Donkey Kong Bananza director acknowledges the game's performance issues, but says the team 'prioritized fun and playability' first

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza has been criticized for occasional performance issues
The game's director is aware of said problems, but claimed the team "prioritized fun and playability" first and foremost
The game launches this week, on July 17

As many previews for the game have pointed out, Donkey Kong Bananza seems to have some performance issues thanks to its modular environment destruction system. However, it appears that the development team at Nintendo is well aware.

In an interview with La Vanguardia (thanks VGC), Donkey Kong Bananza director Kazuya Takahashi responded as such when asked about the game's occasionally rocky performance:

“There are several factors to consider. First, we intentionally used effects like hit-stop and slow motion to emphasize impacts. Second, because we use voxel technology, there are times when there are major changes and destruction in the environment.

“We’re aware that performance may drop slightly at these times. However, as you say, overall the game is smooth, and at points where large-scale changes occur, we prioritized fun and playability.”

Takahashi doesn't state whether or not we can expect the Nintendo Switch 2 title to receive performance patches after launch, but given he has now spoken openly about Bananza's performance, it's certainly not something I'd say is off the table.

For me personally, I don't think the performance issues are going to drag down my experience that much. During my initial Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on earlier this year, I had the chance to play a small portion of Donkey Kong Bananza, and found the game to be a ton of fun in spite of the occasional frame drops.

The game launches this week exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, on July 17, 2025.

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Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.

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