Nintendo boasts some of the most iconic franchises in gaming, and the recent addition of Donkey Kong Land 3 to Nintendo Switch Online completes a beloved trilogy on the platform. As one of the most notable series by Nintendo, Donkey Kong has helped bring the company to the top. While Donkey Kong Land 3 coming to the Switch is exciting in its own right, this hopefully inspires Nintendo to bring a fresh full-fledged Donkey Kong game to life.
Now that the Donkey Kong Land trilogy is fully available for the Switch, the franchise gets even further representation on the console. While there have been many Donkey Kong games in the past, it has been quite a while since Nintendo developed a new mainline game in the franchise, and it feels long overdue. The Legend of Zelda and Mario continue to get new installments, but the lack of Donkey Kong titles leaves a gaping hole in the Switch roster.
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The Nintendo Switch Has Yet to Give the Donkey Kong Franchise the Love it Deserves
Titular ape Donkey Kong has been featured in several Switch games, but he has yet to get his own mainline entry released for the console. March 2025 will mark eight years since the Switch dropped, and not including any original Donkey Kong story in such a lengthy span of time is utterly surprising. It’s recently been confirmed that Switch players will have access to every Donkey Kong Country game in the new year. While exciting, it ultimately makes the absence of a fresh game that much more noticeable.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
is scheduled to come to the Switch on January 16, 2025.
A Long Decade of Waiting For More Donkey Kong
It’s been a full ten years since the last mainline Donkey Kong game. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze premiered in 2014 for the Wii U, and even though it has received a Switch port, a decade between releases is disappointing for Nintendo fans who have a special fondness for the tie-wearing ape and his family and friends. The long list of Donkey Kong games that have graced gamers’ consoles through the years has brought a lot of joy, and many are eager for more.
There is Still Hope For More Donkey Kong in the Future
It may be disappointing for the Switch to be a Nintendo console that has failed to release an original mainline Donkey Kong game, but that doesn’t mean the company has abandoned the franchise. The rumors and leaks surrounding the Switch 2 have been hyping up Nintendo fans for what the company has in store next, and a new Donkey Kong is hopefully on that secretive list. A recent rumor has even claimed that the Switch 2 has been increasing its production. This has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, but the company has at least stated that it plans to unveil its next console before the end of March 2025. If that’s the case, then it wouldn’t exactly make sense for Nintendo to launch a fresh Donkey Kong game for a console as old as the original Switch.
Other rumors have suggested the Switch 2 will be larger and have an LCD screen instead of an OLED.
Of course, this could be wishful thinking, but if Nintendo aims to bring another Donkey Kong game to life, looking to the future with the Switch 2 would make the most sense. Only time will tell what the Switch 2 holds, but Donkey Kong will hopefully play a role in that reveal. There is already plenty of excitement about a brand-new Nintendo console, but the revival of Donkey Kong would only make the console release that much more intriguing. Nintendo still has a few months left before its Switch 2 reveal deadline, and the console’s first round of planned games will be on many gamers’ minds once it’s announced.
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