Having been in the gaming industry since the mid-1970s, it's only natural that Nintendo is the holder of many, many popular IPs. Of course, Nintendo's best-known franchise is Super Mario, but the company's catalog extends much farther than that, with popular series like Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Kirby, and Splatoon all belonging to the juggernaut publisher. But while many of these franchises still receive consistent entries, there's one series been too long out of the spotlight, but that could all be about to change.
Nintendo currently has its fingers in a lot of different pies. On one hand, Nintendo is still dominating the handheld market with its Switch and all its accompanying AAA first-party games. On another, it's making a daring return to the silver screen with the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, and on yet another, it's just started establishing an array of new theme parks. Though each project may seem like a completely different entity, they're all feeding into the overarching Nintendo brand, and there's one franchise present in Nintendo's non-gaming projects that might be about to make a return.
Nintendo Could Be Gearing Fans Up For The Return of Donkey Kong
The character of Donkey Kong has been around since 1981, debuting right alongside Nintendo's more popular mascot, despite their shared debut having Donkey Kong's name. For the next few years, Donkey Kong was just as much of a Nintendo mascot as Mario was, appearing in a slew of sequels for the NES.
After taking a decade-long hiatus, Donkey Kong returned in full force in the early 1990s with an array of Game Boy games, and the beloved Donkey Kong Country series. Since then, Donkey Kong has had a consistent place right alongside Nintendo's other franchises, with titles releasing almost annually for the next few decades, that is until Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Released in 2014, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the most recent Donkey Kong game in the history of the franchise. Not counting the 2018 Nintendo Switch port of the game, there hasn't been a new Donkey Kong game in almost an entire decade. The disappearance of Donkey Kong has been a long-running mystery in the Nintendo fan community, as the franchise's games have always performed well both critically and commercially. But Nintendo might finally be ready to revisit the iconic ape-led franchise.
Based on the trailers for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, it seems as though Donkey Kong will be playing quite a prominent role in the film. Voiced by Seth Rogen, Donkey Kong appears several times throughout the movie's recently released trailers, engaging in an arena fight with Mario, racing alongside the other heroes on Rainbow Road, and even consuming a Fire Flower seed, presumably in preparation for some kind of final battle.
Donkey Kong doesn't just have a prominent presence in the Super Mario Bros. movie, however, as he's also the central figure of the first Super Nintendo World expansion. Coming to Universal Studios Japan first, Super Nintendo World is expanding to include an entirely new area focused on Donkey Kong and his jungle surroundings. Much like the rest of the park, Donkey Kong's Jungle will include themed merch, food stalls, and an immersive rollercoaster-like experience, all set to arrive in 2024.
Despite not having a new entry in almost a decade, it seems as though Nintendo still sees the Donkey Kong franchise as one of its most popular, at least enough to include him as a main character in the Super Mario Bros. movie, and give him a dedicated land in Super Nintendo World. With Nintendo seemingly realizing that the Donkey Kong franchise is still a big asset for the company, hopefully, a new Donkey Kong entry will be on its way soon, ready to capitalize on the character's consistent popularity.