Nintendo is bringing out the big barrels this week with a special Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, set to stream live on Wednesday, June 18, at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BT.
The 15-minute showcase will offer fresh footage and new gameplay insights for the highly anticipated title launching on July 17, 2025, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2.
The announcement dropped first via the Nintendo Today app-signaling the company’s evolving strategy of teasing its biggest updates through the app before echoing them on social media. In their official statement, Nintendo revealed that this Direct will dive into “roughly 15 minutes of information” about Donkey Kong Bananza.
While we’ve had a taste of the game from early previews, notably Wccftech’s Nathan Birch back in April, much of the game’s potential remains unseen. Birch described the game as an ambitious evolution of the franchise, praising its environmental destruction mechanics and the creative use of terrain-altering abilities like DK’s fists, explosives, and more. “The demo felt like a teaser,” Birch noted. “There’s clearly more to the Kong’s new tricks.”
Fans are cautiously excited. While some remain loyal to older platforms like the N64 or are still working through their Switch 1 backlog, others are impatient for the game to drop. With this Direct, Nintendo has a chance to swing some hearts back into the hype zone.
If you’re wondering what’s next for the big ape and his latest jungle-smashing adventure, this Wednesday might finally provide the answers. Mark your calendars-and maybe your walls too, if you’re into punching them like DK.