Nintendo is no stranger to the odd mystery or even blatant easter egg, so naturally, the newest Donkey Kong Bananza update has fans talking yet again. A small detail has players guessing and wondering if Nintendo has tucked away a sly nod to Namco.
This begs the question, what could that mean for the future of the series, and is Nintendo down for a collaboration down the road? Theories are usually just that, theories, and usually they will end up being just a rumor blown out of proportion. But let’s talk about the discovery and if we’re onto something.
Donkey Kong Bananza Easter Egg
When you finish an Emerald Rush run, DK’s VoidCo employee card pops up on screen.
A closer look at the employee number, you’ll see a series of digits: 7650.
7650 is the maximum number of points you can pick up in a Pac-Man game. It’s a recurring figure that appears in numerous Namco developed games, supposedly due to gorowase substitutions – a numerical Japanese wordplay – sounding like the company (7=’Na’, 6=’Mu’, 5=’Ko’, 0=’O’).
If you thought “hey, this isn’t the first time Nintendo and Namco did something like that”, you’d be correct. These two companies do indeed have a history of doing shenanigans together, for example in Super Smash Bros, where Namco/Bandai played a big role in the development of the bawler. That alone is enough evidence for us, that this easter egg might be more than a playful nod between colleagues.
Having Fun With Crossover Mysteries
What’s clear is that the community is having fun with the mystery and it most likely breathes new life into a platformer, that quite frankly didn’t need more attention as one of the best selling games of 2025.
Social media feeds are flooded with screenshots and breakdowns of the Easter egg, with fans debating its origins and meaning.
For many Donkey Kong enthusiasts, this kind of hidden detail is exactly what makes Donkey Kong Bananza and other Nintendo titles for that matter so intriguing – it encourages players not just to beat the levels, but to look closer and notice the world’s quirks, and Nintendo is a master of doing just that. Even if the Easter egg turns out to be nothing more than a cheeky inclusion, it’s a reminder of how much charm and personality Nintendo’s games carry.
