Donkey Kong Country Returns HD's perceived snub of the development team at Retro Studios is addressed in a statement by Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a remaster of a game that was on the Wii and then on the Nintendo 3DS. I played both versions, and also this newest version. Donkey Kong's a great game, but Nintendo should reconsider how it prices classics like this in the future as we approach Year 9 of the Switch Family's lifecycle.

Nintendo has issued a short statement in response to the backlash following the omission of Retro Studios' staff from the credits of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fairly straightforward port that'll fill enough time on the road to the Switch 2.

Nintendo said it believes "in giving proper credit" to those who work on its games, despite omitting the original Donkey Kong Country Returns team in remaster.

It’s called Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, and it’s basically what it says right there in the title: the original game but with cleaned-up graphics. Fundamentally, there isn’t a lot of difference. The premise,

Donkey Kong’s new look arrives the same day that Nintendo is launching Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, a Switch re-release of the original Wii game. That release, notably overshadowed by the Switch 2 unveiling, makes the contrast a little more stark.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD doesn't individually credit any of the original team members who worked on the game.

Canopy Cannons will require Donkey Kong Country Returns HD players to carefully time the use of barrels if they want all the collectibles.