Donkey Kong Bonanza early copies were accidentally sold this weekend, as Nintendo eyes to make a DK movie.
Donkey Kong is making headlines this morning, with multiple outlets providing updates on the famous game gorilla. Donkey Kong Bonanza early copies were accidentally sold this weekend, as Nintendo is eyeing a DK movie. Donkey Kong Bonanza producer Kenta Motokura also shared new development insights about the game’s development. The game is still set to officially release on Thursday, July 17.
Social media flooded the internet with users posting their early copies of the Nintendo Switch 2 game Donkey Kong Bonanza, over the weekend. The worst part of the leak was that screenshots of unannounced game content were already being shared. For those looking to avoid spoilers before the game’s release on Thursday, players should avoid social media or create a list of blocked topics. The last official update on the game revealed long-time series character Pauline would be joining DK on his adventure.
In a recent interview with La Vanguardia, Donkey Kong Bonanza producer Motokura stated, “this was the right time to develop this game.” This game provides a major update to the titular Nintendo gorilla because the last 3D game featuring him was Donkey Kong 64. Otherwise, the iconic character was only seen as a playable character in party games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Mario Kart 8/World.
When asked when development began, Motokura replied: “Although I can’t give you very precise details, I can tell you that we started developing it after finishing Super Mario Odyssey,” Motokura shared (via machine translation). Game director Kazuya Takahashi added how the game’s focus on destruction was only made possible on the Nintendo Switch 2:
“As we mentioned before, we wanted to generate continuity through chain destruction, and to do this, we needed to place a large number of destructible objects,” said Takahashi. “This was only possible on Switch 2, which allowed so many elements to be placed on the screen, as well as different materials and large-scale destruction. In addition to increasing the feeling of satisfaction when destroying, we have put a lot of care into the effects and sounds, and also in the appearance of the objects that are destroyed.”
CGMagazine’s EIC, Brendan Frye, had the opportunity to check out Donkey Kong Bonanza early, praising the elements Takahashi mentioned. “It’s amazing to see Donkey Kong Bananza running so well on the Nintendo Switch 2, especially with the level of destructibility and environmental detail,” Frye wrote. Whether players on July 17th will enjoy the game’s new look and destructive nature is still to be determined.
On the film side, Nintendo and Universal Pictures registered the copyright for a Donkey Kong film, suggesting the forthcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel and Legend of Zelda film could be followed by Nintendo’s gorilla. At the moment, the movie details are sparse. So far, the copyright is the only detail confirmed. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently talked about potential upcoming movie productions in an investor call.
Furukawa was asked about the future of the “visual content business” or films, essentially. The president replied that the company has been “working on initiatives beyond our dedicated video game platforms for several years” and that it’s “deeply involved in production…Although we cannot discuss our plans beyond The Legend of Zelda movie at this time, we are working on various other projects.”
A Donkey Kong film would certainly make sense. The gorilla is a prominent character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, voiced by Seth Rogan, and will likely feature in the sequel—expected to be called Super Mario World. DK seems to be getting a (re)glow-up, as the Mario sequel film is set to release in April 2026.
