Alleged concept art for a canceled Donkey Kong game from Vicarious Visions has been leaked online. The Donkey Kong series is one of Nintendo’s oldest and most recognized franchises, predating even Super Mario Bros. and introducing gamers to both the titular gorilla and the Big N’s plumber mascot. Over the years, Donkey Kong has appeared in numerous spin-offs and crossovers in addition to his own platforming adventures, though he hasn’t had a starring role in a brand-new video game since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Deep Freeze way back in 2014.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the former Vicarious Visions, the studio now known as Blizzard Albany, was working on a Donkey Kong game for the Nintendo Switch that was codenamed Donkey Kong Freedom. According to the rumors, it would have brought Donkey Kong into an open-world format on a mission to save his jungle home from destruction. However, the project was supposedly scrapped sometime around 2016, with Activision shifting Vicarious Visions’ focus toward Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.

Donkey Kong Once Almost Had a Very Weird Name

Donkey Kong is undeniably one of the most prominent characters in video game history, but he almost ended up with an entirely different name.

What appears to be concept art from this unproduced Donkey Kong game has recently surfaced online, being posted on Reddit by user BirdonWheels. As reported by Nintendo Life, this artwork depicts Donkey Kong standing in front of jungle ruins of some kind, with a door and statues decorated with images of monkeys and bananas amid a lush green landscape. BirdonWheels claims to have uncovered this artwork while digging through an old hard drive filled with assets from Vicarious Visions, and that the timestamp on the image is for June 20, 2016.

Leaked Artwork Gives Players A Look At The Rumored Donkey Kong Game from Vicarious Visions

This would be right around the time that Vicarious Visions was said to be working on its rumored Donkey Kong game, but it isn’t clear if this concept art is indeed authentic. According to the reports from earlier this year, Donkey Kong Freedom would have been focused on fluid traversal gameplay, such as grinding on vines and swinging from trees, and it looks like the image depicts the beginning of a level set in a temple.

This is simply speculation though, as Donkey Kong Freedom was reportedly canceled due to the decline of the Skylanders series, which caused Activision to switch its focus away from single-player experiences. While fans are still waiting for a brand-new Donkey Kong game, developer Forever Entertainment is bringing Donkey Kong Country Returns HD to the Nintendo Switch on January 16, 2025.