Donkey Kong Country artist comments on DK's new look in Mario Kart Switch 2

Summary

  • Donkey Kong's iconic design appears to be getting a major makeover for Switch 2.

  • Recent footage from an unannounced Mario Kart game for the next console shows the apparent redesign of the character.

  • The artist behind Donkey Kong's longest-lasting look supports the changes.

The character designer behind it Donkey KongThe longest-running looker shared his feelings about the apparent redesign the iconic Nintendo character will see on Switch 2. Donkey Kong has undergone three major transformations since his introduction to the world in 1981, and esteemed character designer Kevin Bayliss is now evaluating the latest change.

Hired by Rare as lead character artist in 1987, Bayliss is credited with designing the The land of Donkey Kong characters, including an overhaul of the title character from his 8-bit antagonist role to his new heroic character on the SNES. That series saw its first installment in 1994, and while minor changes have occurred since then to keep up with graphical advances, Bayliss' design has remained the standard Donkey Kong look for 30 years.

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Another change appears to be on the horizon for the great primate. After months of speculation, Nintendo officially revealed the Switch 2 console in a trailer released in early January. While the majority of the trailer focused on the hardware, it also showed off what appears to be previously unreleased footage Mario Kart game, with a big change in Donkey Kong's design. While this new design features much rounder, bulkier features and a nicer look than its 30-year-old look, Bayliss seems very accepting of the change. The designer made his thoughts known in a Twitter reaction to a fan's video borrowing footage from the live-action Super Mario Bros. 1993 film to detail the changes. “I love it – it's really fun! – Everything changes! – Change is good,” the post reads in part.

Donkey Kong's iconic designer loves the character's new look

After being promoted to artistic director, Bayliss left Rare in 2005 after more than 17 years with the company. He worked with Playtonic, the maker of games like Lil Gator game and the Yooka-Laylee series, over the last 10 years. However, its classic design archetypes for the The land of Donkey Kong the characters lasted until 2025 with the release of Donkey Kong County Returns HD on January 16th.

As for the new Donkey Kong design, it could be an attempt by Nintendo to bridge the gap between its games and its films, forming a more unified media franchise. Several comparisons have been made between the version of Donkey Kong seen in the Switch 2 trailer and the character voiced by Seth Rogen in The Super Mario Bros. movie from 2023, such as a rounder forehead, larger forearms and fists, and more expressive eyes.

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