Does Interesting Donkey Kong Bananza Announcement Mean a New 3D Mario Game is Coming Soon?

For a long time, fans were kept in the dark about who was making Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the flagship games for the Nintendo Switch 2. When it was revealed that the team behind various 3D Mario games was making Donkey Kong Bananza, people wondered what this meant about when we’d see a new 3D Mario game. Now, a new reveal thickens the plot further.

The Donkey Kong Bananza Development Team

According to IGN, Nintendo recently revealed who was producing and directing Donkey Kong Bananza. The producer is Kento Motokura, director of Super Mario Odyssey, and the director is Kazuya Takahashi, who only joined Nintendo in 2020, but he has a background in open-world game design. However, fans have been quick to notice that one important name is missing: Yoshiaki Koizumi.

Who is Yoshiaki Koizumi?

Koizumi has been with Nintendo for decades and has worked on every 3D Mario game. He served as producer on games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario Odyssey. He also had the idea for Donkey Kong Bananza, but he isn’t serving as producer or director. When it was revealed that the team behind Super Mario Odyssey developed Bananza, people wondered if they would have to wait years for a new 3D Mario game. However, if Koizumi isn’t working on Bananza, that could mean that he has been at work developing a new 3D Mario game for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

However, we can’t assume that Koizumi isn’t part of the Donkey Kong Bananza development team just because he isn’t listed as the producer or director. Since the game was his idea, it would be logical to assume that he has been working on it in some role. Every Nintendo fan wants a new Mario game announcement, but right now, millions of people haven’t yet been able to purchase a Switch 2 to play it on. Perhaps we should just sit back and enjoy Donkey Kong crushing through the world.