45 Years Ago, Donkey Kong Saved Nintendo Forever

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Before the 1980s, Nintendo was a little-known Japanese toy company with a long and bumpy history, dating back to its start in 1889. But the company’s tenth decade would mark a turning point, as the arcade game Donkey Kong launched in 1981, beginning a period of great success.

What began as a simple Popeye game unexpectedly became a huge success, paving the way for the popular Donkey Kong and Mario franchises. Unfortunately, things weren’t entirely positive – Universal tried to block Nintendo from achieving future success.

Donkey Kong Is Easy to Play

What makes the original Donkey Kong so special is how simple it is to pick up and play, particularly when you consider how challenging early video games often were. The story is straightforward: Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline and is holding her at the top of a construction site. Now, Mario must save her, but he’ll face plenty of obstacles along the way.

The game’s first three levels involve climbing scaffolding to rescue Pauline, who is then carried to the next level by Donkey Kong. The final level before the game repeats challenges Mario to dismantle the scaffolding by gathering its rivets.

Each level of the game presents Mario with new challenges. The first level is filled with barrels, followed by cement pans, springs, and then flames. Besides dodging these obstacles, Mario can also find and collect items like umbrellas and purses – belongings of Pauline – to earn bonus points.

It’s hard to say much about how Donkey Kong plays because it’s so straightforward, but it’s surprisingly captivating. Like many classic arcade games, Donkey Kong is designed to keep you playing—and spending coins—for as long as possible.

Donkey Kong Was Attacked by King Kong

When Donkey Kong first appeared in arcades worldwide, it was a huge hit. The initial 2,000 arcade machines sold out quickly, prompting Nintendo to begin manufacturing the game in the United States. Donkey Kong remained incredibly popular, with around 4,000 units being sold each month in 1982.

The game’s popularity almost led to a major legal battle for Nintendo. Universal sued them, claiming that Donkey Kong and its main character copied elements from their King Kong franchise. The case was known as Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Nintendo has acknowledged drawing significant inspiration from classic American characters like King Kong. However, their legal team, headed by John Kirby, successfully argued that these characters were no longer under copyright, referencing a previous legal decision, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. RKO General, Inc.

In the end, Judge Robert W. Sweet in New York ruled that Nintendo could continue using its game, because Universal didn’t convincingly prove they fully owned the rights to King Kong. This decision allowed Nintendo to thrive and become a leader in the gaming industry for the following four decades.

Universal and Nintendo Patched Things Up

After Nintendo successfully defended itself against a lawsuit from Universal, the two companies surprisingly began to collaborate. We’ve seen evidence of this partnership in Universal films and shows, with Nintendo properties like Wild Gunman and Super Mario Bros. 3 making appearances in productions such as Back to the Future Part II and Beethoven.

Universal and Nintendo recently teamed up for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which came out on April 1, 2023. The animated film notably includes Donkey Kong, looking much like he did in his classic arcade game – a fitting development considering the past disagreements between Universal and Nintendo. A follow-up movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is planned for release in theaters on April 1, 2026.

After Donkey Kong 3 came out in 1983, the Donkey Kong series went quiet for a bit. But when Donkey Kong Jr. showed up in Super Mario Kart, people started getting interested in the games again. This eventually led to the release of Donkey Kong ’94 for the Game Boy, which included the original four arcade levels plus more than 100 brand new ones.

It’s been 45 years since the original Donkey Kong game hit arcades. While Mario is more famous now, Donkey Kong remains popular. With the recent success of the series, hopefully it will continue to thrive for many years to come.

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2026-04-04 06:42