The Weeknd plays ‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ after sold-out stadium show

The Weeknd is a huge Donkey Kong fan and has taken to social media to share his excitement about Bananza.

• READ MORE: The Weeknd – ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ review: stadium-filling superstar prepares to move on

Bananza is the first fully 3D DK game since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64 and the first new game for the Nintendo legend since 2014’s Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.

Created by the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, Bananza sees DK and Pauline journey to the centre of a planet that’s experiencing a gold rush, to defeat the villainous VoidCo who are ruining things for the locals. Along the way, Donkey Kong can unlock ‘Bananza Powers’ which temporarily transform him into an ostrich, a zebra and more.

Donkey Kong Bananza launched earlier this week and has become one of the best-reviewed games of the year. Long-time Nintendo fan The Weeknd was sure to play it on release day, even if he’s currently in the middle of a stadium tour.

Taking to Instagram, he shared an image of the game downloading on his Switch 2 alongside the love heart eyes emoji. “Him posting this right after the concert I went to is so iconic of him,” wrote one fan. “Thank God I can still feel sexy and mysterious while playing Donkey Kong thanks to Abel,” said another.

DK’S A STAR BOY, BLINDED BY THE LIGHTS https://t.co/UPmyULA5n9

— SMG001 (@SMG001Nick) July 17, 2025

Earlier this year, The Weeknd shared a clip of him playing Donkey Kong Country after a gig and has previously been spotted playing The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom on his Switch.

As well as the new Donkey Kong game, there are reports the character could be getting his own blockbuster following his appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Earlier this month, Nintendo bosses confirmed they were working on more adaptations beyond the already announced Mario sequel and the live-action The Legend Of Zelda film. A few days later, a copyright filing confirmed Nintendo was working on a “standalone” DK project.

Responding to the rumours of a spin-off back in 2022, Donkey Kong voice actor Seth Rogen said: “There’s a lot of opportunity there, with the family unit of the Kongs. And if the Fast & Furious films have taught us anything, it’s all about family.”

In other news, a remixed version of Jack Black’s viral A Minecraft Movie hit ‘Steve’s Lava Chicken’ is now available in the popular online game.

The post The Weeknd plays ‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ after sold-out stadium show appeared first on NME.