Donkey Kong: Bananza is a triumph, earning a rare IGN 10/10 and prompting our reviewer to call it “a brilliant successor to Super Mario Odyssey and a smashing return for a classic Nintendo character.” It’s high praise for a brand new Donkey Kong game, and one made seemingly without much input at all from original Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto. But Miyamoto did still share some feedback on Bananza with the development team, and now we know a bit about what exactly that was.

We’ve already learned from past interviews that Miyamoto couldn’t stop digging around whenever he played the game in development. But now, thanks to a new interview with Nintendo Dream Web (independently translated by IGN), we also know a bit about what he thought about how digging worked. According to game director Kazuya Takahashi, it was Miyamoto who suggested that “B” prompt Donkey Kong to dig downwards, as opposed to being a jump button like in Super Mario Odyssey. As he puts it:

Takahashi: Mr Miyamoto also suggested the button assignments. Since the game was an extension of Mario, we initially had you jump with the B button. But Miyamoto pointed out, “If you’re digging down, wouldn’t B be more intuitive?” Indeed, when I tried it out, the key assignment felt intuitive, so that was based on Mr Miyamoto’s opinion.

Interviewer: I see. The Y button is to the side and the X button is to the top, which is in line with the Switch 2’s button layout, so even people who aren’t familiar with action games will find it easier to play if they keep that in mind.

Takahashi: Of course, there are people who are used to using B to jump with Mario, so for those people, we’ve made it possible to change this in the options.

But that’s not all. Miyamoto also apparently influenced a small but crucial element of the sound design, as related by producer Kenta Motokura and sound director Naoto Kubo:

Motokura: During development, both Mr Miyamoto and Mr Koizumi were constantly destroying the ground and the surrounding area. There were lots of options in the field to play with, so I thought that felt good. He made some adjustments to the sound, right?

Kubo: Yes. Miyamoto-san said something like, “Donkey Kong’s movements look a little light. Maybe his footsteps are a little too light as well.” When it comes to sound, footsteps are something you hear all the time, so we thought that if we made them too loud and heavy, the impact of the destruction sounds might feel weaker, so we had kept them quite subtle. We turned up the volume a little and had Mr Miyamoto listen to it, and we repeated this several times. In the end, I think we were able to strike a good balance that gives a sense of weight without losing the satisfying feeling of destruction.

So it’s also thanks to Miyamoto that Donkey Kong’s footsteps sound juuuuust right in comparison to all the digging and smashing sounds he’s making. Thanks, Mr. Miyamoto!

We’ve learned all sorts of interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits about Bananza in the last few months. We did a big interview ourselves with Motokura and Takahashi, in which we learned how and why the game was conceived, the game’s place in the Donkey Kong “canon” and the necessity of releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Double Fine is poised to release a brand new game called Keeper in October, but what comes after that? According to development chief Tim Schafer, he’s working on multiple projects at the Microsoft-owned studio, none of which are sequels.

Keeper is an atmospheric puzzle adventure in which a long-forgotten lighthouse is awakened and goes on a journey. It’s led by Double Fine’s Lee Petty, which means Tim Schafer is hands-off and free to work on other things.

What are those other things? Speaking to IGN at gamescom 2025, Schafer of course wouldn’t divulge Double Fine’s upcoming games, but did say the studio has multiple projects in the works and they’re all original IP.

“I’m working on other stuff,” he confirmed. “The studio is doing multiple projects right now and they’re all original IPs, because we did Psychonauts 2 and that will hold us for sequels for a while.”

So, that rules out Psychonauts 3 or — and this was always an unlikely one — Brütal Legend 2, at least in the short to mid-term. As game developers are fond of saying, never say never, but Schafer’s rather definitive comment gives us an idea of what to expect from Double Fine in the coming years — and that is the unexpected.

Psychonauts 2 was Double Fine’s first release following Microsoft’s acquisition of the company in 2019. Schafer has spoken before about how Double Fine had to cut boss fights from the game due to budget concerns, but the Microsoft buyout meant it had the resources to add them back in. Schafer described Keeper as smaller-scale compared to Psychonauts 2, but with an impressive level of quality.

Psychonauts 2 eventually came out in 2021. Now, four years later, Double Fine is about to release its next game. Keeper comes out October 17, 2025, on PC and Xbox Series X and S.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Stardew Valley developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed he doesn’t ask for any compensation when his fan-favorite farm sim collabs with other franchises, saying he only does them because “[he] was a fan of the other games, or because [he] genuinely thought players would like it.”

The statement comes as fans prepare for a crossover event between Stardew Valley and Infinity Nikki, which goes live on September 1. Although we still don’t really understand what this will involve, exactly, there are already some surprisingly mixed reactions coming from the community, with some players upset about the timing, suggesting it’s an all-too-convenient distraction from the recent controversy around leakers.

“There have been a few collaborations between Stardew Valley and other games over the years,” Barone posted on X/Twitter yesterday. “To be clear, I never receive any money from these collabs. I’ve only done them because I was a fan of the other games, or because I genuinely thought the players would like it.”

Interestingly, Infinity Nikki responded directly to Barone from its official X/Twitter account.

“We really appreciate you sharing your feelings on this. Any unintended stress was the last thing we wanted. It was our way of saying thanks — a free love letter to Stardew Valley from our team and for the community,” the message said.

“Working on it felt like we were all tending a little farm together. The care and detail you pour into your world is exactly why we want to make cozy games too. We’re still learning from you every day.”

To be fair, it feels as though the fallout from the Stardew Valley collab is just a matter of bad timing here. The Infinity Nikki community has been unhappy ever since update 1.5 added some controversial changes to the game, such as retconning Infinity Nikki’s story, and ramping up the money and time investments required to collect full outfits.

It’s not that Barone does this all that often, either. Stardew Valley has only ever worked with a handful of other games, such as Balatro and Terraria.

Back in May, Barone admitted that he “didn’t want to just be the Stardew Valley guy,” explaining that was why he’s currently working on Haunted Chocolatier. We shouldn’t expect a release date anytime soon, though — there’s “still a lot to be done,” Barone recently admitted, particularly as he feels it’s “got to be better” than Stardew Valley.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

DICE has outlined what it’s learned — and what it’s changing — following the open beta test for Battlefield 6.

With “tens of thousands connecting on Discord to play together, over 600,000 hours streamed, and over 30 million hours watched,” the Battlefield team said it would “like to take a moment to look back at the recent Open Beta to share our key learnings and in-game changes we’re making based on your feedback and in-game data,” including tweaks to weapons, movement, maps, modes, player counts, and playlist options.

Perhaps one of the biggest complaints from players was around movement mechanics, particularly the speed of movement, and moving out of a slide into a jump. DICE says it’s now “adjusting” this “to create a more balanced and traditional Battlefield experience.”

“Momentum, especially horizontal speed, carried from a slide into a jump has been reduced,” the team wrote. “There is now a greater penalty for consecutive jumps, which lowers jump height when jumps are spammed. Firing while jumping or sliding will result in increased inaccuracy. These changes are designed to make sliding and jumping more situational, so they are no longer ideal options for engaging in gunfights, and will contribute to a gameplay pace that rewards skillful movement without becoming too fast or unpredictable.

“Parachute physics have also been re-tuned, with reduced initial acceleration when opening the parachute for more controlled aerial movement.”

The team was also keen for you to know that it heard your “strong feedback” about larger-scale maps, and says that while the Open Beta intentionally featured smaller, more fast-paced maps, “larger-scale maps are already part of our package, delivering action-packed gameplay and memorable, unique moments for every player.” As Battlefield Labs continues — that’s the closed test available to select players who sign an NDA — it’ll introduce two new multiplayer maps: one set in Mirak Valley, the other a remake of the fan-favorite from Battlefield 3, Operation Firestorm. These two maps “include the full complement of vehicles, like Liberation Peak, along with a more vast combat space.” Details about Mirak, you may remember, leaked earlier this week.

And of course, the studio is looking at feedback on modes, too. DICE recently made changes to Rush mode after a negative response from fans, noting “the conversation we observed wasn’t just about player count, but also about how maps play, and the tactical experience they offer.”

For those who aren’t aware, Rush was initially known as Gold Rush in Bad Company, where matches typically ranged from 12v12 to 16v16 players.

“We’ve experimented with larger player counts over the years, such as 64- and even 128-player versions. While these matches created intense, fast-paced moments, they also led to issues: Overwhelming defenses, stalled frontlines, and too many games ending in the first sector,” DICE explained. “Rush is especially sensitive to higher player counts due to its tactical and strategic requirements; when a player tries to arm the M-COM while more than 20 opponents are defending, the intended gameplay becomes less tangible. Based on feedback throughout recent titles, we’re lowering the default player count for Rush to improve the flow of combat and restore the tactical, methodical experience that defines the mode.”

Those who enjoy a “large-scale” Rush, however, will still be able to “experiment” with different player counts via the Portal from launch. “Finding the right balance is an ongoing process as everyone gets familiar with map size, lanes, and combat spaces,” the team added. “For now, we’ve found that 8v8 provides a solid starting point for small-scale, fast-paced modes like Team Death Match, Squad Death Match, Domination, and KOTH.”

“With the insights gathered during the Open Beta play sessions, we will be introducing in-game adjustments in upcoming Battlefield Labs events. Stay tuned for progress updates and future opportunities to get involved,” the team concluded. “Lastly, thanks again for joining the Battlefield 6 Open Beta. Your feedback and participation made it an incredible experience.”

We’re having a great time with what we’ve played so far, writing in our Battlefield 6 review-in-progress: “We are still in the beta period, but I’m already having an absolute blast with Battlefield 6’s multiplayer. The action is sublime, with a cinematic quality to the constantly raining debris that is enhanced by how legitimately effective it is to take strategic advantage of that destruction.

“Right now, even in beta form, Battlefield 6 might be the most fun shooter I’ve played this year.”

Don’t forget that from now until October 7 — Battlefield 6’s launch day — EA has a “wave of content” planned for Battlefield 2042, including a free new pass “celebrating the legacy of Battlefield,” new hardware, and a reimagining of the fan favorite Iwo Jima map. As you progress through the ‘Road to Battlefield 6’ pass, you can expect 50 “exclusive cross-rewards,” including 20 for Battlefield 6 that will be ready for you on launch day.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.