Summary
- Nintendo has omitted the individual developers from Retro Studios from the credits of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.
- This practice of condensing credits in remastered games has faced criticism from developers in the past.
The upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on January 16, 2025, has brought to light a concerning issue regarding the game's credits. This remastered version of the 2010 Wii platformer, now available for Nintendo Switch owners, has excluded the original developers from Retro Studios from its full credits list.
The Nintendo Switch has solidified its position as a premier platform for retro gaming, thanks to its portability and a vast library of classic titles. Nintendo has embraced the trend of remastering and remaking beloved classics, enhancing them with new content and improved graphics to appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers. Notable examples include the enhanced remake of Super Mario RPG, remasters of the Advance Wars series, and the revival of narrative-driven games like the Famicom Detective Club series.
The Donkey Kong Country series is part of this remastering initiative. However, as the release date for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD approaches, it has been confirmed by sources with pre-release access, such as Nintendo Life, that the credits for this remastered version do not include the staff of Retro Studios, who developed the original 2010 Wii game. Instead, the credits screen lists only the staff from Forever Entertainment, the company responsible for porting and enhancing the game for the Switch, including content from the 3DS version. The credits simply state that the remastered game is "Based on the work of the original development staff," without naming the Retro Studios team members.
Nintendo Omits Retro Studios From Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Credits
This decision to condense the credits aligns with Nintendo's approach to other Switch-based re-releases. In 2023, Zoid Kirsch, a former programmer and senior gameplay engineer at Retro Studios for the first two Metroid Prime games, publicly criticized Nintendo for not including full original credits in Metroid Prime Remastered. Kirsch expressed feeling "let down" by Nintendo's choice to omit the names of team members who had moved on from Retro Studios during the remaster's development. Other developers echoed his sentiments, condemning the exclusion of original teams from the credits of remasters and remakes as "bad practice."
The issue of proper crediting is a significant concern within the game development industry, as credits are crucial for building the careers of developers. Even in the context of remastered titles, crediting original developers is seen as a gesture of appreciation and recognition for their hard work. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for not crediting translators and imposing restrictive non-disclosure agreements on translation partners, preventing them from acknowledging their work on key series like The Legend of Zelda. As more developers and fans voice their concerns about improper crediting practices, there is growing pressure on publishers, including Nintendo, to adopt more transparent and inclusive crediting policies.
