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Donkey Kong

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Donkey Kong is a platformer franchise created by Nintendo. With the lone exception of the Game & Watch line of games, Donkey Kong is Nintendo's first video game franchise, with its first entry being the arcade game Donkey Kong, which was released in 1981. The player character is Nintendo's current mascot Mario, who battles it out with the titular angry gorilla named Donkey Kong. After a six year hiatus since the Nintendo Entertainment System ports of the arcade trilogy, Nintendo relaunched the series with Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Since then, the series now revolves around Donkey Kong and his friends collecting bananas and battling invaders to protect their home, Donkey Kong Island.

The Donkey Kong franchise has sold over 92 million units worldwide as of 2023 and grossed more than $5 billion as of 2011. The original Donkey Kong (1981) alone sold over 20 million units and grossed over $4 billion. Excluding the Game & Watch titles and licensed ports of the arcade games, the Donkey Kong series sold over 65 million units on Nintendo consoles as of March 2021.[1]

Games[]

Classic series[]

Title Platform(s) Year Sales
(est.) 		Ref Revenue
(est. US$) 		Ref
Donkey Kong 20,029,500 $4,400,000,000 [2]
Donkey Kong Arcade 1981 218,178 [n 1] $1,700,000,000 [6]
1982 $1,200,000,000 [7]
1983 $243,000,000 [8]
Coleco Mini-Arcade 1982 500,000 [7] $63,000,000 [7]
Game & Watch 1982 1,250,000 [9] $375,000,000 [10]
1983 6,750,000 [11]
ColecoVision 1982 1,000,000 [12] $35,000,000 [13]
1983 1,000,000 [14] $35,000,000
Atari 2600 1982 4,000,000 [15] $130,000,000
1983 583,000 [8] $15,000,000 [8]
Atari 2600 Jr. 1986 180,523 [16] $6,000,000 [13]
Intellivision 1983 Unknown
Famicom 1983 880,000 [17] $18,000,000 [18]
NES 1985 250,000 [19] $13,000,000 [20]
Famicom Disk 1988 20,497 [17]
Consoles 1984 270,000 [21] $7,000,000 [21]
Atari 8-bit 1983 600,000 [8] $30,000,000 [8]
Computers 1984 16,000 [21] $500,000 [21]
Atari XE 1986 25,502 [16]
Kong / Crazy Kong / Select 1 Computers 1984 200,000 [21] $2,000,000 [21]
Donkey Kong Classics NES 1988 1,560,000 [19] $78,000,000 [20]
Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong GBA 2004 643,000* [22][23][24]
Donkey Kong 3DS (VC) 2011 82,800 [24] $348,000
Donkey Kong Jr. 5,050,000 $593,000,000
Donkey Kong Jr. Arcade 1982 30,000 [n 2] $270,000,000 [7]
1983 $120,000,000 [8]
Game & Watch 1982 1,200,000 [26] $45,000,000 [26]
1983 500,000 [26] $27,000,000 [26]
Coleco Mini-Arcade 1983 300,000 [27] $15,000,000 [28]
Donkey Kong II Game & Watch 1983 1,250,000 [26] $59,000,000
Donkey Kong Junior Atari 2600 1983 970,000* [29][30] $31,000,000 [31]
ColecoVision 1983 800,000 [8] $26,000,000
Intellivision 1983 Unknown
Donkey Kong Jr. NES 1983 Unknown
Donkey Kong Junior Coleco Adam 1984 Unknown
Donkey Kong 3 255,000 $49,000,000
Donkey Kong 3 Arcade 1983 5,000 [n 3] $24,000,000 [8]
1984 $13,000,000 [32]
NES 1984 Unknown
Game & Watch 1984 250,000 [26] $12,000,000 [26]
Other classic games 4,820,000 $203,000,000
Donkey Kong Circus Game & Watch 1984 250,000 [26] $12,000,000 [26]
Donkey Kong Hockey Game & Watch 1984 250,000 [26] $12,000,000
Donkey Kong (Game Boy) GB 1994 3,070,000 [19] $120,000,000 [33]
Total sales 30,154,500 $5,245,000,000

Donkey Kong Country series[]

Title Year Platform(s) Sales
(millions) 		Ref
Donkey Kong Country 13.31
Donkey Kong Country 1994 SNES 9.30 [19]
2000 GBC 2.19 [19]
2003 GBA 1.82 [19]
Donkey Kong Country 2 6.14
Donkey Kong Country 2 1995 SNES 5.15 [19]
2004 GBA 0.99* [22][23][34]
Donkey Kong Country 3 4.183
Donkey Kong Country 3 1996 SNES 3.51 [19]
2005 GBA 0.673* [22][23][35]
Donkey Kong 64 5.27
Donkey Kong 64 1999 N64 5.27 [19]
Donkey Kong Land series 7.29
Donkey Kong Land 1995 GB 3.91 [19]
Donkey Kong Land 2 1996 GB 2.35 [19]
Donkey Kong Land 3 1997 GB / GBC 1.03 [19]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 1.427
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 2004 GCN 0.942* [22][23][36]
New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 2008 Wii 0.485* [22][23][37]
Donkey Kong Country Returns 9.47
Donkey Kong Country Returns 2010 Wii 6.53 [19]
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D 2013 3DS 2.94 [19]
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD 2025 Switch
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 6.14
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 2014 Wii U 2.02 [19]
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 2018 Switch 4.62 [19]
Total sales 53.23

Spin-offs[]

Title Year Platform Sales
(millions) 		Ref
Donkey Kong Jr. Math 1983 NES Unknown
Diddy Kong Racing 1997 N64 4.88 [19]
Donkey Konga 2003 GCN 1.18 [19]
Donkey Konga 2 2004 GCN 0.523* [22][38]
DK: King of Swing 2005 GBA 0.278* [22][39]
Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku 2005 GCN 0.080 [22]
Diddy Kong Racing DS 2007 DS 1.59 [19]
DK: Jungle Climber 2007 DS 0.468* [22][23][40]
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast 2007 Wii 0.562* [22][23][41]
Total sales 9.56

Notes[]

  • * Includes VGChartz numbers
    • Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong | 0.161 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.322 (NA) [NPD] + 0.16 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA version) | 0.103 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.639 (NA) [NPD] + ≤0.25 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA version) | 0.100 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.393 (NA) [NPD] + 0.18 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • Donkey Konga 2 | 0.133 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.39 (NA/EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • DK: King of Swing | 0.048 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.23 (NA/EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | 0.220 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.462 (NA) [NPD] + 0.26 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • DK: Jungle Climber | 0.204 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.204 (NA) [NPD] + 0.06 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • Donkey Kong Barrel Blast | 0.079 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.163 (NA) [NPD] + 0.32 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
    • New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | 0.114 (JPN) [Famitsu] + 0.151 (NA) [NPD] + 0.22 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
  • These games based on Donkey Kong were converted into Game & Watch systems: Donkey Kong (1982), Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), Donkey Kong II (1983), Donkey Kong 3 (1984), Donkey Kong Circus (1984), and Donkey Kong Hockey (1984).
  • A special version of the NES version of Donkey Kong was released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2010.
  • Donkey Kong Classics, which was a combo pack of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., was not released in Japan.
  • A slot machine version of Donkey Kong was released in 1996 only in Europe.
  • Hudson Soft developed and released Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū in 1984 for the PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, and X1 computers.
  • A competition variant of Donkey Kong Country was released by Nintendo Power in 1994. Only 2,500 copies were printed.
  • Two Arcade semi-sequels to Donkey Kong Jungle Beat were released in 2005 and 2006, Donkey Kong: Jungle Fever and Donkey Kong: Banana Kingdom.
  • Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku was only released in Japan.

Footnotes[]

  1. ↑ Donkey Kong arcade hardware sales:
    • Japan: 65,000[3]
    • United States: 153,177
      • Donkey Kong – 133,178[4]
      • Crazy Kong (licensed release of Donkey Kong) – 20,000[5]
  2. ↑ 30,000 cabinets[25] at $4179 each
  3. ↑ 5000 cabinets[25] at $4179 each

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2021/210928.html
  2. ↑ "The 11 top-grossing video games of all time". Business Insider. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ Brian Ashcraft ; with Jean Snow. ; forewords by Kevin Williams (2008). Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers (1st ed. ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN 4-7700-3078-9. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Jumpman hopped over barrels, climbed ladders, and jumped from suspended platform to suspended platform as he tried to rescue a damsel from his pissed-off pet gorilla. The game was a smash, and sixty-five thousand cabinets were sold in Japan, propping up the then-struggling Nintendo and laying the groundwork for Nintendo and Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto to dominate gaming throughout the 1980s and beyond. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "KLOV Arcade Serial Numbers". Killer List of Videogames. 2014. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  5. ↑ http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=crazy-kong-part-ii&page=detail&id=531
  6. ↑ 1981
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 1982
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 1983
  9. ↑ http://www.gameandwatch.at/katalog/20/donkey-kong.html
  10. ↑ https://kopenguin.com/post-2210/
  11. ↑ Epstein, David (27 June 2019). "Chapter 9: Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology". Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Pan Macmillan. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-5098-4351-0. The Donkey Kong Game & Watch was released in 1982 and alone sold eight million units.
  12. ↑ Carlisle, Rodney P. (2 April 2009). Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society. SAGE Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-4129-6670-2.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20210816161212/ninmemori.es/from-1982-to-1984-its-all-about-game-watch-newspaper-ads/
  14. ↑ McFerran, Damien (18 September 2010). "Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Kitchen, Garry E. (March 5, 2010). Expert Report of Garry E. Kitchen (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/
  18. ↑ 1.13 million units at ¥4860 ($44)
  19. ↑ 19.00 19.01 19.02 19.03 19.04 19.05 19.06 19.07 19.08 19.09 19.10 19.11 19.12 19.13 19.14 19.15 19.16 19.17 19.18 Nintendo software and hardware sales data from 1983 to present, Updated as of June 2023
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/15/the-real-cost-of-gaming-inflation-time-and-purchasing-power
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 1984
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.8 22.9 https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 https://www.npd.com/industry-expertise/video-games/ As of December 2008 for Game Boy Advance titles, as of February 2007 for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, as of July 2011 for DK: Jungle Climber, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, and New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://www.vgchartz.com/game/26544/classic-nes-series-donkey-kong/sales
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Steven L. Kent (2001), The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story behind the Craze that Touched Our Lives and Changed the World, Prima, p. 352, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C2MH05ogU9oC, retrieved 2011-04-09, "With more than 60,000 units sold in the United States, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's biggest arcade hit. ... Nintendo released Donkey Kong Junior in 1982 and sold only 30,000 machines, 20,000 Popeye machines (also 1982), and a mere 5000 copies of Donkey 3 (1983)."
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 26.9 Game & Watch
  27. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=WjBTAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA22&article_id=6807,3227111
  28. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=WjBTAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA22&article_id=6807,3227111
  29. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/19874/donkey-kong-junior/sales
  30. ↑ https://people.rit.edu/mth3411/140/project3/dk.html
  31. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=UYAxAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA236&article_id=4436,3004138#v=onepage&q&f=false
  32. ↑ 1984
  33. ↑ 3.07 million units at ¥4212 ($38)
  34. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/6228/donkey-kong-country-2/sales
  35. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/3110/donkey-kong-country-3/sales
  36. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/553/donkey-kong-jungle-beat/sales
  37. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/27350/new-play-control-donkey-kong-jungle-beat/sales
  38. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/555/donkey-konga-2/sales
  39. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/25337/dk-king-of-swing/sales
  40. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/7157/donkey-kong-jungle-climber/sales
  41. ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/6975/donkey-kong-barrel-blast/sales
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