Donkey Kong Banaza\u2019s developer is \u201cthe same team that developed Super Mario Odyssey\u201d, Nintendo has told VGC.<\/p>\n
Although it did not mention them by name, this seemingly confirms Nintendo EPD<\/a> Tokyo as the developer of Bananza.<\/p>\n The news was confirmed during a media preview event for the Switch<\/a> 2 game, in which Nintendo<\/a> also said the studio behind the game is \u201cbased in Tokyo\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked for clarification, Nintendo would not confirm whether the same staff behind Odyssey were working on DK, or if it was a new group within the same company. \u00a0Neither would it confirm the director of the game.<\/p>\n VGC has asked for clarification on what this means for future 3D Mario games, and will update this story when we receive a response.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The last all-new 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey<\/a>, was released nearly eight years ago. If Bananza is indeed developed by the Odyssey team, fans might have to wait even longer for the mascot\u2019s next adventure.<\/p>\n The main creative leads of modern 3D Mario games, director Kenta Motokura<\/a>, and producers Yoshiaki Koizumi<\/a> and Koichi Hayahsida, haven\u2019t appeared in the credits for an all-new EPD title since Odyssey in 2017 (although Hayashida contributed design to 2023\u2019s Super Mario Bros. Wonder<\/a>).<\/p>\n Super Mario 3D World + Bowser\u2019s Fury<\/a>, an expanded Wii U<\/a> port released in 2021 and developed in collaboration with 1-Up Studio and NST, features generic staff credits listed in alphabetical order with no job titles.<\/p>\n Donkey Kong Bananza<\/a> will be released on Nintendo Switch 2<\/a> on July 17. Recently,\u00a0Nintendo showcased new details and info on the Nintendo Switch 2 game<\/a>, including the reveal of long-time series character Pauline, who will join DK on his adventure.<\/p>\n