Recently, there have been scattered claims suggesting that Nintendo is phasing out Diddy Kong, leaving fans concerned about the character's future. If you're not familiar with these claims, it's understandable. They largely stem from the relative dormancy of the Donkey Kong franchise during the Nintendo Switch era. To date, the only two games released for the franchise on this console are Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, both of which are ports. When combined with Diddy Kong's absence from major Mario spin-off games like Mario Party and Mario Golf, it’s easy to see how these claims began to circulate.
Despite these claims, we believe that Diddy Kong isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The absence of his appearances in recent games doesn’t necessarily imply that Nintendo is abandoning him. As previously mentioned, the Donkey Kong franchise has been largely inactive on the Nintendo Switch, primarily releasing remakes and ports that offered little innovation in gameplay. This inactivity explains why Diddy Kong hasn’t been featured prominently; he simply hasn’t been a topical character within the franchise.
During the Switch era, Diddy Kong did make appearances in Super Mario Party and Mario Tennis Aces back in 2018. However, he was noticeably absent from titles like Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Mario Golf: Super Rush. It’s worth noting that Diddy Kong didn’t join the character roster of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe until 2023, more than five years after the game's initial release. While it’s regrettable that he’s missing from several spin-off titles, the inactivity of the Donkey Kong franchise during this time helps contextualize these omissions.
As of now, Diddy Kong has not been confirmed to appear in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza. Some players speculate that Donkey Kong’s redesign for this game, coupled with a recent leak from a Korean Nintendo website, may indicate that Diddy Kong’s inclusion is unlikely. This redesign seems to be Nintendo’s effort to reestablish Donkey Kong as a major character among their offerings, which had previously been dominated by franchises like Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, and Animal Crossing.
However, just because Nintendo is moving away from Donkey Kong’s original design doesn’t mean they are abandoning other characters created by Rare. For instance, early footage has confirmed that Cranky Kong appears in Donkey Kong Bananza, maintaining a look similar to his previous appearances. Although we might not see Diddy Kong as a playable character, he is likely to make an appearance as a non-playable character (NPC) in the game.
Another reason we believe Diddy Kong isn’t going anywhere is the upcoming Super Nintendo World expansion at Universal Studios Orlando, which prominently features both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. This theme park is based on Donkey Kong Country Returns, a title in which Diddy Kong plays a significant role. It would be contradictory for Nintendo to invest heavily in a theme park centered around Diddy Kong while simultaneously retiring him from their games.
Interestingly, the theme park embraces Donkey Kong's Rare-era design, even as Nintendo has introduced a new look for the character ahead of its American opening. Regardless, it's evident that Diddy Kong is here to stay within the franchise.
While we cannot predict the specific role Diddy Kong will play in Donkey Kong Bananza, we are confident he will make an appearance in some capacity. Additionally, considering the game's release, it's likely that Diddy Kong will be featured in future Mario Party or Mario sports games. It’s also possible that other Kongs, such as Dixie Kong and King K. Rool, may start to appear more frequently in spin-offs, given that Mario Super Sluggers is currently the only Mario spin-off game to include them as playable characters.
In conclusion, we are excited about the future of the Donkey Kong franchise and remain optimistic that Diddy Kong will continue to be a prominent figure in upcoming games and media. As fans, we look forward to seeing how Nintendo navigates the evolution of this beloved character.
