Donkey Kong Bananza Gets Its Own Nintendo Direct Wednesday

Nintendo tends to do things its own way. It’s become typical over the last few years for them to skip out Summer Game Fest and similar events, just so they can host their own solo Nintendo Direct later in the month. The difference is. though, the June Directs are usually one of the most packed, revealing Ninty’s entire release schedule for the rest of the year. Not this time. Maybe it’s in too close proximity to the Switch 2’s launch and they’re afraid of taking too much hype away…but this June’s Nintendo Direct will be just fifteen minutes long, and only about one game.

Donkey Kong Bananza, to be specific, which comes out in July. The Direct is happening June 18, approximately one month prior from its release, at 6 AM Pacific / 9 AM Eastern.

We know a lot about Donkey Kong Bananza as it is; it’s been shown off in closed demos and live Treehouse events for months. Though advertised as a 3D platformer, it’s really a “digging game” where everything is destructible. Donkey Kong is able to dig holes and pound rocks just about anywhere, and his excavations usually bear fruit (literally). Your goal in each area is to find as many Golden Bananas as you can. Like DK 64, you hear “Oooohhh, Banana” whenever you uncover one. Unlike DK 64, you actually see him eat them.

We’re not sure what’s left to reveal at this point, but we’ve gotten a big hint. More like a big leak. A piece of official art was used by accident somewhere that replaces Donkey Kong’s in-game sidekick, a talking rock, with what appears to be a child Pauline. Nintendo has said nothing about Pauline being in the game, or her relation to that rock, but perhaps we’ll learn something Wednesday?

We suspect Nintendo isn’t showing all its cards for 2025, and that its big holiday release has yet to be revealed. Perhaps the next mainline Mario will be ours by year’s end? We hope. For now Donkey Kong Bananza will have to satisfy; it releases July 17 for Switch 2.