, earlier rising done the ranks to service arsenic manager connected the GameCube's flagship platformer Super Mario Sunshine. Koizumi has continued to enactment arsenic a cardinal fig connected each consequent 3D Mario game, including arsenic manager of Super Mario Galaxy, and past shaper for Galaxy 2, 3D Land, 3D World and Odyssey.

Yoshiaki Koizumi. Image credit: Nintendo.

Odyssey remains Nintendo's astir caller 3D Mario effort, with nary proposition arsenic yet connected erstwhile the institution plans to motorboat another. Confirmation that Odyssey squad members person been engaged gathering Bananza volition inevitably spark questions implicit whether a caller 3D Mario crippled for Switch 2 is besides being developed successful parallel, oregon is inactive further disconnected than immoderate had expected. A person look astatine Bananza's unit database and their roles, erstwhile the crippled launches, whitethorn supply further clues.

For now, it's simply absorbing to enactment that Nintendo's blockbuster Mario squad person built a Donkey Kong crippled for Switch 2's motorboat twelvemonth — a slot that's often reserved for Mario platformers.

As for Bananza's links to Odyssey, the Switch platformer notably reintroduced Pauline arsenic a large Mario quality for the archetypal clip successful years, and formed her arsenic the music-loving politician of New Donk City who performs the game's toe-tapping Jump Up Super Star! track.

In Bananza, a younger mentation of Pauline acts arsenic DK's sidekick, and uses her increasing singing prowess arsenic a power-up. Nintendo antecedently took the uncommon measurement of confirming the property of this younger Pauline, and immoderate fans person suggested that Bananza is present being lined up arsenic an Odyssey prequel — and perchance adjacent a precursor to the archetypal Mario arcade game, wherever Pauline had to beryllium rescued from DK's clutches.

Donkey Kong Bananza launches connected July 17, 2025 arsenic this summer's cardinal Switch 2 rubric from Nintendo, earlier the accomplishment Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A aboriginal this year.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social