Vicarious Visions was reportedly working on a 3D Donkey Kong game

May 4: Vicarious Visions, the studio now known as Blizzard Albany that previously developed projects such as Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, and some Skylanders titles, was apparently working on a 3D Donkey Kong game at one point. Given the timing here, it should have ended up on Switch had it come to fruition. 

DK Vine previously published a report about the situation this year. While some of the specific details have come into question, Did You Know Gaming today followed up with its own findings.

The title would have been a 3D game set on a large open island. Character movement and flow were a big part of what was planned, so Donkey Kong would have been able to climb walls and swing on vines. Another important mechanic was grinding for horizonal and sloped vines. Also, Vicarious Visions was apparently planning to have DK wear banana peels as makeshift shoes while grinding. The studio was planning its own original look for DK with huge arms and small legs.

Again, some of DK Vine’s details are unconfirmed, but the site claims that Pauline would be playable. Additionally, the story involved and ecological disaster.

It seems that Vicarious Visions started working on a prototype, which also had some art from the team, around September 2015 and lasting for a little over six months. Just a few staffers at the company were involved. No title had been decided, but it was using the “Freedom” codename.

The prototype featured a jungle-infested cityscape. Players started at the bottom of the city running along the ground, and performing certain moves like swinging and grinding on vines, wall running, and bouncing on objects. Ultimately you’d look to build up speed and scale to higher areas.

What ultimately happened here? Although Nintendo had at least some interest in working with Vicarious Visions, apparently it was Activision that led to the project being scrapped towards the start of Spring 2016. Activision was shifting the types of games to release, including fewer single-player titles. It was also a riskier move since Activision or Nintendo pulling the plug later on could have forced the studio to scramble for work in an attempt to avoid layoffs. Remember that Vicarious Visions was a part of Activision, so the publisher could ultimately decide what to do with the developer.

You can check out the full report from Did You Know Gaming on the Donkey Kong project and more.

Would you have been interested in seeing the 3D Donkey Kong game from Vicarious Visions launch on Switch? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

October 23: Reddit user BirdonWheels now claims to have found art that appears to have been made for the Donkey Kong project. Supposedly, it was found on a hard drive containing promotional assets from Vicarious Visions. However, it’s legitimacy has not been confirmed.

Thanks to Greatsong1 for the tip.