Donkey Kong Bananza Demo Hints at Nintendo's Next 3D Mario Game

A Donkey Kong Bananza demo shown at GDC 2026 carries more than gameplay impressions. Producer Kenta Motokura told GamesRadar+ that "some ideas from Donkey Kong Bananza provide future hints for [Nintendo's] next project," a remark that has set off a wave of speculation about what Nintendo's 3D Mario team is building next for the Switch 2.

Motokura further explained that Nintendo's next big release will follow the same developmental leap that occurred between Super Mario Odyssey and Donkey Kong Bananza. That framing is deliberate: Odyssey, released on Nintendo Switch in October 2017, introduced Mario and his hat-shaped ally Cappy in a globe-trotting platformer built around possession mechanics and wide open kingdoms. Bananza, one of only two first-party titles to launch as Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives, represents the next step from that same development team, the group Koizumi-san specifically recruited by telling them, "With an eye to expanding the Donkey Kong franchise further, I'd like the team that's been working on 3D Mario games to create a 3D Donkey Kong game."

The lineage between the two games is visible in the mechanics. Bananza's transformation system draws comparisons to Odyssey's Cappy abilities, both of which build on franchise staple transformation mechanics that stretch back to Super Mario 3D World, the Wii U title from November 2013 that introduced Cat Mario and Double Mario for up to four players in the Sprixie Kingdom.

Observers have identified several specific elements in the Bananza demo that could point toward future Mario projects. The appearance of a young Pauline in Bananza has drawn particular attention, given that the character serves as mayor of New Donk City in Odyssey. Her presence raises the possibility of a sequel to Odyssey or a prequel that bridges the narrative gap between the two games. Separately, the destructive terrain mechanics throughout Bananza have prompted speculation about whether those systems could surface in a potential third Super Mario Galaxy installment.

Nintendo's own developer notes describe the ambition behind Bananza in stark terms. The Donkey Kong series began with Miyamoto-san's original arcade game, then reached a visual landmark with the Donkey Kong Country series developed with Rare Ltd. on the Super NES. "So this time around, tasked with developing a Donkey Kong game ourselves, we decided we were going to aim for another big innovation," the notes state. Even Donkey Kong's visual design was rebuilt from scratch, with the team adding britches and suspenders to avoid what they described as a "monotonous" back view of a character who is otherwise a mass of brown fur. That redesigned character had already appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 and in Mario Kart World, but the Bananza version represents a complete overhaul of the foundational design.

With the Switch 2 approaching its one-year anniversary in June, Motokura's comments arrive at a moment when Nintendo watchers are actively scanning for signals about the platform's next major first-party game. If the developmental logic he described holds, the team that built the Cappy mechanics into Odyssey and then pushed transformation-based gameplay further in Bananza may already be carrying those lessons into whatever comes next.