Shigeru Miyamoto Explains Donkey Kong’s New Look

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In a recent interview, the creator of Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto, discussed the reasons for modernizing the beloved Nintendo character, as evidenced by the changes made in their games and merchandise.

According to an interview with IGN, Miyamoto explained that he continues to oversee and develop Nintendo’s legendary characters. Lately, his team has been reassessing the character design from Donkey Kong Country, which was originally created by Rare, as part of their ongoing work.

Miyamoto shared that during discussions about updating and enhancing Donkey Kong, they developed a game called Jungle Beat. Collaborating with the team behind 3D Mario allowed us to make Donkey Kong more animated given the technology we had at hand. Looking back at Rare’s original design, we asked ourselves how we could make it even more expressive. As for the movie, we opted to proceed with the modernized Donkey Kong design from this new generation.

As a dedicated gamer, I couldn’t help but notice the fresh makeover of everyone’s favorite barrel-loving ape, Donkey Kong. His new look was first spotted in the Super Mario Bros. movie, and later, his updated design was evident in footage from Mario Kart World and various Nintendo merchandise. However, it was in the exclusive Nintendo Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza, where I truly appreciated the changes. Now, he has a more expressive face, his fur is more intricately detailed, and he’s rocking a snazzy pair of overalls.

Regardless of any alterations made, his design remains quite similar to the original conceptualized by Kevin Bayliss from Rare Studios. In a recent statement to fans expressing concerns about the updated design, Bayliss encouraged them to “accept change” and offered a “warm welcome” for the revamped DK.

First, fans can play with the updated Donkey Kong character in Mario Kart World, which is set to debut as a launch title for Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. Later, on July 17, players will have the opportunity to embark on Donkey Kong’s solo adventure titled “Donkey Kong Bananza” exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. During a sneak peek at Donkey Kong Bananza, we described his new ability to manipulate the environment as an exciting and playful experience reminiscent of childhood.

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2025-05-21 19:09