Summary
- Donkey Kong Country Returns HD’s in-game credits do not have the names of the original developers who worked on the game.
- Rather, a broad “based on the work” disclaimer is used.
- In a statement, Nintendo said it “values” the work that individuals contribute in the development process, but did not indicate why it chose to omit the original developers.
While Nintendo’s long-awaited announcement and reveal of its Nintendo Switch successor, aptly named the Switch 2, has taken a lot of shine this week, there was also some other significant news in Nintendoland. Specifically, following the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, it was reported that none of the original developers from Retro Studios were given credit for their work.
Instead, the in-game credits simply state that the game is “based on the work” of Retro Studios. Meanwhile, Forever Entertainment, the team behind the remaster, are given full individual credits.
The lack of credits immediately drew the ire of fans online, with gamers calling it “rude” and “not fair” to the original team. On Friday, Nintendo broke its silence regarding its decision to omit the original people responsible for the game. In a statement to Eurogamer, a spokesperson said the following:
“We believe in giving proper credit for anyone involved in making or contributing to a game’s creation, and value the contributions that all staff make during the development process.”
According to Eurogamer, the company did not explain why it had omitted the developers to begin with. That said, it wouldn’t be the first time that Nintendo has done something similar.
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Nintendo Has Omitted Devs Before
Gamers may recall that in 2023, when Metroid Prime Remastered was released, a similar statement was included in the post-game credits. That particular decision drew the ire of those who were involved with the original game.
There was also some fallout last year surrounding Nintendo’s decision to not fully credit all of its external translators. Those translators reportedly failed to be credited on the likes of Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario RPG, among other major first-party software. In other words, the latest developments continue a troubling trend between contributors and publisher.
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