Donkey Kong’s Redesign: Nintendo’s Drive for Expressiveness Explained by Shigeru Miyamoto

Donkey Kong’s Redesign: Nintendo’s Drive for Expressiveness Explained by Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendo’s iconic Donkey Kong character recently received a significant visual overhaul, prompting conversation across fan communities and the gaming industry alike.

Since his debut in arcades over forty years ago, Donkey Kong has been an enduring symbol of Nintendo’s creative aspirations.

As character design standards and hardware capabilities have advanced, so too has the appearance and personality of the beloved ape.

Most notably, the latest Nintendo Switch titles and promotional imagery showcase a more expressive, vibrant Donkey Kong—reflecting years of iteration by Nintendo’s talented development teams. In a recent interview with IGN, Nintendo’s celebrated producer Shigeru Miyamoto explained the thinking behind the latest Donkey Kong redesign.

Miyamoto, who remains deeply involved in Nintendo’s character creation process, discussed the studio's evolving approach to bringing out more emotion and expression in its famous mascots.

According to Miyamoto, the quest for a more expressive Donkey Kong can be traced back to the 2004 GameCube release, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a title that allowed the development team greater latitude in showcasing the character’s personality using new technology available at the time.

"Reflecting on the original Donkey Kong Country, our collaboration with Rare brought the character to life in groundbreaking ways for its era," explained Miyamoto.

"As we looked to reinterpret and evolve Donkey Kong, we teamed with the group behind 3D Mario to develop Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

The technology gave us the opportunity to amplify his expressiveness.

Revisiting Rare’s initial vision, we reassessed the possibilities for the character’s design.

With the advent of current projects—including the animated movie—we committed to launching this new-generation Donkey Kong, with a focus on enhanced expressiveness." This iterative approach is evident in Donkey Kong’s current look, which has been showcased in both game footage and promotional material for upcoming titles like Donkey Kong Bananza.

The redesign has received a largely positive response from the community and even from those who helped shape the character’s past appearances.

Kev Bayliss, the artist responsible for Donkey Kong’s design in Donkey Kong Country, expressed support for the update, noting, "There’s no real controversy here—he’s still the Donkey Kong audiences know, just with a more refined and appealing appearance." The revitalization isn’t limited to Donkey Kong alone.

Diddy Kong, another key figure in the franchise, has also seen a subtle update—though Nintendo approached his redesign with more restraint to maintain continuity with previous renditions.

Thanks to advances in hardware like the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo’s dedication to character artistry, fans can expect to see even greater expressiveness in their favorite primates in upcoming releases and media. Through thoughtful evolution and a focus on personality, Nintendo continues to set the standard for character design in the gaming industry, ensuring that Donkey Kong remains both recognizable and resonant for new generations of fans.

Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Country Nintendo Shigeru Miyamoto Miyamoto Jungle Beat Rare IGN Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Kev Bayliss