Mario Kart World launched alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 last week to massive fanfare, but eagle-eyed players have noticed something peculiar about everyone’s favorite tie-wearing gorilla. Despite being a franchise mainstay since the N64 days, Donkey Kong feels strangely underrepresented in this latest entry.
The community has started connecting dots that might explain this apparent oversight. With Donkey Kong Bananza launching next month and some suspicious gaps in the current roster, fans are convinced there’s more to this story than meets the eye.
The curious case of Mario Kart World’s missing Kong content
The evidence for DK’s minimal treatment in Mario Kart World is pretty damning when you start adding it up. While characters like Baby Rosalina somehow scored four different costumes, Donkey Kong gets exactly one alternate outfit. That’s the same number as Pauline, who’s barely been relevant to Nintendo’s main franchises until recently.
The content that does exist feels deliberately focused on the original 1981 arcade game rather than the beloved Donkey Kong Country series. DK Spaceport is essentially a racing version of the classic arcade stages, complete with barrel-throwing mechanics and retro aesthetics. Meanwhile, jungle-themed tracks are practically nonexistent.
Possible* signs of a DK-themed expansion for Mario Kart World and what we think it might look like
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The most glaring omission is Diddy Kong‘s complete absence from the roster.
Producer Kosuke Yabuki’s cryptic “I can’t say anything at this time” response (via IGN) when asked about Diddy suggests there’s definitely something brewing behind the scenes. You don’t use that kind of language unless you’re bound by NDAs or, well, marketing strategies.
Nintendo’s perfectly timed cross-promotional opportunity
The timing couldn’t be more suspicious if Nintendo planned it this way. Donkey Kong Bananza launches July 17, just over a month after Mario Kart World. That’s the perfect window for a major content update that could drive sales for both games simultaneously.
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The community wishlist is already forming around classic DK locations that would translate beautifully to racing. New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey practically begs for a street racing circuit, while DK Mountain could return with all the visual fidelity the Switch 2 can muster.
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Even the soundtrack choices feel deliberately limited. While other spin-off series got multiple musical representations, DK content sticks almost exclusively to arcade-era themes. It’s like Nintendo is saving all the good Country series music for… something special.
The latest Nintendo Korea box art leak showing young Pauline in Bananza adds yet another layer to this theory. She’s also stuck with just one costume in Mario Kart World, creating a pattern that’s hard to ignore. When two major characters both get minimal treatment before starring in an upcoming game, that’s not a coincidence!
What’s your take on the DK conspiracy theory? Do you think Nintendo is saving Kong content for a major expansion, or are fans reading too much into costume counts? Drop your thoughts below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
