May 6th 2024.
Activision's Donkey Kong - What Could Have Been
Have you ever wondered what a 3D Donkey Kong game from Activision would have been like? It's a question that has been on the minds of many gamers, especially after rumours surfaced about the possibility of such a game being in development for the Nintendo Switch. However, as it turns out, this project never came to fruition.
In the midst of all the technical details and rumours surrounding Nintendo's next console, one stood out - a new 3D Donkey Kong game. But, with the pandemic causing delays and the game intended for the current Switch, it's unclear if it will still be released for the 40th anniversary of the beloved character in 2021.
What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the original developer of this potential game was none other than Activision's studio, Vicarious Visions. This comes as a surprise to many, considering the studio's previous work on the popular Skylanders franchise. However, during the early 2010s, Skylanders was even more profitable than Call of Duty, making Vicarious Visions a strong candidate for a 3D platformer.
In fact, during this time, Activision and Nintendo were surprisingly close friends, with the former collaborating with the latter for the Wii U versions of Skylanders. This friendship even led to Nintendo creating special Skylanders versions of their characters, including Donkey Kong in the form of an amiibo.
While Western developers Rare and Retro Studios were responsible for the Donkey Kong Country series, it's not far-fetched to think that Nintendo may have been looking for other Western developers to work on the franchise. And so, Vicarious Visions took on the challenge, with the game codenamed "Freedom."
According to fan sources, the game was set to feature an open world environment and Donkey Kong would be seen skating around on banana roller-skates, thanks to the studio's experience with the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise. However, development only lasted for six months before being cancelled. It's still unclear as to which party lost interest first - Activision or Nintendo.
What's even more intriguing is that it's uncertain whether the cancelled project has any connection to the game that is believed to be currently in development by Nintendo's top studio, EPD. It's possible that after the Activision game was cancelled, Nintendo started fresh with a new game, which was meant to be released for the 40th anniversary. However, due to the pandemic, it seems that the game has been pushed back and may now be intended for the upcoming Switch 2.
While it's all speculation at this point, one thing is for sure - we'll never get to see what the Activision Donkey Kong game would have looked like. But, knowing Nintendo, it's safe to say that whatever they have in store for the beloved character will be nothing short of amazing.
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