Donkey Kong Bananza, the highly anticipated exclusive title for the Nintendo Switch 2, is being developed by the same talented team that brought us Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. With the game's release just around the corner, Nintendo has revealed that veteran producer Kenta Motokura and director Kazuya Takahashi are leading the project.

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 5 and has quickly become a massive success, potentially surpassing its predecessor in sales. However, the initial lineup of launch titles left many fans wanting more, with Mario Kart World being the only major Nintendo franchise game available at release.

The drought of exclusive Switch 2 games will soon be alleviated with the arrival of Donkey Kong Bananza on July 17, 2025. In a recent interview with IGN, it was confirmed that Kenta Motokura, the director of Super Mario Odyssey, is serving as producer for this new Donkey Kong adventure. With 25 years at Nintendo, Motokura has contributed to numerous classic titles including Pokemon Stadium 2, Pikmin, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, though his most notable work has been on the Mario franchise.

While Takahashi may be newer to Nintendo with just five years at the company, he brings valuable experience in open-world game design. This expertise appears perfectly suited for Donkey Kong Bananza, as Takahashi explained that the game's destructible environments and open levels will encourage exploration and discovery. "Each level needs to be enjoyable even if players aren't fully exploiting the destruction mechanics," he noted, drawing parallels to Super Mario Odyssey's design philosophy.

Fans can expect some familiar elements from Super Mario Odyssey in Donkey Kong Bananza, particularly in its voxel-based visual style, though the new game takes this approach even further. However, the key difference lies in the abilities tailored specifically for Donkey Kong, emphasizing his trademark strength and reach.