Nintendo confirms Donkey Kong Bananza was made by the Super Mario Odyssey team

Donkey Kong Bananza dazzled last month in the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, where it was revealed to have some totally bonkers new mechanics that surprised and delighted fans. Many wondered which team at Nintendo was behind the game, and now we finally know. 

Nintendo has confirmed to Australian news outlet Vooks that Donkey Kong Bananza was developed by the same team that produced Super Mario Odyssey — Nintendo EPD. At this stage it’s not known if that means that, like Odyssey, it was directed by Kenta Motokura, or if it was just most of the staff who worked on the game, but either way, it’s good to have confirmation. 

Many speculated that Donkey Kong Bananza had its roots in Super Mario Odyssey after its reveal in the April Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but Nintendo doesn’t typically confirm the team working on a game before release, preferring players to learn from the game’s credits. That speculation reached fever pitch after the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, where a young Pauline was revealed to be one of the game’s major protagonists, following up her superstar performance in Super Mario Odyssey. 

It also threw up some serious doubts on the timeline of the Donkey Kong series and the implications around the lore. Is Pauline still the same woman who was captured by Donkey Kong (now known as Cranky Kong), or is that being retconned into a different character? Is this Pauline’s child, a de-aged Pauline, or just a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey and most other games? 

We probably won’t know until the game releases – it’s unlikely that Nintendo will give us answers to such big questions in the meantime – but at least we won’t have to wait too long. 

Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.