Nintendo has done it again. Unfortunately, I don’t mean release a hit game, which they technically still did. I mean, it removed the original developer credits from another Nintendo remaster. With Donkey Kong Country Returns HD ready to be released soon, the embargo has lifted, allowing those who developed the game to reveal the information. According to screenshots of the portion of the credits where the original developer would appear, it instead says, “Based on the work of the original development staff.”
This complete removal must hit especially hard for developer Retro Studios. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is actually the second game that didn’t feature credits directed at the studio. The first was Metroid Prime Remastered in 2023 when they were only mentioned in passing via a nondescript message. At the time, the staff were very open about their disappointment in Nintendo’s decision. In fact, former lead technical engineer Jack Matthews took to X to voice his opinion on the matter, conveying a massive level of distrust in Nintendo.
“This is a travesty. Not just for my credit (even though most of my code was probably replaced), but for people whose code and work are largely unchanged, like Mark HH, Steve McCrea, all of the uprezzed art and concepts, the game design. Shameful.”
When you work hard on a game to the point that Nintendo feels that remastering it is justifiable, not including you in the credits feels hurtful. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Retro Studios had voiced their opinions the first time around, Nintendo made the same decision. Personally, it’s interesting that Nintendo would spend the time writing the condensed recognition at all if they weren’t going to include the studio’s name. Would it really have taken any additional effort? Something similar happened when it was revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released without crediting all of the freelancers who had also worked on the project.
With the release of the Switch 2 somewhere along the horizon, I can only imagine that Nintendo will release more remasters. Hopefully, they’ll give credit where credit is due, but I’m not betting on it. This isn’t the first time that the company’s done this and I don’t doubt it’ll do it again. Personally, the fact that it happened to the same company twice almost goes to show what little regard Nintendo has for the teams that dedicate their time toward working on their games.
