Who's Crafting Donkey Kong Bananza? Nintendo's Mystery Team

Nintendo has finally revealed that the team behind the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza for the Switch 2 is the same group that created Super Mario Odyssey. This team is based in Tokyo and is likely part of Nintendo EPD Tokyo. However, it's important to note that teams at Nintendo often change as projects progress, with developers moving around and groups reshuffling. The question on everyone's mind is who exactly is leading Donkey Kong Bananza. Super Mario Odyssey was led by Koichi Hayashida, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Kenta Motokura, but Nintendo has not confirmed if these individuals are involved in Bananza. This secrecy is notable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it highlights the human element behind game development, as games are created by people, not just companies. Nintendo has historically celebrated its talented teams, making their current secrecy somewhat unusual. Secondly, this secrecy raises questions about the future of 3D Mario games. If the Odyssey team is focused on Donkey Kong Bananza, who is working on the next 3D Mario? There are a few possibilities. The same team might be handling both projects, or a different team could be taking over Mario. The least exciting option is that Donkey Kong Bananza might be the main 3D game at launch, delaying the next Mario game. Rumors suggest that a new team, spun off from the Odyssey team, is making Bananza. This team includes younger developers who grew up playing Donkey Kong games. This could mean we get both a great Donkey Kong game and a new 3D Mario in the future. However, until Nintendo provides more information or the game releases on July 17, we're left to speculate.