Super Nintendo World endured an eventful run-up to its March grand opening, but that won’t stand in the way of Nintendo’s plans for Donkey Kong and his family to become Mario’s theme park neighbors.
Although neither Nintendo nor Universal Studios Japan have officially confirmed a future Donkey Kong expansion for Super Nintendo World, a successful datamine of the theme park’s own app revealed plenty of DK-related assets in the same vein as those used when visiting Mario's attractions. That, coupled with the presence of a rather familiar wooden door inside Super Nintendo World, has pretty much confirmed a Donkey Kong Land is on the way.
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Naturally, building theme park attractions in stealth mode is not that easy, so many Super Nintendo World visitors have recently shared pictures on social media showing construction cranes on site right next to the northern area of Mario’s park, very close to the mystery DK door. As if that wasn’t already a huge giveaway, a luscious jungle backdrop was also spotted via some aerial shots of the construction, thus nearly locking in prior predictions.
Even without any direct statements from Universal and Nintendo, Super Nintendo World’s app does seem to refer to the park as Super Mario Land which could definitely be opening the doors for other Nintendo properties to join, each with their own "land". The earliest of these rumors also pointed to a Donkey Kong Country minecart rollercoaster as one of the main attractions, and with franchises like Animal Crossing also sitting on the sidelines there would be a lot of potential for even more.
Many fans believe Nintendo has neglected Donkey Kong in recent years, especially considering the big ape just celebrated his 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, fans are hoping the Kong family will get a new game – and now, maybe even their own theme park.
A Diddy Kong Racing revival might be a perfect fit – not only would it be great to see the game in action again, but it'd also make a great go-kart ride in Donkey Kong Land.
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