Nintendo Confirms Donkey Kong Bananza's Developer is the Same Team as Super Mario Odyssey

Donkey Kong Banaza’s developer is the same team that developed Super Mario Odyssey, according to Nintendo as reported by VGC. The news was confirmed during a media preview event for the Switch 2 game, where Nintendo mentioned that the studio behind Bananza is based in Tokyo. However, Nintendo did not specify if the staff behind Odyssey are working on DK or if it's a new group within the same company. The director of the game was also not confirmed.

VGC has reached out for further clarification on the implications for future 3D Mario games and will update the story accordingly. If Bananza is indeed developed by the Odyssey team, fans might have to wait longer for the next Mario adventure, as the last all-new 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey, was released almost eight years ago.

The main creative leads of modern 3D Mario games have not been credited in an all-new EPD title since Odyssey in 2017. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, released in 2021, features generic staff credits with no job titles.

Donkey Kong Bananza is set to release on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17. Nintendo recently revealed new details about the game, including the addition of series character Pauline. VGC's hands-on preview described the game as a collection of ideas and mechanics that come together to create an entertaining adventure, similar to Mario's recent 3D outings.

According to the source: Video Games Chronicle.