Donkey Kong fans have plenty to celebrate — Nintendo has finally launched Donkey Kong: Bananza worldwide. This new title, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, arrives 11 years after the franchise's last installment. According to data from Streams Charts, the return of gaming’s favorite gorilla made a big splash across streaming platforms.
Donkey Kong: Bananza launched on July 17, and its debut made an immediate impact. On release day alone, the game racked up nearly 1.3 million Hours Watched (HW) on Twitch, propelling it into the platform’s top seven most popular game categories. In terms of viewership, Nintendo’s new title outpaced Escape from Tarkov, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Marvel Rivals.
Donkey Kong: Bananza also secured seventh place among Twitch categories by peak concurrent viewership, attracting 123,722 simultaneous viewers. However, when it comes to the number of active streaming channels, the game didn’t stand out — it failed to break into Twitch’s top 20 for either average or peak channel count. That said, this isn’t unexpected, considering the release was limited to a single platform.
On launch day, many popular streamers showcased Donkey Kong: Bananza — not just on Twitch, but across multiple platforms. The top performer in total watch time was Japanese streamer バトラ (batora324), with Brazilian favorite Alan ''alanzoka'' Ferreira trailing just behind.
Four Japanese streamers ranked among the top 10 most-watched Donkey Kong: Bananza broadcasters on launch day. That’s hardly surprising, considering it’s a Nintendo title, and Japan is very much the company’s home turf.
In terms of peak concurrent viewership, the top spot went to Emily ''Emiru'' Schunk, a popular U.S. streamer and one of the leading figures in female streaming today. She played Donkey Kong: Bananza for just over an hour but still pulled in an impressive 19,762 viewers at once. Brazilian streamer alanzoka once again came in second, peaking at 18,468 concurrent viewers.
Back in early June, Nintendo launched Mario Kart World, another exclusive title created specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2. You can find more details about the game’s livestreaming performance here.
