We assumed we were going to have to wait until launch day to find out the development team behind Donkey Kong Bananza, but no! Nintendo has surprised us all by announcing it early.

As revealed to us at a recent Bananza hands-on event, we now know for sure that Nintendo EPD is behind this one, or, more specifically, “the Super Mario Odyssey team”.

Of course, this might not be the most surprising news for those who have followed the game’s marketing up to this point. All signs pointed to the team after Treehouse footage and hands-on playtime revealed a game with more than a little Odyssey DNA — what’s a Banandium Gem if not a Power Moon on its side? — and people have been pretty convinced ever since. Still, it’s nice to know for sure.

We were recently lucky enough to go hands-on with the prized primate’s upcoming platformer for three hours, and we were very much impressed with what we saw, stating that it has “the hallmarks of an all-timer”. You can check out our full preview coverage below, but with the Odyssey team confirmed, it’s safe to say that we’re feeling rather excited.