The Nintendo San Francisco store is holding its third major event since it opened in May with the launch of “Donkey Kong Bananza.” The game marks the popular character’s second foray in a 3D platformer, and it’s also the second major first-party game built specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Donkey Kong Bananza producer Kenta Motokura recently explained, in the newest Ask the Developer blog, that the team at Nintendo "were also conscious of how Donkey Kong would look from the back while he's moving" since players tend to stare at a character's backside a lot in third-person games.

Donkey Kong Bananza's success could mark the start of a new age for Nintendo, with Mario and Link no longer standing alone at the top.

Nintendo has explained why Donkey Kong wears clothes in the latest Switch 2 exclusive, Donkey Kong Bananza. For as long as Donkey Kong has been around, he's typically been portrayed completely naked (if a monkey can even be naked), but in the latest installment, the star ape underwent a makeover, in both character design and wardrobe.

Donkey Kong is having a moment. This summer, not only did Mario’s original foe get his first theme park ride in the United States, but he’s also got Donkey Kong Bananza, his own mega game coming to Switch 2 later this week, and he might even be getting a movie sometime in the future.

Donkey Kong Bananza’ is a bold statement of what the Switch 2 can do. Now, it's time for Nintendo to dig into its library more, and bring back another icon.

Signs point to an animated film adaptation, which would fit perfectly with Nintendo’s current strategy.