Today has been a huge day for Donkey Kong fans. After all, early today, we had the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct that showed off the many new features and characters that would be a part of the experience. To that end, the game has gotten waves of positive buzz online due to what was shown. From the use of Pauline and her vocals, to the fresh underground world that DK and Pauline will be traveling through, the incredible transformations that DK will unlock, and more, many are already calling this a potential GOTY contender.
However, there is still one mystery that hasn’t been solved yet…who is making the game? Many feel that it was the team behind the Super Mario Odyssey title, and that’s why we haven’t had a 3D Mario game announcement for the Nintendo Switch 2 yet. However, one gaming insider revealed his “inside information” online, and it may just change things:
DK Bananza is being developed by a new team that was spun off from the Odyssey team. There are a lot of younger devs in the Odyssey team that grew up playing the DKC games and wanted to make one.
I've heard the Kremlings are making a return. 3D Mario is still on the way https://t.co/QXFSTmMdOp
— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) June 17, 2025
If that is true, that would explain a lot. Odyssey was an incredible title that pushed boundaries in the series, and Donkey Kong Bananza seems to be in that same vein. Just as important, Nintendo has been trying to “shift things around” with its gaming teams to allow younger voices to make improvements or shifts in the gameplay to make things fresh. We saw this with Super Mario Bros Wonder, and it was a huge hit.
Again, this is unconfirmed, but it does “feel right.” Plus, as the insider stated, the 3D Mario game is still on the way! It’s possible The Big N wanted to give DK and Pauline their “time in the spotlight” before allowing Mario to grace the new console in a solo capacity.
