Nintendo has filed a New Donkey Kong trademark. That being said, nothing suggests either the Nintendos Donkey Kong series, or a new Donkey Kong title, may come soon, it may just be Nintendo refreshing the Donkey Kong trademark.
Rumors of a new game in the Donkey Kong franchise have been floating around online over the last year one, in particular, suggested the Nintendo EPD team the same ones in charge of Super Mario Odyssey might be working on a new entry. Nintendo has recently amended trademarks on the Donkey Kong series, but it seems that Nintendo is planning on something bigger than a standard copyright assertion.
Files are already fueling speculation that something related to video games may be coming to Nintendo Switch. While trademarks surrounding popular brands are updated constantly, Nintendo has instead filed an entirely new trademark mentioning downloadable programs for handhelds and electronics consoles leaving many guessing Nintendo is getting ready to announce a new Donkey Kong project for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo’s latest trademark update might be merely a routine legal business, but it could also foreshadow a Donkey Kong come back with a brand new Donkey Kong title. Many fans are anxiously waiting for any news on a new, stand-alone Donkey Kong title on the Switch, given all of the ongoing controversy surrounding the former Donkey Kong titles, as well as recent commemorations for the 40th anniversary of the iconic mascot.
Nintendo has updated the trademark for Donkey Kong. Rather than being a routine extension of an existing trademark, this is a new trademark with updated verbiage pertaining specifically to video games, including "downloadable programs for portable and electronic consoles." pic.twitter.com/UgWpK8VHwH
— Kremling Kampaigner (@KRoolKountry) July 1, 2022
It should be noted that announced may not necessarily be the case and that Nintendo may just be future-proofing its ownership of the Donkey Kong franchise, just like it does often with its other game properties, such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. While there are speculations about a new Switch title in the series, Nintendos Switch has been a busy Donkey Kong 40th Anniversary, but nothing has been announced.
It is also interesting to see that this updated trademark is coming up, considering Nintendo has also recently renewed The Donkey Konga trademark, the rhythm game spin-off series which involves Donkey Kongs playing the bongos in time with a song.
It is also interesting that the updated trademark is popping up, considering Nintendo recently renewed. Granted, it could just as easily have been a new trademark application meant to future-proof Donkey Kong, and it has nothing to do with anything that is actually coming out of Nintendo, but there is a history of this sort of thing being done only if needed.
Nintendo is known to revive their popular characters for new systems, Mario and Donkey Kong, for instance, enjoyed their adventures across Nintendo’s platforms, going all the way from the coin-op machines all the way up to the latest hardware platforms.
