Today’s Nintendo Direct Unveils Donkey Kong Country Area of Super Nintendo World

Today, a special Nintendo Direct presentation is being hosted by Nintendo. During the live stream, the company will be pulling the curtain back on the long-awaited Donkey Kong Country area in Super Nintendo World.

That’s right. As Nintendo announced on X (formerly Twitter), the upcoming Direct won’t focus on major game announcements. Instead, the stream will highlight the Donkey Kong Country portion of the park and is expected to last “roughly 10 minutes.” The Nintendo Direct will air on the company’s YouTube channel at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT.

In 2021, Nintendo announced that work was commencing on building this area, first set to open in Super Nintendo World in Osaka. Originally, the expansion to the park was to open in “Spring 2024” before being delayed until the second half of 2024. At the time, Nintendo claimed that Donkey Kong Country would be “a game-changer that combines the innovative technology and globally popular approach to theme park entertainment of Universal with the creativity of Nintendo.”

With the addition of Donkey Kong Country, Super Nintendo World’s footprint at Universal Studios Japan is expected to grow by 70 percent. The area will feature a mine cart rollercoaster, inspired by Donkey Kong Country. There will also be “interactive experiences and themed merchandise and food,” as confirmed by the company. On May 22nd, 2025, Donkey Kong Country will open in Universal Studios Orlando, Florida.

Those holding out hope that Nintendo may sneak in an announcement for Switch 2 or a new Donkey Kong game may want to set expectations. Nintendo’s post did confirm that “no game information will be featured.” While a little unorthodox, Nintendo is leveraging its Direct branding to raise more awareness of the Donkey Kong Country expansion.