Re-launching Tropical Freeze a Precursor to a new Donkey Kong Country?

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is re-launching on Nintendo Switch, after a lackluster performance on the Nintendo Wii U. According to VGChartz, the title sold roughly 1.72 million units on the Wii U, being far outpaced by Nintendo’s other major franchises, including Mario Kart 8 (8M+), Super Mario 3D World (5M+), New Super Mario Bros (5M+), and Super Smash Bros (5M+), as well as other franchises like Splatoon, and the Legend of Zelda. The question ultimately becomes: is re-launching Tropical Freeze on Nintendo Switch a precursor to a new Donkey Kong Country game on the system, or simply a way for Nintendo – 4 years later – to justify the development costs of the original title? Or perhaps, is Nintendo trying to scope an easy dollar out of the pockets of some of their 17 million current Switch owners? While only Nintendo has the answers, we have all the speculation.

Why a New Donkey Kong Country Game Makes Sense

The poor sales numbers for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on Nintendo Wii U had more to do with the lackluster sales of the system itself, rather than the game Retro Studios developed. According to Metacritic, the average score for the title was 83% from 77 critical review, and 90% from over 800 user reviews; even we gave the game a solid 8.5/10!. The game itself was a great piece of development, and loved by all who played it. Donkey Kong Country titles are popular, but unfortunately, the Wii U wasn’t. In comparison, Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii sold 6.5 million copies, and although the percentage of Wii / Wii U owners who bought each game might be similar, 6.50 million sales is still a respectable number.

So why does releasing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze mean another Donkey Kong Country game could be in the works? Nintendo, in my opinion, is testing the waters on this franchise, and by re-launching a critically acclaimed albeit an underplayed, title, they are determining whether or not a new Donkey Kong game is viable on the Nintendo Switch. With over 17 million Switches in the hands of consumers, the company should be able to move a fair number of copies of this game. The number of new potential players vastly outnumbers the number of players who see this as a port. Check out these numbers from our friends at NintendoDads:

https://twitter.com/NintendoDads/status/991394398259830784

Why Re-Launching Tropical Freeze Helps Justify Expensive Development Costs

Video game development is not a cheap endeavour, and when Retro Studios launched Tropical Freeze and only garnered 1.72 million unit sold, that had to come at some disappointment. Companies like to see a major return on their investment, especially when the title is as praised as Tropical Freeze was. I’m sure that this Donkey Kong Country experience on Nintendo Wii U was financially successful, but not like other titles in the franchise, and not like other flagship launches that Nintendo has had. So, it does make sense that with a little bit of money – to incorporate Funky Kong -Nintendo and Retro Studios is breathing new life into Tropical Freeze to better justify the development costs for their shareholders. While it’s likely that a 2014 title isn’t on the radar of many invested in the company, seeing profits soar on a re-launch is likely to put smiles on more than a few faces.

Why Tropical Freeze is a Money Grab That is Justifiable

This third point is not mutually exclusive from the other two, and this is probably the most true of the three arguments I have made in this article. With very little financial involvement, Nintendo will re-launch a critically acclaimed game to an audience of 17 million +, where – as per the data from NintendoDads above – at least 90% of Switch Owners would never have played this game in the first place.

Think about this for a moment: 90% of Nintendo Switch owners will look at Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as a brand new, Nintendo experience, that they have never owned. While many – the minority in my opinion – have voiced displeasure about Nintendo re-launching a title at a premium price, I look at it as completely justifiable. Sure, had Nintendo launched at 39.99 USD, that would have been a sweet deal for everyone. But they have no reason to, nor should they feel pressured too. Development costs on this title in 2018 might have been low, but you have to assume the company is looking to justify the money they spent in 2014.

What do I think? What do YOU think?

At the end of the day, it is plausible all of these things are 100% true, whether directly or indirectly. In my personal opinion, I think Nintendo is trying to get a pulse on whether or not fans of the Donkey Kong franchise are still excited about side scrolling, Donkey Kong Country experiences. With the success of Super Mario Odyssey – a return to 3D Mario for the company – it’s not unthinkable that Nintendo is debating between a new 3D Donkey Kong adventure or a new side scrolling experience. If Tropical Freeze sells well to the 17 million+ plans, that’s a good indication another side scrolling game will be successful. If it doesn’t – especially considering the outstanding review scores – then they no to take the franchise in a different direction.

But none of this comes at the expense of padding their pockets with your dollars and justifying production costs from 2014. While neither might be the driving force behind the decision, both are still positive outcomes for the company as a whole. But enough about what I think…

What do you think? Will we get a new Donkey Kong Country game on Nintendo Switch in the next 12-18 months? Join the conversation on Twitter!