There are new rumors suggesting that Nintendo has big things in store for the Donkey Kong franchise, as part of a move that will turn it into a new multimedia franchise. The Donkey Kong series has a lot of name recognition, but it doesn't generally receive as much attention as Mario or Zelda from Nintendo for whatever reason.
The last mainline entry in the Donkey Kong Country series was Tropical Freeze on the Wii U, which was initially released in 2015, with a Switch port arriving in 2018. Donkey Kong has made a number of crossover appearances, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the expansion for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, but Nintendo hasn't given the franchise its due in recent years.
The days of Donkey Kong sitting on the sideline could be over. According to new rumors from Nintendo leaker Zippo (via Video Games Chronicle), Nintendo is planning on pushing the Donkey Kong series as its next big multimedia franchise, starting with a new game coming to the Switch. This coincides with recent rumors about a new Donkey Kong game in development for the Nintendo Switch, though Zippo expressed surprise that this game wasn't featured during Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct.
The other rumors include a Donkey Kong animated project of some kind, though Zippo was unsure if this was a movie or an animated show. Nintendo already has a Super Mario Bros. movie in development, with plans for more video game films to follow. This wouldn't be the first time that Donkey Kong appeared in an animated show, as there was a Donkey Kong Country TV show in the 90s, as well as Donkey Kong & Mario shorts in the Saturday Supercade show in the 80s.
The final rumor is one that is pretty much confirmed, and it's that there is a Donkey Kong expansion coming to Super Nintendo World. Information about the Donkey Kong area was found in a datamine of the Super Nintendo World app in the past. The development and running of Super Nintendo World in Japan has been affected by the pandemic, so it's unclear exactly when the Donkey Kong area will be completed and open to the public.
Nintendo used to be resistant to the idea of turning its precious first-party franchises into multimedia projects, which was likely inspired by the dismal Super Mario Bros. movie from the 90s. Donkey Kong is one of the most recognizable names that Nintendo owns, at least in terms of mass-audience appeal, so it's no surprise that the leader of the DK crew could be making his way to the big or small screens in the future.
Source: Zippo (via Video Games Chronicle)