Nintendo to Air Donkey Kong Direct This Week

Nintendo has unveiled a special Direct presentation dedicated to the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Donkey Kong Bananza, scheduled for Wednesday, June 18 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST.

The reveal first appeared on the Nintendo Today! app, confirming the presentation will run for approximately 15 minutes.

With the Switch 2 launch now complete, Nintendo shifts focus to its exclusive titles, with Donkey Kong Bananza launching July 17 as the next major release. According to Nintendo, this Direct will exclusively showcase the 3D platforming adventure, meaning no other Switch 2 titles — announced or unannounced — will appear during the stream.

Donkey Kong sports a redesigned appearance in Bananza, evolving from his updated look in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Shigeru Miyamoto explained the character's redesign in a recent IGN interview, detailing Nintendo's approach to modernizing the iconic ape.

"I remain deeply involved in character development," Miyamoto revealed. "Looking back at Donkey Kong Country's original iteration with Rare, we've continually sought ways to evolve the character.

"During Jungle Beat's development with Mario's 3D team, we expanded Donkey Kong's expressiveness using available technology. We reexamined Rare's original design principles while innovating further. This evolution ultimately informed his updated cinematic appearance."

For additional details, read IGN's hands-on preview of Donkey Kong Bananza.

Bananza's launch will bolster the Switch 2's exclusive lineup, which currently includes Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour at launch, alongside upcoming titles Survival Kids and Kirby Air Riders, plus the newly announced Splatoon Raiders.