Nintendo posted today that a Direct showcase focused on the upcoming Switch 2 game Donkey Kong Bananza will take place on June 18th.
As the Nintendo Switch 2 launch year continues, the game releases are just as exciting! Nintendo posted today that a Direct showcase focused on the upcoming Switch 2 game Donkey Kong Bananza will take place on Wednesday, June 18th, at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm UK time. The announcement was spotted in the Nintendo Today! app, where the developers will talk more about the Switch 2 exclusive game. The announcement also revealed that the Direct will only last fifteen minutes, not sharing which details surrounding the game will be discussed.
Donkey Kong Bananza is slated to release on July 17th, and is the first major Nintendo title to release on the Switch 2 following the console’s launch. One of Donkey Kong Bananza’s hidden details that was spotted online was a shot of Donkey Kong having an unknown purple rock character tagging along with him. Donkey Kong rescues the rock after finding it buried in the ground on Ingot Island, and the pair work together in the game. This was partially due to an accidental artwork post uploaded to Nintendo’s Korean site.
A burning question still waiting to be answered was, who is developing Donkey Kong Bananza? When asked by IGN earlier this year who was behind the game, Nintendo of America’s vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen, said, “It’s a very good question. You’ll have to stay tuned. We always like to start by showcasing the game and getting people focused on the gameplay, but we’ll have some information to share about the developer in due time.”
If anyone is wondering whether there will be other announcements made about other Switch 2 games or projects, the chances are very slim. Since Wednesday’s Direct will only be fifteen minutes long, the focus appeared to be exclusively on Donkey Kong Bananza. For the big Nintendo fans, this game’s launch should help expand the Switch 2’s exclusive games list. So far, only Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour are currently out. Players can expect to hear more about the Switch 2 exclusives soon for Survival Kids, Kirby Air Riders, and the recently announced Splatoon Raiders.
CGMagazine’s very own EIC, Brendan Frye, had the chance to preview Donkey Kong Bananza, noting “how well it runs on the Nintendo Switch 2” and “incredible how much of the world [the player] can smash through.” Frye compared the destructability elements to those of the original Red Faction game, where destroying environments played a pivotal role in the game. “I’m amazed this is even possible on the Nintendo Switch 2. It might seem like a small detail, but the system’s ability to keep track of all the chaos you cause is impressive and shows what the new Switch 2 can really do,” Frye continued.
