Donkey Kong Bananza arrives in July, but Nintendo still hides who is behind the game

In the midst of so many electrifying revelations at the announcement event of the Nintendo Switch 2, one in particular made noise: the official announcement of Donkey Kong Bananza, the newest 3D chapter of the classic franchise of the most charismatic gorilla in video games. With a confirmed release date of July 17, 2025, the title has already excited the community with its vibrant visuals and unprecedented destructive mechanics. But there is an important piece still missing in this puzzle — who is developing the game?

The mystery is in the air. While many believed that the project was in the hands of the same team responsible for Super Mario Odyssey, a theory reinforced by the fluid movement style and ambitious scope, Nintendo remains completely silent about the behind-the-scenes.

During a recent interview, Bill Trinen, vice president of product and player experience at Nintendo, was direct — but evasive.

"You'll have to stay tuned," he said. "We always like to start by showing the game and getting people to focus on the gameplay, but we will have information to share about the developer at the right time."

This is not the first time that Nintendo prefers to focus exclusively on the game, without immediately revealing which studio is in charge. The same communication pattern occurred with Super Mario RPG (remake), Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and Princess Peach: Showtime — all announced before any clear mention of the technical responsible behind them.

So far, all we officially know about Donkey Kong Bananza is that the game promises to take the franchise experience to a new level. This time, Donkey Kong will be able to climb, knock down, tear pieces of the scenery, and even use these parts as tools to cross the environment — an approach reminiscent of the destructible systems seen in modern games like Tears of the Kingdom or even Western adventure titles.
The game will also include a progression mechanic based on demolishing the scenery: the more the player destroys, the more secret areas will be unlocked.

Visually, Donkey Kong Bananza seems to bet on a polished cartoonish style, maximizing the rendering power of Switch 2, which promises 4K graphics in dock mode and support for NVIDIA's DLSS, as revealed in previous presentations.

As the release date approaches and the hype builds up, the lack of transparency regarding the responsible studio raises suspicions and curiosity. Could it be a partnership with an external studio? Or perhaps a secret team from Nintendo EPD Tokyo is testing new concepts away from the spotlight? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, the gaming community is divided between theories and expectations, eagerly awaiting new trailers and information. What we know for sure is that Donkey Kong Bananza could be the triumphant return of one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises — even if, for now, it is shrouded in a veil of secrets.