View source for Software:Donkey Kong (arcade game)

{{Short description|1981 Japanese arcade video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Donkey Kong
| image = Donkey Kong flier.jpg
| alt = Donkey Kong's 1981 North American arcade flyer
| caption = North American arcade flyer
| developer = {{Unbulleted list
  | Nintendo R&D1{{Efn|The Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System version was ported by Nintendo R&D2.}}
  | [[Company:Ikegami Tsushinki|Ikegami Tsushinki]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/feature_shining_a_light_on_ikegami_tsushinki_the_company_that_developed_donkey_kong|title=Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong|date=2018-02-26|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Nintendo Life|last=McFerran|first=Damien|archive-date=October 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008090220/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/feature_shining_a_light_on_ikegami_tsushinki_the_company_that_developed_donkey_kong|url-status=live}}</ref>
  }}
| publisher = [[Company:Nintendo|Nintendo]]
| series = {{Unbulleted list
  | [[Software:Mario (franchise)|Mario]]
  | ''[[Software:Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong]]''
  }}
| engine = 
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list
  | [[Software:Arcade video game|Arcade]]
  | {{Collapsible list|title=Ports|titlestyle=background: transparent; text-align: left;|hlist=true
    | Game & Watch
    | [[Engineering:Atari 2600|Atari 2600]]
    | [[Engineering:Intellivision|Intellivision]]
    | [[Engineering:ColecoVision|ColecoVision]]
    | Coleco Mini-Arcade
    | [[Engineering:Atari 8-bit family|Atari 8-bit]]
    | Famicom/NES
    | TI-99/4A
    | IBM PC
    | [[Engineering:Commodore 64|Commodore 64]]
    | VIC-20
    | [[Engineering:MSX|MSX]]
    | [[Engineering:ZX Spectrum|ZX Spectrum]]
    | Amstrad CPC
    | [[Engineering:Atari 7800|Atari 7800]]
    | Apple II
    | Nintendo e-Reader
    | Game Boy Advance
    }}
  }}
| released = {{Unbulleted list
  | {{Video game release|JP|July 9, 1981{{efn|Limited publication on July 9, 1981.<ref name="Copyright">{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong (Registration Number PA0000115040) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Retro Diary| magazine=Retro Gamer|publisher=Imagine Publishing|location=Bournemouth|issue=104|date=July 2012|page=13|issn=1742-3155|oclc=489477015}}</ref> Wide release in mid-July 1981.<ref name="mid-July">{{Cite web|title=「ドンキーコング」[AC]1981年7月9日発表/7月中旬稼働（任天堂）|publisher=究極VGL@アーケードゲーム愛好会 |url=https://twitter.com/vgl_jp/status/1413282478802948099|access-date=2021-07-16|website=[[Company:Twitter|Twitter]]|language=ja}}</ref>}}<ref name="Game Machine Magazine">{{cite web|title=Donkey Kong Advert(Japanese, bottom-left)|url=https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19810715p/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater|work=Game Machine Magazine 15th July '81 |date=July 15, 1981 |publisher=Amusement Press Inc., Osaka, Japan|accessdate=12 October 2022}}</ref>|NA|July 31, 1981|EU|November 1981<ref name="CVG-ARC"/>}}
  | {{Collapsible list |title=Ports|titlestyle=background: transparent; text-align: left;
    | '''Game & Watch''': {{Video game release|JP|June 3, 1982<ref>{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong (Registration Number PA0000146899) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=29 May 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
    | '''Atari 2600''': {{Video game release|NA|July 1982}}
    | '''Intellivision''': {{Video game release|NA|August 1982}}
    | '''ColecoVision''': {{Video game release|NA|August 1982}}
    | '''Coleco Mini-arcade''': {{Video game release|NA|August 1982}}
    | '''Atari 8-bit''': {{Video game release|NA|June 1, 1983}}
    | '''Famicom/NES''': {{Video game release|JP|July 15, 1983|NA|June 1, 1986<ref>{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong (Video Game 1983) – Release Info |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302501/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf |website=IMDb |access-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630133217/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302501/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_inf |url-status=live}}</ref>|EU|October 15, 1986}}
    | '''TI-99/4A''': {{Video game release|NA|1983}}
    | '''IBM PC''': {{Video game release|NA|1983}}
    | '''VIC-20''': {{Video game release|NA|1983}}
    | '''Commodore 64''': {{Video game release|NA|1983|EU|1986}}
    | '''MSX''': {{Video game release|EU|1986}}
    | '''ZX Spectrum''': {{Video game release|EU|1986}}
    | '''Amstrad CPC''': {{Video game release|EU|1986}}
    | '''Famicom Disk System''': {{Video game release|JP|April 8, 1988}}
    | '''Atari 7800''': {{Video game release|NA|1988}}
    | '''Nintendo e-Reader''': {{Video game release|NA|November 11, 2002}}
    | '''Game Boy Advance''': {{Video game release|JP|February 14, 2004|NA|June 7, 2004|EU|July 10, 2004}}
    }}
  }}
| genre = [[Software:Platform game|Platform]]
| modes = [[Software:Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| director = Shigeru Miyamoto
| producer = Gunpei Yokoi
| designer = {{Unbulleted list
  | Shigeru Miyamoto
  | Gunpei Yokoi
  }}
| programmer = 
| artist = Shigeru Miyamoto
| writer = 
| composer = Yukio Kaneoka
| arcade system = ''[[Software:Radar Scope|Radar Scope]]''
}}

{{Nihongo foot|'''''Donkey Kong'''''|ドンキーコング|Donkī Kongu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1981 [[Software:Arcade video game|arcade video game]] developed and published by [[Company:Nintendo|Nintendo]]. As Mario,{{efn|Referred to as "Jumpman" in the operations manual and instructions.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-videogames/D/dk-tkg4u.pdf |title= Donkey Kong Operation Manual|website=The International Game Museum|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210323233657/https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/67988/Media-Production-City?lang=en-us |url-status=live}}</ref>}} the player runs and jumps on [[Software:Platform game|platforms]] and climbs ladders to ascend a construction site and rescue Pauline from a giant gorilla, Donkey Kong. It is the first game in the ''[[Software:Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong]]'' series as well as Mario's first appearance in a video game.

''Donkey Kong'' was created to salvage unsold [[Software:Arcade cabinet|arcade cabinet]]s following the failure of Nintendo's ''[[Software:Radar Scope|Radar Scope]]'' (1980). Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to first-time [[Software:Video game design|video game design]]er Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing inspiration from ''Beauty and the Beast'' and 1930s American media such as ''Popeye'' and ''King Kong'', Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside chief engineer Gunpei Yokoi. They broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including [[Software:Cutscene|cutscene]]s to advance the plot, and integrating multiple [[Software:Level (video games)|stages]] into the gameplay.

Although Nintendo's American staff was initially apprehensive, ''Donkey Kong'' succeeded commercially and critically in Japan and North America, where it became the highest-grossing game of 1981 and 1982. It was ported to the Game & Watch, selling 8 million units, while Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, a developer of arcade conversions for home consoles, selling 6 million cartridges; the game's various ports sold more than 15 million units worldwide. Other companies [[Software:Video game clone|cloned]] the game and avoided royalties altogether. Miyamoto's characters were mass marketed in multitudes of products, including breakfast cereal, toys, and television cartoons. Universal City Studios filed a lawsuit alleging ''Donkey Kong'' violated its trademark of King Kong, ultimately failing.

The success of ''Donkey Kong'' positioned the company for market dominance from 1981 through the late 1990s. The game debuts Mario, who became Nintendo's mascot and one of the world's most recognizable characters. ''Donkey Kong'' pioneered the platform game genre before the term existed; it is one of the most important games from the [[Software:Golden age of arcade video games|golden age of arcade video games]] and one of the most popular arcade games of all time.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Donkey Kong Gameplay.png|thumb|left|upright=1|The first stage, with Mario holding a [[Engineering:Hammer|hammer]] power-up.]]

Following 1980's ''[[Software:Space Panic|Space Panic]]'', ''Donkey Kong'' is one of the earliest examples of the [[Software:Platform game|platform game]] genre,<ref name="Chris Crawford"/>{{rp|94}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=4724|title=Space Panic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=4724|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=AllGame}}</ref> even prior to the term being coined; the U.S. gaming press used 'climbing game' for games with platforms and ladders.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Player's Guide to Climbing Games |magazine=Electronic Games |date=January 1983 |volume=1 |issue=11 |page=49 |url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_11_1983-01_Reese_Communications_US#page/n47/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319134356/https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_11_1983-01_Reese_Communications_US |archive-date=March 19, 2016}}</ref> As the first platform game to feature jumping, ''Donkey Kong'' requires the player to jump between gaps and over obstacles or approaching enemies, setting the template for the future of the genre.<ref name="GamesRadar">{{cite web|title=Gaming's most important evolutions |page=3 |publisher=GamesRadar |date=October 8, 2010 |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/gamings-most-important-evolutions/a-20101008102331322035/p-3 |access-date=April 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319151505/http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/ |archive-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> With four unique stages, ''Donkey Kong'' was the most complex arcade game of the time, and one of the first arcade games with multiple stages, following games such as 1980's ''[[Software:Phoenix (video game)|Phoenix]]'' and 1981's ''[[Software:Gorf|Gorf]]'' and ''[[Software:Scramble (video game)|Scramble]]''.<ref name="Arcade Fever"/>{{rp|66}}

In addition to the goal of saving Pauline, the player has a score. Points are awarded for the following: leaping over obstacles; destroying objects with a hammer [[Software:Power-up|power-up]]; collecting items such as hats, parasols, and purses; removing rivets from platforms; and completing each stage according to a steadily decreasing bonus counter. The player starts with three lives with a [[Software:Life (video games)#Extra lives|bonus life]] awarded at 7,000 points. A life is lost when Mario touches Donkey Kong or any enemy object, falls too far, or lets the bonus counter reach zero. The game ends when all lives are lost.

Each of the four single-screen stages represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed: 25, 50, 75, and 100 meters. Stage one involves Mario scaling a construction site made of crooked girders and ladders while jumping over or hammering barrels and oil drums tossed by Donkey Kong. Stage two involves climbing a five-story structure of [[Engineering:Conveyor belt|conveyor belt]]s, each of which transport cement pans. The third stage involves the player riding elevators while avoiding bouncing springs. The final stage requires Mario to remove eight rivets from the platforms supporting Donkey Kong; this causes Donkey Kong to fall and the hero to be reunited with Pauline.<ref name="King of Kong"/> These four stages combine to form one level.

After each level, the stages repeat with increased difficulty. For example, Donkey Kong begins to hurl barrels faster and sometimes diagonally, and fireballs speed up. The victory music alternates between levels 1 and 2. The fourth level consists of 5 stages with the final stage at 125 meters. Level 130{{efn|Displayed in-game as level 22}} is colloquially known as the kill screen, due to a programming error that kills Mario after a few seconds, effectively ending the game.<ref name="King of Kong"/>

===Competition===
[[File:Hank Chien.jpg|thumb|Hank Chien at the Kong Off 3 tournament in Denver, Colorado in November 2013.]]
The 2007 documentary ''The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'' portrays Steve Wiebe's attempts to break the ''Donkey Kong'' world record, then considered to have been held by Billy Mitchell.<ref name="King of Kong, overview at AllMovie"/> In the early 2010s, Hank Chien set a record of 1,138,600 points. This was broken four years later by Robbie Lakeman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/6/6114647/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-robbie-lakeman-hank-chien-steve-wiebe-billy-mitchell |title=Newcomer sets all-time high score in Donkey Kong |last=Good|first=Owen S.|website=Polygon |date=September 6, 2014 |access-date=December 24, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226201914/http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/6/6114647/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-robbie-lakeman-hank-chien-steve-wiebe-billy-mitchell |archive-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> Lakeman's record was then broken by John McCurdy on January 11, 2021, with a score of 1,272,700.<ref name=mccurdy2021>{{cite web|url=http://donkeykongforum.com/index.php?topic=2827 |title=John McCurdy gets 1,272,700 for a new Donkey Kong World Record!! |access-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> Lakeman reclaimed the world record only five months later on June 8, scoring 100 more points than McCurdy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Twin Galaxies Arcade - Donkey Kong - Points [Hammer Allowed] - 1,272,800 - Robbie Lakeman|url=http://showthread.php/232686-Arcade-Donkey-Kong-Points-Hammer-Allowed-1-272-800-Robbie-Lakeman?s=993addff061030d3088426cacd7a0975|access-date=2021-08-06|website=Twin Galaxies|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=August 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In 2018, Mitchell was stripped of his records by Twin Galaxies and banned from submitting new scores after Twin Galaxies concluded that Mitchell had illicitly used emulators to achieve his scores.<ref name=variety18>{{cite web |last1=Crecente |first1=Brian |title='King of Kong' Star Stripped of High Scores, Banned From Competition |url=https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/king-of-kong-stripped-of-title-1202751358/ |website=Variety |date=April 12, 2018 |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |access-date=November 25, 2018 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531013515/https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/king-of-kong-stripped-of-title-1202751358/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Twin Galaxies prohibits the use of emulators for high scores they publish because they allow undetectable cheating.<ref name=variety18/> However, in 2020 Guinness World Records reversed its decision and reinstated Billy Mitchell's previous world records, based on new evidence including eyewitness reports and expert testimonials.<ref name="Mitchell Reinstatement">{{Cite web |title=A statement from Guinness World Records: Billy Mitchell |work=Guinness World Records |date=2020-06-17 |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2020/6/a-statement-from-guinness-world-records-billy-mitchell-621053 |access-date=2020-06-17 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619042823/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2020/6/a-statement-from-guinness-world-records-billy-mitchell-621053 |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are other world record categories for ''Donkey Kong'' besides highest score. One of the most popular is the "No Hammer Challenge" where competitors try to get the highest score without using the hammer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Donkey Kong No Hammer Challenge|url=https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/donkey-kong/arcade/points-no-hammer-challenge/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-06|website=www.twingalaxies.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221181751/http://www.twingalaxies.com:80/game/donkey-kong/arcade/points-no-hammer-challenge |archive-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref> The current world record in this category was set by Jeff Wolfe on July 8, 2008, with a score of 735,100.<ref name=":0" /> Some other categories include most points for different levels, and fewest points.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donkey Kong Arcade World Record Categories|url=https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/donkey-kong|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-06|website=www.twingalaxies.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517083513/https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/donkey-kong |archive-date=May 17, 2020}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{Anchor|Story and characters}}
[[File:Dkong end.png|thumb|right|upright=1|On the final screen of each level, Mario and Pauline are reunited.]]
''Donkey Kong'' is considered to be the earliest video game with a storyline that visually unfolds on screen.<ref name="GamesRadar"/> Set on a construction site in {{wipe|New York City}},<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2023 |script-title=ja:マリオ映画公開記念！宮本茂さんインタビュー 制作の始まりから驚きの設定まで |trans-title=Commemorating the release of the Mario movie! Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto From the beginning of production to the surprising setting |url=https://www.ndw.jp/mario-interview-230425/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425155151/https://www.ndw.jp/mario-interview-230425/2/ |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |website=Nintendo Dream |language=japanese |quote=もともと『マリオブラザーズ』は、土管がいっぱいあるニューヨークの地下で活躍する兄弟、ニューヨークのなかでもたぶんブルックリン、というところまで勝手に決めていて。『ドンキーコング』は舞台がニューヨークですし。その土管が不思議な森（キノコ王国）につながったのが、『スーパーマリオブラザーズ』なんです。['''Miyamoto:''' Originally, ''Mario Bros.'' was arbitrarily decided as brothers who are active in the underground of New York, where there are many clay pipes, and probably Brooklyn in New York. ''Donkey Kong'' is set in New York.  That clay pipe led to the mysterious forest (Mushroom Kingdom), which is ''Super Mario Bros.'']}}</ref> the eponymous Donkey Kong character is the game's ''de facto'' villain. The hero is a carpenter originally unnamed in the Japanese arcade release, later named Jumpman and then Mario.<ref name="History of SMB at IGN">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/14/ign-presents-the-history-of-super-mario-bros |title=IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros. |last=McLaughlin |first=Rus |website=IGN |date=September 14, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412223956/http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/14/ign-presents-the-history-of-super-mario-bros |archive-date=April 12, 2014}}</ref> Donkey Kong kidnaps Mario's girlfriend, originally known as Lady and later renamed Pauline. The player must take the role of Mario and rescue her. This is the first occurrence of the [[Social:Damsel in distress|damsel in distress]] scenario that provided the template for countless video games released after.<ref name="High Score!"/>{{rp|82}}

The game uses graphics and animation for characterization. Donkey Kong smirks upon Mario's demise. Pauline has a pink dress and long hair,<ref name="Gender Inclusive"/>{{rp|19–20}} and a speech balloon crying "HELP!". Mario, depicted in red overalls and a red cap, is an [[Social:Everyman|everyman]] character, a type common in Japan. Graphical limitations and the low pixel resolution of the small [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] prompted his design. A mustache implies a mouth,<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|37}} a cap obviates the animation of hair, and colored overalls distinguish his arm movements.<ref name="High Score!"/>{{rp|238}} The artwork of the cabinets and promotional materials make these cartoon-like character designs even more explicit. Pauline, for example, is depicted as disheveled like the 1930s ''King Kong''{{'}}s Fay Wray in a torn dress and stiletto heels.<ref name="Gender Inclusive"/>{{rp|19–20}}

Like ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'' (1980), ''Donkey Kong'' has [[Software:Cutscene|cutscene]]s, but innovates by advancing a complete plot.<ref name="Lebowitz">{{cite book |last1=Lebowitz |first1=Josiah |last2=Klug |first2=Chris |title=Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: A Player-centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories |date=2011 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-240-81717-0 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA14 |access-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425124157/https://books.google.com/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA14 |url-status=live}}</ref> The game opens with the gorilla climbing a pair of ladders to the top of a construction site, accompanied by a variation on the musical theme from ''Dragnet''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dragnet – Video Game Music Preservation Foundation Wiki|url=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Dragnet|access-date=2020-12-15|website=www.vgmpf.com|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202190501/http://vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Dragnet|url-status=live}}</ref> He drops Pauline and stomps his feet, warping the steel beams. He moves to his final perch and sneers. A melody plays, and the level starts. This brief animation sets the scene and adds background to the gameplay, a first for video games. At the stage, a heart appears between Mario and Pauline, but Donkey Kong grabs her and climbs higher, causing the heart to break. The narrative concludes when Mario reaches the end of the rivet stage. He and Pauline are reunited, and a short intermission plays.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|40–42}}

==Development==
{{Further|Software:Radar Scope}}
[[File:Donkey Kong arcade at the QuakeCon 2005.png|thumb|left|upright=1|Small model based on original arcade cabinet.]]
Nintendo of America was founded in 1980 with minor success at importing its parent's arcade cabinets from Japan. In early 1981, its president Minoru Arakawa bet the small startup company on a major order of 3,000 ''[[Software:Radar Scope|Radar Scope]]''.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|103–105}}<ref name="History of SMB at IGN"/> Its poor reception in America filled a warehouse with 2,000 unsold ''Radar Scope'' machines, so Arakawa requested that the parent company president Hiroshi Yamauchi send a conversion kit of new game software. Yamauchi polled the company's entire talent pool for fresh game design concepts to save the distressed startup.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|106}}<ref name="History of SMB at IGN"/><ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|157}} This yielded Shigeru Miyamoto's debut as lead game designer of his ''Donkey Kong'' concept, and Yamauchi appointed head engineer Gunpei Yokoi as project supervisor<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|158}} with a budget of {{US$|267000|1981|long=no|round=-3}} according to Miyamoto.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Unlikely Hero Creates Games and Profits |magazine=Leisure Line |date=June 1992 |pages=25–6 |publisher=Leisure & Allied Industries |location=Australia |url=https://archive.org/details/Leisure_Line_1992-06_Leisure_Allied_Industries_AU/page/n24}}</ref>

[[Company:Ikegami Tsushinki|Ikegami Tsushinki]] was subcontracted for some of the development, with no role in the game's creation or concept, but to provide "mechanical programming assistance to fix the software created by Nintendo".<ref name="cch85">{{cite book|title=Copyright law decisions|year=1985|publisher=Commerce Clearing House|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVdsAAAAIAAJ|access-date=February 26, 2012|quote=An English translation of the Japanese term Donkey Kong is "crazy gorilla". Nintendo Co., Ltd. expended over $100,000.00 in direct development of the game, and Nintendo Co., Ltd. hired Ikegami Tsushinki Co., Ltd. to provide mechanical programming assistance to fix the software created by Nintendo Co., Ltd. in the storage component of the game. The name "Ikegami Co. Lim." appears in the computer program for the Donkey Kong game. Individuals within the research and development department of Nintendo Co., Ltd., however, created the Donkey Kong concept and game.|archive-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710030942/https://books.google.com/books?id=WVdsAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahs |first=Travis |date=2011-07-06 |title=The Secret History of Donkey Kong |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6422/the_secret_history_of_donkey_kong.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819101333/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6422/the_secret_history_of_donkey_kong.php |archive-date=2011-08-19 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=Gamasutra}}</ref> Nintendo instructed Ikegami to produce a program according to its instructions and put it onto [[Read-only memory|read-only memory]] (ROM) chips on printed circuit boards (PC boards). This later led to mutual lawsuits in 1983, as Ikegami asserted ownership over ''Donkey Kong'' which Nintendo denied as Ikegami was a subcontractor who had already been paid. ''Game Machine'' called it "simply a nuisance tactic" on the part of Ikegami.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Nintendo and Ikegami Sue Each Other On The Copyright Of Nintendo's "Donkey Kong"|magazine=Game Machine|issue=219|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 September 1983|page=30|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830901p.pdf#page=16|access-date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410033338/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830901p.pdf#page=16|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the time, Nintendo was also pursuing a license to make a game based on the ''Popeye'' comic strip. When this license attempt failed, Nintendo took the opportunity to create new characters that could be marketed and used in later games.<ref name="High Score!"/>{{rp|238}}<ref>{{cite web |last=East |first=Tom |title=Donkey Kong Was Originally A Popeye Game |url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/13484/donkey-kong-was-originally-a-popeye-game/ |work=Official Nintendo Magazine |publisher=Official Nintendo Magazine |date=November 25, 2009 |access-date=February 28, 2013 |quote=Miyamoto says Nintendo's main monkey might not have existed. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110045437/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/13484/donkey-kong-was-originally-a-popeye-game/ |archive-date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> Miyamoto came up with many characters and plot concepts, but he settled on a love triangle between a gorilla, a plumber with a large hammer, and a girlfriend, mirroring the rivalry between Bluto and Popeye for Olive Oyl.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|39}} Bluto became an ape, which Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive".<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|47}} He would be the pet of the main character, "a funny, hang-loose kind of guy".<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|47}} Miyamoto has named "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film ''King Kong'' as influences.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|36}} Although its origin as a comic strip license played a major part, ''Donkey Kong'' marked the first time that the storyline for a video game preceded the game's [[Computer programming|programming]] rather than simply being appended as an afterthought.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|38}} An unrelated Popeye game was released by Nintendo for the Game & Watch the following month, as well as a game called ''[[Software:Popeye (video game)|Popeye]]'' for arcades in 1982.

Yamauchi wanted primarily to target the North American market, so he mandated that the game be given an English title, as with many previous Nintendo games. Miyamoto decided to name the game for the ape, who he said was the strongest character.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|39}} The story of how Miyamoto came up with the name "Donkey Kong" varies. A false urban myth says that the name was originally meant to be "Monkey Kong", but was misspelled or misinterpreted due to a blurred fax or bad telephone connection.<ref name="Donkey Wrong"/> Another, more credible story claims Miyamoto looked in a Japanese-English dictionary for something that would mean "stubborn gorilla",<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|158}} or that "Donkey" was meant to convey "silly" or "stubborn"; "Kong" was common Japanese slang for "gorilla".<ref name="High Score!"/>{{rp|238}} A rival claim is that he worked with Nintendo's export manager to come up with the title, and that "Donkey" was meant to represent "stupid and goofy".<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|48–49}} In 2001, Miyamoto stated that he thought the name would convey the thought of a "stupid ape".<ref name=miyamotoshrine>{{cite web|url=http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/051601.shtml |title=Miyamoto Shrine: Shigeru Miyamoto's Home on The Web |access-date=May 31, 2007 |work=Interview with Miyamoto (May 16, 2001, E3 Expo) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702082511/http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/051601.shtml |archive-date=July 2, 2007}}</ref>

Miyamoto had high hopes for his new project. He was not a programmer, so instead consulted technicians for concept feasibility. He wanted to make the characters different sizes, and have different movements and reactions. Yokoi thought Miyamoto's original design was too complex,<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|47–48}} though he had some difficult suggestions, such as using see-saws to catapult the hero across the screen which was eventually found too hard to program, though a similar concept came later in the ''Popeye'' arcade game. Miyamoto then thought of using sloped platforms, barrels, and ladders. When he specified that the game would have multiple stages, the four-man programming team complained that he was essentially asking them to implement the game repeatedly.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|38–39}} Nevertheless, they followed Miyamoto's design, creating a total of approximately 20 [[Kibibyte|kilobytes]] of content.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|530}} Yukio Kaneoka composed a soundtrack to serve as background music for the levels and story events.<ref name="famicom20th">{{cite AV media notes|url=http://vgmdb.net/album/404 |title=Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Sound Tracks Vol. 1 |year=2004 |publisher=Scitron Digital Contents Inc. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202033612/http://vgmdb.net/album/404 |archive-date=December 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name="music">{{cite web|title=Donkey Kong|website=Smash Bros. DOJO!!|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/music/music15.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312011921/http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/music/music15.html|archive-date=March 12, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=March 8, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The circuit board of ''Radar Scope'' was restructured for ''Donkey Kong''. The ''Radar Scope'' hardware, originally inspired by the [[Company:Namco|Namco]] ''Galaxian'' hardware, was designed for a large number of enemies moving around at high speeds, which ''Donkey Kong'' does not require, so the development team removed unnecessary functions and reduced the scale of the circuit board.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120505103737/http://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ Making the Famicom a Reality], ''Nikkei Electronics'' (September 12, 1994) (translation by Nathan Altice)</ref> The gameplay and graphics were reworked for updated [[Read-only memory|ROM]] chips, and the existing [[Central processing unit|CPU]], sound hardware, and monitor were left intact.<ref>Nathan Altice (2015), [https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 ''I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform'', page 55] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217204830/https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |date=February 17, 2017}}, MIT Press</ref> The character set, scoreboard, upper HUD display, and font are almost identical to ''Radar Scope'', with palette differences.<ref>Nathan Altice (2015), [https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA362 ''I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform'', page 362] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217141022/https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA362 |date=February 17, 2017}}, MIT Press</ref> The ''Donkey Kong'' hardware has the memory capacity for displaying 128 foreground [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] at 16x16 [[Pixel|pixel]]s each and 256 background tiles at 8x8 pixels each. Mario and all moving objects use single sprites, the taller Pauline uses two sprites, and the larger Donkey Kong uses six sprites.<ref>Nathan Altice (2015), [https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 ''I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform'', page 69] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217205141/https://books.google.com/books?id=GVDpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 |date=February 17, 2017}}, MIT Press</ref>

Hiroshi Yamauchi thought the game was going to sell well and phoned to inform Arakawa. Nintendo of America's distributors, Ron Judy and Al Stone, brought Arakawa to a lawyer named Howard Lincoln to secure a trademark.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|159}}

The game was sent to Nintendo of America for testing. The sales manager disliked it for being too different from the maze and [[Software:Shooter game|shooter game]]s common at the time,<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|49}} and Judy and Lincoln expressed reservations over the strange title. Still, Arakawa adamantly believed that it would be a hit.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|159}} American staff began translating the storyline for the cabinet art and naming the characters. They chose "Pauline" for the Lady, after Polly James, wife of Nintendo's warehouse manager Don James.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|200}} Arakawa suggested that the name of "Jumpman", a name originally chosen for its similarity to the popular brands Walkman and ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'',<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|34–42}} be changed to "Mario" in likeness of Mario Segale, the landlord of the original office space of Nintendo of America.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|42}}<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|109}} These character names were printed on the American cabinet art and used in promotional materials. ''Donkey Kong'' was ready for release.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|212}}

Stone and Judy convinced the managers of two bars in Seattle, Washington, to set up ''Donkey Kong'' machines. The managers initially showed reluctance, but when they saw sales of $30 a day—or 120 plays—for a solid week, they requested more units.<ref name="Arcade Fever"/>{{rp|68}} In their Redmond headquarters, a skeleton crew composed of Arakawa, his wife Yoko, James, Judy, Phillips, and Stone gutted 2,000 surplus ''Radar Scope'' machines and applied the ''Donkey Kong'' conversion kits imported from Japan, consisting of [[Engineering:Motherboard|motherboard]]s, power supplies, and marquee graphics.<ref name="History of SMB at IGN"/><ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|110}} The game officially went on sale in July 1981.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|211}}

==Release==
Makers of [[Engineering:Video game console|video game console]]s were interested. [[Company:Taito|Taito]] offered a considerable fee for all rights to ''Donkey Kong'', but Nintendo declined after three days of internal discussion.<ref name="Game Over"/> Rivals Coleco and [[Company:Atari|Atari]] approached Nintendo in Japan and the United States respectively. In the end, Yamauchi granted Coleco exclusive console and tabletop rights to ''Donkey Kong'' because he believed that "it [was] the hungriest company".<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|111}} In addition, Arakawa believed that as a more established company in the U.S., Coleco could better handle marketing. In return, Nintendo received an undisclosed lump sum plus $1.40 per game cartridge sold and $1 per tabletop unit. On December 24, 1981, Howard Lincoln drafted the contract. He included language that Coleco would be held liable for anything on the game cartridge, an unusual clause for a licensing agreement.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|208–209}} Arakawa signed the document the next day, and, on February 1, 1982, Yamauchi persuaded the Coleco representative in Japan to sign without review by the company's lawyers.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|112}}

Coleco did not offer the game cartridge stand-alone; instead, it was bundled with the [[Engineering:ColecoVision|ColecoVision]] console, which went on sale in August 1982. Coleco offered [[Engineering:Atari 2600|Atari 2600]] and [[Engineering:Intellivision|Intellivision]] versions as well.<ref name="arcexp">{{cite magazine|title=Coleco Rolls Videogame Line |magazine=Arcade Express |date=August 30, 1982 |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=3 |url=https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926002449/https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n2 |archive-date=September 26, 2016}}</ref> Coleco's Atari 2600 port was programmed by Garry Kitchen.<ref>{{cite web |title=Garry Kitchen |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/developer/garry-kitchen/ |website=Retro Gamer |publisher=Future Publishing |date=24 March 2014 |access-date=19 April 2021 |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120174116/https://www.retrogamer.net/profiles/developer/garry-kitchen/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BeforeYouDie/>{{rp|35}} Kitchen was contracted to port the game through his brother Steve, who had connections to an executive at Coleco. He was given only three or four months to develop the port and worked without sleep for the last 72 hours before shipping. Kitchen received no assistance from Nintendo and minimal aid from Coleco, who only provided him with an arcade machine for temporary use. These factors combined with the limited memory of Atari 2600 cartridges forced him to omit two of the original game's four levels.<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>{{rp|35}} Coleco's sales subsequently doubled to $500 million and its earnings quadrupled to $40 million.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|210}} Coleco also released stand-alone Mini-Arcade tabletop versions of ''Donkey Kong'', along with ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'', ''[[Software:Galaxian|Galaxian]]'', and ''[[Software:Frogger|Frogger]]'' in 1982.<ref name="eg_16_10">{{cite magazine|title=More Mini-Arcades A Comin' |magazine=Electronic Games |date=June 1983 |volume=4 |issue=16 |url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n9/mode/2up |access-date=February 1, 2012 |page=10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122041852/http://www.archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun |archive-date=January 22, 2013}}</ref><ref name="arcexp1_1">{{cite magazine|title=Coleco Mini-arcades G Gold|magazine=Arcade Express|date=August 15, 1982|volume=1|issue=1|page=4|url=https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n1}}</ref> Coleco also bundled a copy of ''Donkey Kong'' with its Atari VCS clone, the Coleco Gemini, in 1983.<ref>{{cite book |title=1982 Annual Report |date=April 8, 1983 |publisher=Coleco |page=17}}</ref>

Atari obtained the license for [[Engineering:Home computer|home computer]] versions of ''Donkey Kong''<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Atari, Nintendo Pact For Home Computer Version of 'Donkey Kong' |magazine=Cash Box |date=11 December 1982 |pages=35–6 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_26/page/35 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}}</ref> and released it for the [[Engineering:Atari 8-bit family|Atari 8-bit family]]. When Coleco unveiled the [[Engineering:Coleco Adam|Adam Computer]], running a port of ''Donkey Kong'' at the 1983 [[Engineering:Consumer Electronics Show|Consumer Electronics Show]] in Chicago, Illinois, Atari protested that it was in violation of the licensing agreement. Yamauchi demanded that Arnold Greenberg, Coleco's president, withdraw his Adam port. Greenberg complied, and the game was not published.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|283–285}}

[[File:Festival du Jeu Vidéo - 2010-09-11 - Game & Watch Donkey Kong.jpg|thumb|Game & Watch ''Donkey Kong'']]

===Nintendo Entertainment System===
The game was ported by Nintendo Research & Development 2<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/nsmb/1/0|title=Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros: Volume 2: It All Began In 1984|last=Iwata|first=Satoru|website=iwataasks.nintendo.com|access-date=2019-01-25|quote=I worked on a wide variety of titles together with R&D2, including Donkey Kong5, which was released at the same time as the Famicom|archive-date=August 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816051935/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/nsmb/1/0|url-status=live}}</ref> to Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) console and released in Japan on July 15, 1983, as one of the system's three launch games.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Marley|first=Scott |date=December 2016 |title=SG-1000 |magazine=Retro Gamer |issue=163|pages=56–61|publisher=Future Publishing}}</ref> Masayuki Uemura, the Famicom's lead architect, designed the console specifically to faithfully recreate ''Donkey Kong''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/mario25th/1/1|title=Volume 2: NES & Mario|page=2. Playing Donkey Kong at Home|website=Iwata Asks|publisher=Nintendo|access-date=May 2, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816051935/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/mario25th/1/1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/nes-creator-masayuki-uemura-on-the-birth-of-nintendos-first-console/page-2|title=NES Creator Masayuki Uemura on the Birth of Nintendo's First Console|website=USgamer|page=2|date=December 11, 2018|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|access-date=May 2, 2021|archive-date=May 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503045549/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/nes-creator-masayuki-uemura-on-the-birth-of-nintendos-first-console/page-2|url-status=live}}</ref> It is an early [[Engineering:Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo Entertainment System]] game in the ''Arcade Classics Series'', released on June 1, 1986, in North America and October 15 in Europe. Omitted are the cement factory stage and most of the cutscenes, because early ROM cartridges do not have enough memory. It includes a new song composed by Yukio Kaneoka for the title screen.<ref name="famicom20th" /> Both ''Donkey Kong'' and its sequel, ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Jr.|Donkey Kong Jr.]]'', are included in the 1988 NES compilation ''Donkey Kong Classics''.

===Game Boy===
{{Main|Software:Donkey Kong (1994 video game)}}
A complete remake of the original arcade game on the [[Engineering:Game Boy|Game Boy]], titled ''[[Software:Donkey Kong (1994 video game)|Donkey Kong]]'' (referred to as ''Donkey Kong '94'' during development) contains levels from both the original ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' arcades. It starts with the same gameplay and four locations as the arcade game and then progresses to 97 additional puzzle-based levels. It is the first game to have built-in enhancement for the Super Game Boy system.{{cn|date=July 2022}}

===Atari computer Easter egg===
The [[Engineering:Atari 8-bit family|Atari 8-bit computer]] conversion of ''Donkey Kong'' contains one of the longest-undiscovered ''[[Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs]]'' in a video game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5307375/donkey-kong-easter-egg-discovered-26-years-later/|title=Donkey Kong Easter Egg Discovered 26 Years Later|date=July 4, 2009 |publisher=Kotaku.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603135127/http://kotaku.com/5307375/donkey-kong-easter-egg-discovered-26-years-later|archive-date=June 3, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=May 29, 2013}}</ref> Programmer Landon Dyer's initials appear if the player dies under certain conditions and returns to the title screen. This remained undiscovered for 26 years until Dyer revealed it on his blog, stating that "there's an Easter egg, but it's totally not worth it, and I don't remember how to bring it up anyway".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dadhacker.com/blog/?p=987/|title=Donkey Kong and Me|date=March 4, 2008|publisher=Dadhacker.com|access-date=May 29, 2013|archive-date=June 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603232605/http://www.dadhacker.com/blog/?p=987/|url-status=live}}</ref> The steps required to trigger it were later discovered by Don Hodges, who used an emulator and a debugger to trace through the game's code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://donhodges.com/donkey_kong_easter_egg.htm|title=Donkey Kong Lays an Easter Egg|last=Hodges|first=Don|date=July 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906134639/http://donhodges.com/donkey_kong_easter_egg.htm|archive-date=September 6, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| Allgame = {{Rating|5|5}} (Arcade)<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url =http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=410&tab=review |title =Donkey Kong – Review| author = Weiss, Brett Alan |publisher = [[Software:AllGame|AllGame]] |access-date =August 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114113443/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=410&tab=review|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref> <br /> {{Rating|4.5|5}} (ColecoVision)<ref>{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong (ColecoVision) – Review |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15104&tab=review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114221820/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15104&tab=review |website=[[Software:AllGame|AllGame]] |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=2 March 2021}}</ref>
| CVG = Positive (Arcade)<ref name="CVG-ARC"/> <br /> 16/16 (ColecoVision)<ref name="CVG-CV"/> <br /> 45% (NES)<ref name="Guide">{{cite magazine |title=Complete Games Guide |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=16 October 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |access-date=June 13, 2021 |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611004221/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |url-status=live}}</ref> <br /> 32% (VCS)<ref name="Guide"/>
| rev1 = ''Computer Games''
| rev1Score = Positive (Adam)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Conversion Capsules: Hit Games in New Formats |magazine=Computer Games |date=December 1984 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_4_1984-12_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref> <br /> Classic (computers)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=1985 Software Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=February 1985 |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=11–8 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_5_1985-02_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''Electronic Fun with Computers & Games''
| rev2Score = A (ColecoVision)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Video Game Explosion! We rate every game in the world |magazine=Electronic Fun with Computers & Games |date=December 1982 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=12–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Fun_with_Computer_Games_Vol_01_No_02_1982-12_Fun_Games_Publishing_US/page/n11/mode/2up}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''Electronic Games''
| rev3Score = 9/10 (ColecoVision)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=ColecoVision: Donkey Kong |magazine=Electronic Games |date=1983 |issue=1983 Software Encyclopedia |page=35 |url=https://archive.org/details/1983_Software_Encyclopedia_Number_1_1983_Reese_Communications_US/page/n36/mode/1up}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''Joystik''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}} (ColecoVision)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Games for ColecoVision: Donkey Kong |magazine=Joystik |date=January 1983 |issue=4 |publisher=Publications International |page=59 |url=https://archive.org/details/JoystikVol1483JanMissingP69/Joystik%20Magazines%20%2810%20Issues%29/Joystik_Vol1-4_83-Jan-missing_p69/page/n60}}</ref> <br /> {{Rating|1|5}} ({{nowrap|Atari VCS}})<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Games for Atari VCS: Donkey Kong |magazine=Joystik |date=January 1983 |issue=4 |publisher=Publications International |page=56 |url=https://archive.org/details/JoystikVol1483JanMissingP69/Joystik%20Magazines%20%2810%20Issues%29/Joystik_Vol1-4_83-Jan-missing_p69/page/n57}}</ref> <br /> {{Rating|1|5}} (Intellivision)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Games for Intellivision: Donkey Kong |magazine=Joystik |date=January 1983 |issue=4 |publisher=Publications International |page=60 |url=https://archive.org/details/JoystikVol1483JanMissingP69/Joystik%20Magazines%20%2810%20Issues%29/Joystik_Vol1-4_83-Jan-missing_p69/page/n61}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''Video Games Player''
| rev5Score = A (ColecoVision)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Software Report Card |magazine=Video Games Player |date=September 1982 |volume=1 |issue=1 |publisher=Carnegie Publications |location=United States |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Player_Vol_1_No_1_1982-09_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref>
}}

Upon release in arcades, ''Computer and Video Games'' compared it favorably with ''King Kong'' and predicted that it would likely become a success.<ref name="CVG-ARC">{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action: King Kong Goes Crazy in a Cabinet |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=18 November 1981 |issue=2 (December 1981) |page=31 |url=https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/159/417 |access-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423143851/https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/159/417 |url-status=live}}</ref> In his 1982 book ''Video Invaders'', Steve Bloom described ''Donkey Kong'' as "another bizarre cartoon game, courtesy of Japan"<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|5}} and said it was one of the "most exciting variations" on ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]''{{'}}s maze theme along with [[Company:Sega|Sega]]'s ''[[Software:Frogger|Frogger]]'' due to how players need to "scale from the bottom of the screen to the top" which make them "more like obstacle courses than mazes" since "you always know where you're going — up".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Steve |title=Video Invaders |date=1982 |publisher=Arco Publishing |isbn=978-0668055208 |pages=42, 181–4 |url=https://archive.org/details/book_video_invaders/page/n62}}</ref> In January 1983, the 1982 Arcade Awards gave it the award for the best [[Software:Single-player video game|single-player video game]] and the Certificate of Merit as runner-up for Coin-Op Game of the Year.<ref name="eg_archive">{{cite web|title=Electronic Games Magazine |url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28collection%3Aelectronic-games-magazine%20OR%20mediatype%3Aelectronic-games-magazine%29%20AND%20-mediatype%3Acollection |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=February 1, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102234721/http://archive.org/search.php?query=%28collection%3Aelectronic-games-magazine%20OR%20mediatype%3Aelectronic-games-magazine%29%20AND%20-mediatype%3Acollection |archive-date=January 2, 2013}}</ref>

In September 1982, ''Arcade Express'' reviewed the ColecoVision port and scored it 9 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arcade Express |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n4.pdf |publisher=Reese Publishing Co. |access-date=August 26, 2015 |date=September 26, 1982 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923215251/http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n4.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref> ''Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games'' in 1983 stated that "Coleco did a fabulous job" with ''Donkey Kong'', the best of the console's first five games and "the most faithful adaptation of the original video game I have seen".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Linzmayer |first=Owen |date=Spring 1983 |title=Home Video Games: Colecovision: Alive With Five |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/colecovision.php |magazine=Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games |page=50 |access-date=November 6, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022512/http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/colecovision.php |url-status=live}}</ref> The magazine's Danny Goodman stated that of Coleco's three console versions, the one for the ColecoVision was the best, followed by Atari and Intellivision.<ref name="goodman1983spring">{{Cite magazine |last=Goodman |first=Danny |date=Spring 1983 |title=Home Video Games: Video Games Update |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/vgupdate.php |magazine=Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games |page=32 |access-date=November 6, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020633/http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/vgupdate.php |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Computer and Video Games'' reviewed the ColecoVision port in its September 1984 issue and scored it 4 out of 4 in all four categories of Action, Graphics, Addiction and Theme.<ref name="CVG-CV">{{cite web|url=http://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:CVG_UK_035.pdf&page=44 |title=File:CVG UK 035.pdf |publisher=Retro CDN |date=August 31, 2015 |access-date=December 17, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222095702/http://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ACVG_UK_035.pdf&page=44 |archive-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref> Ed Driscoll reviewed the Atari VCS version of ''Donkey Kong'' in ''The Space Gamer'' No. 59.<ref name="SG">{{cite magazine|last= Edwards |first= Richard A. |date=January 1983 |title=Capsule Reviews|magazine=The Space Gamer|publisher=[[Company:Steve Jackson Games|Steve Jackson Games]]|issue=59|pages=44, 46}}</ref> Edwards commented that a game is near perfect and that anyone can be caught in ''Donkey Kong'' "fever".<ref name="SG"/>

===Commercial performance===
''Donkey Kong'' was popular worldwide, garnering a positive reaction from consumers, and was a significant commercial success for Nintendo, pulling them out of financial troubles. After the game's initial 2,000 [[Software:Arcade cabinet|arcade cabinet]]s sold out, more orders were made. Arakawa began manufacturing the electronic components in Redmond because waiting for shipments from Japan was taking too long.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|160}} The game's success led to Arakawa expanding Nintendo of America. By October, ''Donkey Kong'' was selling 4,000 units a month, and by June 1982, Nintendo had sold 60,000 ''Donkey Kong'' machines in the United States, earning $180 million.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|211}} Judy and Stone, who worked on straight commission, became millionaires.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|160}} Arakawa used Nintendo's profits to buy {{convert|27|acre|ha}} of land in Redmond in July 1982.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|113}} Nintendo earned another $100 million on the game in its second year of release in America,<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|111}} totaling $280 million in US cabinet sales by 1982<ref>{{citation|title=Wii Innovate – How Nintendo Created a New Market Through Strategic Innovation |author=Jörg Ziesak |publisher=GRIN Verlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-640-49774-4 |page=2029 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8rHXoUCbfAC&pg=PA2029 |access-date=April 9, 2011 |quote=Donkey Kong was Nintendo's first international smash hit and the main reason behind the company's breakthrough in the Northern American market. In the first year of its publication, it earned Nintendo 180 million US dollars, continuing with a return of 100 million dollars in the second year. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418041705/https://books.google.com/books?id=C8rHXoUCbfAC&pg=PA2029 |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref> ({{inflation|US|280000000|1981|r=-7|fmt=eq}}).

In Japan, the annual ''Game Machine'' charts listed ''Donkey Kong'' as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1981,<ref>{{cite magazine|title="Donkey Kong" No.1 Of '81 — ''Game Machine's Survey Of "The Year's Best Three AM Machines"'' —|magazine=Game Machine|issue=182|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=15 February 1982|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19820215p.pdf#page=16|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=May 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513143443/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19820215p.pdf#page=16|url-status=live}}</ref> and then the sixth highest-grossing arcade game of 1982,<ref>{{cite magazine|title="Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game: ''Game Machine''{{'}}s "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results|magazine=Game Machine|issue=207|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 March 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf#page=16|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=January 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131232040/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf#page=16|url-status=live}}</ref> with ''Game Machine'' later listing the game in its October 1, 1983 issue as the twentieth most successful table arcade cabinet of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 – テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=221|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 October 1983|page=29|lang=ja}}</ref> In the United States, ''Donkey Kong'' topped the ''Play Meter'' arcade charts in October 1981, setting a weekly earnings record,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Donkey Kong |magazine=Joystik |date=November 1982 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=12–19 (13) |url=https://archive.org/details/joystik_magazine-1982-11/page/n14}}</ref> and it was later listed by ''RePlay'' as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1982.<ref name="RePlay">{{cite magazine |title=Top Hits of Last 5 Years |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1987}}</ref> It was also among the thirteen highest-grossing arcade games of 1983 in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=AMOA Votes On Annual Game Awards |magazine=Cash Box |date=October 29, 1983 |page=60 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_20/page/68}}</ref> According to ''Electronic Games'' in June 1983, the home versions contributed to the arcade version's extended popularity, compared to the four to six months that the average game lasted.<ref name="pearl198306">{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n79/mode/2up |title=Closet Classics |work=Electronic Games |date=June 1983 |access-date=January 6, 2015 |author=Pearl, Rick |page=82 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107032556/http://www.archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun |archive-date=January 7, 2015}}</ref> It remained Nintendo's top seller into mid-1983,<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|284}} with steady sales in Japan.<ref name="Power-up"/>{{rp|46}} A total of 65,000 arcade units were sold in Japan,<ref>{{cite book|first1=Brian|last1=Ashcraft|first2=Jean|last2=Snow|title=Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers|year=2008|publisher=Kodansha|location=Tokyo|isbn=978-4-7700-3078-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wX8kAQAAIAAJ|edition=1st|quote=Jumpman hopped over barrels, climbed ladders, and jumped from suspended platform to suspended platform as he tried to rescue a damsel from his pissed-off pet gorilla. The game was a smash, and sixty-five thousand cabinets were sold in Japan, propping up the then-struggling Nintendo and laying the groundwork for Nintendo and ''Donkey Kong'' creator Shigeru Miyamoto to dominate gaming throughout the 1980s and beyond.|access-date=March 3, 2021|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225054458/https://books.google.com/books?id=wX8kAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> and 67,000 arcade units in the United States,<ref>{{cite web|last=Bienaimé|first=Pierre|title=Square Roots: Donkey Kong (NES)|url=http://www.nintendojo.com/features/columns/square-roots/square-roots-donkey-kong-nes|publisher=Nintendojo|date=13 January 2012|quote=Donkey Kong sold some 67,000 arcade cabinets in two years, making two of its American distributors sudden millionaires thanks to paid commission. As a barometer of success, know that Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man are the only arcade games to have sold over 100,000 units in the United States.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201042701/http://www.nintendojo.com/features/columns/square-roots/square-roots-donkey-kong-nes|archive-date=1 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> for a total of {{formatnum:{{#expr:65000+67000}}|}} arcade units sold in Japan and the United States.

Nintendo's Game & Watch handheld version of ''Donkey Kong'' released in 1982 sold 8 million units.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Epstein |first1=David |chapter=Chapter 9: Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology |title=Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World |date=27 June 2019 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-1-5098-4351-0 |page=196 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEGCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT196 |quote=The Donkey Kong Game & Watch was released in 1982 and alone sold eight million units.}}</ref> Coleco had sold 6 million ''Donkey Kong'' cartridges for home consoles, grossing more than {{US$|153,000,000|long=no|1982|round=-6}}{{efn|"And we received from Coleco an agreement that they would pay us three percent of the net sales price [of all the ''Donkey Kong'' cartridges Coleco sold]". It turned out to be 6 million cartridges, which translated into $4.6 million.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|121}}}} and earning Nintendo more than {{US$|5 million|long=no}} in royalties;<ref>{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean|title=New Faces, More Profits For Video Games|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231|page=18|access-date=February 28, 2012|newspaper=Times-Union|date=January 15, 1983|archive-date=August 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801133617/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a1cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231|url-status=live}}</ref> the bundled ColecoVision version sold 2 million units,<ref>{{cite news |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/09/feature_how_colecovision_became_the_king_of_kong |access-date=2 April 2021 |work=Nintendo Life |date=18 September 2010 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106181833/http://retro.nintendolife.com/news/2010/09/feature_how_colecovision_became_the_king_of_kong |url-status=live}}</ref> while the Atari 2600 version sold 4 million units in 1982<ref name="Kitchen">{{cite book |last1=Kitchen |first1=Garry E. |author1-link=Garry Kitchen |chapter=Garry E. Kitchen |title=Expert Report of Garry E. Kitchen |date=March 5, 2010 |publisher=United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |page=2 |url=https://www.muddlawoffices.com/cases/allisonvwise/ohio/msj/064-12%20Exhibit%20M.pdf#page=27 |quote=Designed & programmed Atari 2600 adaptation of hit arcade game Donkey Kong, 1982 wholesale revenues in excess of $100 million on 4 million units. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419181703/https://www.muddlawoffices.com/cases/allisonvwise/ohio/msj/064-12%20Exhibit%20M.pdf |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kitchen |first1=Garry |author1-link=Garry Kitchen |title=Donkey Kong 2600 |url=http://www.garrykitchen.com/product_history/donkey_kong_2600.html |website=Garry Kitchen |access-date=19 April 2021 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127010924/http://www.garrykitchen.com/product_history/donkey_kong_2600.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Mike |title=The Magic of Interactive Entertainment |date=1994 |publisher=Sams Publishing |isbn=978-0-672-30456-9 |page=156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NnLDpBy-zkC |quote=Kitchen's first cartridge game (''Donkey Kong'', 1981), sold 4 million units, took five months to create, and used 4,000 lines of code. |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419115253/https://books.google.com/books?id=5NnLDpBy-zkC |url-status=live}}</ref> for {{US$|100 million|long=no}},<ref name="Kitchen"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hickey |first1=Patrick |title=The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers |date=9 April 2018 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-4766-7110-9 |page=157 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5hUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419050946/https://books.google.com/books?id=K5hUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |url-status=live}}</ref> making it one of the best-selling Atari 2600 games. It was also one of the earliest cartridges available for video game rental at certain stores in 1982.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Specialty Dealers Differ On Value Of Video Game Rental |magazine=Billboard |date=8 January 1983 |volume=95 |issue=1 |pages=31, 48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT30 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> Atari's 1987 re-release for the Atari 2600 sold a further {{formatnum:{{#expr:27516+109125+40147+3735}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:158069+817813+269273+13127}}|long=no}} by 1990.<ref name="Vendel">{{Cite web|last=Vendel|first=Curt|date=May 28, 2009|title=Site News|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|archive-date=2010-12-06|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Atari Museum}}</ref> Coleco's Mini-Arcade tabletop versions of ''Donkey Kong'', along with ''Pac-Man'', ''Galaxian'', and ''Frogger'', had combined sales of three million units.<ref name="eg_16_10"/><ref name="arcexp1_1"/> In Japan, 840,000 units of the Famicom version were sold; the ''Famicom Mini'' version for the Game Boy Advance later had a further 160,000 units sold, for a total of {{nowrap|1 million}} units sold in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendojofr.com/redaction/editoriaux/?id=aVAd|title=Japan Sales|date=September 26, 2006|publisher=Nintendojo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730022258/http://www.nintendojofr.com/redaction/editoriaux/?id=aVAd|archive-date=July 30, 2008|access-date=October 9, 2008}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20080730022258%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nintendojofr.com%2Fredaction%2Feditoriaux%2F%3Fid%3DaVAd Translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630133150/https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A//web.archive.org/web/20080730022258/http%3A//www.nintendojofr.com/redaction/editoriaux/%3Fid%3DaVAd |date=June 30, 2021}})</ref> The Atari 8-bit computer version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:25430+72}}|}} units in 1986 and 1990.<ref name="Vendel"/> This totals {{formatnum:{{#expr:8000000+6000000+180523+1000000+25502}}|}} units sold worldwide for the Game & Watch, ColecoVision, Atari and Famicom ports. {{As of|2015}}, all versions of the original ''Donkey Kong'' are estimated to have grossed {{US$|4.4 billion|long=no}} in revenue.<ref name="businessinsider">{{cite news |title=The 11 top-grossing video games of all time |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/the-11-top-grossing-video-games-of-all-time/slidelist/48495665.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113212318/http://www.businessinsider.in/tech/the-11-top-grossing-video-games-of-all-time/1-Space-Invaders-Arcade/slidelist/48495665.cms |url-status=live |archive-date=November 13, 2017 |work=Business Insider |date=August 15, 2015}}</ref>

==Reviews==
* ''Games''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/games-34-1982-december/page/n47/mode/2up | title=GAMES Magazine #34 | date=December 1982}}</ref>

==Legal issues==
{{Anchor|Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.}}
In April 1982, Sid Sheinberg, a seasoned lawyer and president of MCA and Universal City Studios, learned of the game's success and suspected it might be a trademark infringement of Universal's own ''King Kong''.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|211}} On April 27, he met with Arnold Greenberg of Coleco and threatened to sue over Coleco's home version of ''Donkey Kong''. Coleco agreed on May 3 to pay royalties to Universal of 3% of their ''Donkey Kong''{{'}}s net sale price, worth about $4.6 million.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|121}} Meanwhile, Sheinberg revoked Tiger's license to make its ''King Kong'' game, but O. R. Rissman refused to acknowledge Universal's claim to the trademark.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|214}} When Universal threatened Nintendo, Howard Lincoln and Nintendo refused to cave. In preparation for the court battle ahead, Universal agreed to allow Tiger to continue producing its ''King Kong'' game as long as they distinguished it from ''Donkey Kong''.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|215}}

Universal sued Nintendo on June 29 and announced its license with Coleco. The company sent [[Social:Cease and desist|cease and desist]] letters to Nintendo's licensees, all of which agreed to pay royalties to Universal except [[Company:Milton Bradley Company|Milton Bradley]] and Ralston Purina.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1986"/>{{rp|74–75}} ''Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo, Co., Ltd.'' was heard in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by Judge Robert W. Sweet. Over seven days, Universal's counsel, the New York firm Townley & Updike, argued that the names ''King Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong'' were easily confused and that the plot of the game was an infringement on that of the films.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1986"/>{{rp|74}} Nintendo's counsel, John Kirby, countered that Universal had themselves argued in a previous case that ''King Kong''{{'}}s scenario and characters were in the [[Social:Public domain|public domain]]. Judge Sweet ruled in Nintendo's favor, awarding the company Universal's profits from Tiger's game ($56,689.41), damages and attorney's fees.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|217}}

Universal appealed, trying to prove consumer confusion by presenting the results of a telephone survey and examples from print media where people had allegedly assumed a connection between the two Kongs.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1984"/>{{rp|118}} On October 4, 1984, however, the court upheld the previous verdict.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1984"/>{{rp|112}}

Nintendo and its licensees filed counterclaims against Universal. On May 20, 1985, Judge Sweet awarded Nintendo $1.8 million for legal fees, lost revenues, and other expenses,<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|218}} but he denied Nintendo's claim of damages from those licensees who had paid royalties to both Nintendo and Universal.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1986"/>{{rp|72}} Both parties appealed this judgment, but the verdict was upheld on July 15, 1986.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1986"/>{{rp|77–78}}

Nintendo thanked John Kirby with the gift of a $30,000 sailboat named ''Donkey Kong'' and "exclusive worldwide rights to use the name for sailboats".<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|126}} Kirby, the titular protagonist of the Kirby series, was named in John Kirby's honor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/42153/how-did-mario-get-his-name-and-the-origins-of-your-favourite-nintendo-stars/?page=6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924055013/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/42153/how-did-mario-get-his-name-and-the-origins-of-your-favourite-nintendo-stars/?page=6|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2012|title=How did Mario get his name... and the origins of your favourite Nintendo stars – Official Nintendo Magazine|date=September 24, 2012|access-date=October 10, 2017}}</ref> The court battle also taught Nintendo they could compete with larger entertainment industry companies.<ref name="Game Over"/>{{rp|127}}

After the release of ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', the arcade successor to ''Donkey Kong'', Ikegami sued Nintendo for the unauthorized duplication of the ''Donkey Kong'' program code.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050212192733/http://www.video-fenky.com/archives/000036.html "Miyamoto clarification"]</ref> Nintendo managed to settle the dispute out of court after the two companies came to an agreement. At the time of the suit, computer programs were not considered copyrightable material. The Tokyo High Court gave a verdict in 1989 that acknowledged the originality of program code. Ikegami and Nintendo reached a settlement the following year; the terms of it were never disclosed.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100312191324/http://d.hatena.ne.jp/bn2islander/20080817/1218980061 "ドンキーコング裁判についてちょこっと考えてみる"]</ref>

==Legacy==
In 1996 ''Next Generation'' listed the arcade, Atari 7800, and cancelled Coleco Adam versions as number 50 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", commenting that even ignoring its massive historical significance, ''Donkey Kong'' stands as a great game due to its demanding challenges and graphics which manage to elegantly delineate an entire scenario on a single screen.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=Next Generation|issue=21 |publisher=Imagine Media |date=September 1996|page=52}}</ref> In February 2006, ''Nintendo Power'' rated it the 148th best game made on a Nintendo system.<ref name="Michaud2006">{{Cite magazine|date=February 2006|title=NP Top 200|first=Pete|last=Michaud|magazine=Nintendo Power|volume=197|page=58}}</ref> In 2017, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted ''Donkey Kong'' to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong |url=https://www.museumofplay.org/games/donkey-kong/ |website=The Strong National Museum of Play |publisher=The Strong |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref> Today, ''Donkey Kong'' is the fifth most popular arcade game among collectors.<ref name="Top Coin-op"/>

===Impact===
''Donkey Kong'' spawned a number of other titles with a mix of running, jumping and vertical traversal, a novel genre that did not match the style of games that came before it.<ref name="i am error naming">{{cite book | first = Nathan | last = Altice | title = I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform | chapter = Chapter 2: Ports | pages =53–80 | isbn = 9780262028776 | publisher = MIT Press | date = 2015}}</ref> The genre was initially referred to as "Donkey Kong-type" or "Kong-style" games,<ref name="CVG26"/><ref name="i am error naming"/> before the genre eventually came to be known as platform games.<ref name="i am error naming"/> The game was also a milestone in terms of video game storytelling and cutscenes. While there were earlier games that either told a story or used cutscenes, ''Donkey Kong'' combined both concepts together to introduce its own new concept: using cutscenes to visually advance a complete story.<ref name="Lebowitz"/> It also notably had multiple, distinct [[Software:Level (video games)|levels]] that progressed the storyline.<ref name="RG">{{cite news |title=Donkey Kong |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/donkey-kong-4/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=Retro Gamer |publisher=Future Publishing Limited |date=13 September 2008 |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630133207/https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/donkey-kong-4/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lebowitz"/>

''Donkey Kong'' was also one of the first Japanese games brought to Western regions that introduced a surreal concept using cute artwork, a representation of typical Japanese fantasy but unusual to Western audiences. For that reason, ''Donkey Kong'' and similar games that followed were briefly called "novelty games" by Western gaming press. ''Donkey Kong'' and other such novelty games helped to acclimate Western audiences to Japanese approaches to game design, narrative, and abstraction that would become key elements in the decade that followed with the release of the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System.<ref name="i am error naming"/>

''Computer and Video Games'' called ''Donkey Kong'' "the most momentous" release of 1981, as it "introduced three important names" to the global video game industry: Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario. These three figures went on to play a significant role in video game history.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Glancey |first1=Paul |title=The Complete History of Computer and Video Games |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=1996 |pages=15–6 |url=https://archive.org/details/book_complete_history_of_video_games/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref> ''Donkey Kong'' paved the way for the [[Engineering:Nintendo Entertainment System|Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES), known as the Famicom in Japan. Following the success of ''Donkey Kong'', Nintendo began developing the Famicom, the hardware of which was largely based on the ''Donkey Kong'' arcade hardware, with the goal of matching the system's powerful [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] capabilities in a home system.<ref name="Nikkei6">{{cite magazine |script-title=ja:【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第6回：業務用ゲーム機の挫折をバネにファミコンの実現に挑む |trans-title=How the Famicom Was Born – Part 6: Making the Famicom a Reality |magazine=Nikkei Electronics |date=September 12, 1994 |publisher=Nikkei Business Publications |lang=ja |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006082447/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=13 April 2021}}
* {{cite web |date=March 28, 2012 |title=Making the Famicom a Reality |website=GlitterBerri's Game Translations |url=https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505103737/https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/making-the-famicom-a-reality/ |archive-date=2012-05-05}}</ref> Nintendo wanted the Famicom to match the ''Donkey Kong'' arcade hardware, so they took a ''Donkey Kong'' arcade cabinet to [[Physics:Semiconductor|semiconductor]] [[Engineering:Integrated circuit|chip]] manufacturer [[Company:Ricoh|Ricoh]] for analysis, which led to Ricoh producing the [[Picture Processing Unit]] (PPU) chip for the NES.<ref name="Nikkei7">{{cite magazine |script-title=ja:【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第7回：業務用機の仕様を家庭用に、LSIの開発から着手 |trans-title=How the Famicom Was Born – Part 7: Deciding on the Specs |magazine=Nikkei Electronics |date=December 19, 1994 |publisher=Nikkei Business Publications |lang=ja |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081002/1019378/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012060247/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081002/1019378/ |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |access-date=13 April 2021}}
* {{cite web |date=April 21, 2012 |title=Deciding on the Specs |website=GlitterBerri's Game Translations |url=https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/deciding-on-the-specs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427193537/https://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/how-the-famicom-was-born/deciding-on-the-specs/ |archive-date=2012-04-27}}</ref>

===Emulation===
The NES version was re-released as an unlockable game in ''[[Software:Animal Crossing (video game)|Animal Crossing]]'' for the [[Engineering:GameCube|GameCube]]. It was also published on Virtual Console for the [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]], [[Engineering:Wii U|Wii U]], and {{wipe|Nintendo 3DS}}.<ref name="Wii VC Lineup" /> The Wii U version is also the last game that was released to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Japanese version of the NES, the Famicom. The original arcade version of the game appears in the [[Engineering:Nintendo 64|Nintendo 64]] game ''[[Software:Donkey Kong 64|Donkey Kong 64]]'', and it must be beaten to finish the game.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Casamassina|first1=Matt|title=Donkey Kong 64 review|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/25/donkey-kong-64|website=IGN|access-date=August 16, 2019|date=November 24, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919092038/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/25/donkey-kong-64 |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nintendo released the NES version on the e-Reader and for the Game Boy Advance ''Classic NES Series'' in 2002 and 2004, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/fmk/donkeykong/index.html |title=ファミコンミニ／ドンキーコング |publisher=[[Company:Nintendo|Nintendo]] |access-date=May 24, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526030929/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/fmk/donkeykong/index.html |archive-date=May 26, 2015}}</ref> In 2004, Namco released an arcade cabinet which contains ''Donkey Kong'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', and ''Mario Bros.''

''Donkey Kong: Original Edition'' is a port based on the NES version that reinstates the cement factory stage and includes some intermission animations absent from the original NES version, which has only ever been released on the Virtual Console. It was preinstalled on 25th Anniversary PAL region red Wii systems,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/europe-gets-exclusive-perfect-version-of-nes-donkey-kong-in-its-mario-25th-anniversary-wiis/|title=Europe gets exclusive 'perfect version' of NES Donkey Kong in its Mario 25th Anniversary Wiis|last=Kemps|first=Heidi|date=November 16, 2010|publisher=GamesRadar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223033752/http://www.gamesradar.com/europe-gets-exclusive-perfect-version-of-nes-donkey-kong-in-its-mario-25th-anniversary-wiis/|archive-date=December 23, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> which were first released in Europe on October 29, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/12/mario-25th-anniversary-wii-ds/|title=Nintendo Announces 25th Anniversary Mario Consoles for Europe|last1=Axon|first1=Samuel|date=October 12, 2010|website=Mashable|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027053229/http://mashable.com/2010/10/12/mario-25th-anniversary-wii-ds/|archive-date=October 27, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> In Japan, a download code for the game for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console was sent to users who purchased ''[[Software:New Super Mario Bros. 2|New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' or ''[[Software:Brain Age: Concentration Training|Brain Age]]'' from the Nintendo eShop from July 28 to September 2, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://andriasang.com/con1zw/3ds_download_sales_campaign/|title=Nintendo Kicks off Download Game Sales With Campaign|last1=Gantayat|first1=Anoop|date=July 20, 2012|website=Andriasang|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228131237/http://andriasang.com/con1zw/3ds_download_sales_campaign/|archive-date=December 28, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> In North America, a download code for the game for Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console was sent to users who purchased one of five select 3DS games on the Nintendo eShop and registered it on [[Software:Club Nintendo|Club Nintendo]] from October 1, 2012, to January 6, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://club2.nintendo.com/donkeykong|title=Donkey Kong Free Game Giveaway|website=Club Nintendo|publisher=Nintendo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003233156/http://club2.nintendo.com/donkeykong|archive-date=October 3, 2012|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5948026/buy-one-of-five-3ds-games-online-and-you-get-a-free-copy-of-donkey-kong-original-edition|title=Buy One Of Five 3DS Games Online And You Get A Free Copy Of Donkey Kong: Original Edition|last1=Schreier|first1=Jason|date=October 1, 2012|website=Kotaku|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501111844/http://kotaku.com/5948026/buy-one-of-five-3ds-games-online-and-you-get-a-free-copy-of-donkey-kong-original-edition|archive-date=May 1, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> In Europe and Australia, it was released for purchase on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mariopartylegacy.com/2014/09/europe-original-donkey-kong-edition-japan-mario-pinball-land/|title=Europe: Original Donkey Kong Edition & Japan: Mario Pinball Land|last1=Warmuth|first1=Christopher|website=Mario Party Legacy|date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416025806/http://mariopartylegacy.com/2014/09/europe-original-donkey-kong-edition-japan-mario-pinball-land/|archive-date=April 16, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vooks.net/nintendo-download-updates-59-beats-rhythm-and-warriors/|title=Nintendo Download Updates (19/9) Beats, Rhythm and Warriors|last1=Vuckovic|first1=Daniel|date=September 18, 2014|website=Vooks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501111606/http://www.vooks.net/nintendo-download-updates-59-beats-rhythm-and-warriors/|archive-date=May 1, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=January 27, 2015}}</ref> The original arcade version was re-released as part of the ''[[Software:Arcade Archives|Arcade Archives]]'' series for [[Engineering:Nintendo Switch|Nintendo Switch]] on June 14, 2018,<ref name="Long-Lost">{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/two-long-lost-nintendo-arcade-games-are-heading-to-swit-1826834961|title=Two Long-Lost Nintendo Arcade Games Are Heading To Switch|last=Kohler|first=Chris|date=June 14, 2018|publisher=Kotaku|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621115909/https://kotaku.com/two-long-lost-nintendo-arcade-games-are-heading-to-swit-1826834961|url-status=live}}</ref> and the NES version was re-released as one of the launch titles for Nintendo Switch Online on September 19.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/13/17856798/nintendo-switch-online-nes-games-list|title=Nintendo Switch Online has these 20 classic NES games|last=Good|first=Owen S.|date=September 13, 2018|website=Polygon|access-date=April 5, 2019|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032224/https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/13/17856798/nintendo-switch-online-nes-games-list|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Clones===
''Donkey Kong'' was one of the most widely cloned video games in the early 1980s, along with ''[[Software:Space Invaders|Space Invaders]]'' (1978) and ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'' (1980). By 1983, ''Donkey Kong'' clones had become available on various different platforms.<ref name="CVG26">{{cite magazine|magazine=Computer and Video Games|title=Gorilla Keeps on Climbing! Kong|pages=40–1|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-026/page/n38/mode/1up}}</ref> ''The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers'' lists 17 different ''Donkey Kong'' clones released for various home platforms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hague |first1=James |title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers |url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ |website=Dadgum |date=April 13, 2021 |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926043127/https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Software:Crazy Kong|Crazy Kong]]'' was officially licensed from Nintendo and manufactured by Falcon for some non-US markets. Nevertheless, ''Crazy Kong'' machines found their way into some American arcades, often installed in cabinets marked as ''Congorilla''. Nintendo was quick to take legal action against those distributing the game in the US.<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1984"/>{{rp|119}} [[Copyright infringement|Bootleg]] copies of ''Donkey Kong'' also appeared in both North America and France under the ''Crazy Kong'', ''Konkey Kong'' or ''Donkey King'' names. The 1982 ''Logger'' arcade game from Century Electronics is a direct clone of ''Donkey Kong'', with a large bird standing in for the ape and rolling logs instead of barrels.<ref>{{cite web|title=Logger |url=http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8447 |website=Killer List of Video Games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328005039/http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8447 |archive-date=March 28, 2014}}</ref>

In 1981, O. R. Rissman, president of Tiger Electronics, obtained a license to use the name ''King Kong'' from Universal City Studios. Under this title, Tiger created a [[Handheld game console|handheld LCD game]] with a scenario and gameplay based directly on Nintendo's creation.<ref name="Ultimate History"/>{{rp|210–211}}

Many [[Engineering:Home computer|home computer]] clones directly borrowed the gorilla theme: ''[[Software:Killer Gorilla|Killer Gorilla]]'' (BBC Micro, 1983), ''Killer Kong'' (ZX Spectrum, 1983), ''Crazy Kong 64'' (Commodore 64, 1983), ''Kongo Kong'' (Commodore 64, 1983), ''Donkey King'' (TRS-80 Color Computer, 1983), and ''Kong'' (TI-99/4A, 1983). One of the first releases from [[Company:Electronic Arts|Electronic Arts]] was ''[[Software:Hard Hat Mack|Hard Hat Mack]]'' (Apple II, 1983), a three-stage game without an ape, but using the construction site setting from ''Donkey Kong''. Other clones recast the game with different characters, such as ''[[Software:Cannonball Blitz|Cannonball Blitz]]'' (Apple II, 1982), with a soldier and cannonballs replacing the ape and barrels, and the American Southwest-themed ''[[Software:Canyon Climber|Canyon Climber]]'' (Atari 8-bit, 1982).<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Canyon Climber|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJU4fiiE2w|via=YouTube}}</ref>

[[Company:Epyx|Epyx]]'s ''[[Software:Jumpman (video game)|Jumpman]]'' (Atari 8-bit, 1983) reuses a prototypical name for the Mario character in ''Donkey Kong''. A magazine ad for the game has the tagline "If you liked ''Donkey Kong'', you'll love ''JUMPMAN''!"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Epyx Jumpman ad|magazine=Electronic Games |date=June 1983|page=81}}</ref> ''[[Software:Jumpman (video game)|Jumpman]]'', ''[[Software:Miner 2049er|Miner 2049er]]'' (Atari 8-bit, 1982), and ''[[Software:Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory|Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory]]'' (Atari 8-bit, 1984), focus on traversing all of the platforms in the level, or collecting scattered objects, instead of climbing to the top.

There were so many games with multiple ladder and platforms stages by 1983 that ''Electronic Games'' described Nintendo's own ''Popeye'' game as "yet another variation of a theme that's become all too familiar since the success of ''Donkey Kong''".<ref name="sharpe198306">{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n89/mode/2up |title=Insert Coin Here |work=Electronic Games |date=June 1983 |access-date=January 6, 2015 |author=Sharpe, Roger C. |page=92 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107032556/http://www.archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun |archive-date=January 7, 2015}}</ref> That year [[Company:Sega|Sega]] released a ''Donkey Kong'' clone called ''[[Software:Congo Bongo|Congo Bongo]]'' in arcades.<ref>{{cite web|title=Congo Bongo|url=https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=congo-bongo-model-834-5156&page=detail&id=495|website=Arcade History|access-date=April 16, 2018|archive-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621170336/https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=congo-bongo-model-834-5156&page=detail&id=495|url-status=live}}</ref> Although using isometric perspective, the structure and gameplay are similar.

Nintendo attempted to take legal action against unauthorized clones of ''Donkey Kong'', but estimated they lost {{US$|100,000,000|long=no|1981|round=-6}} in potential sales to these clones.<ref name="i am error naming"/> By 1990, Nintendo had successfully won over thirty lawsuits related to ''Donkey Kong''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Overseas Readers Column |magazine=Game Machine |issue=380 |publisher=Amusement Press, Inc. |date=15 May 1990 |page=30 |lang=ja |url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19900515p.pdf#page=16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131225317/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19900515p.pdf |archive-date=31 January 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> For example, Nintendo won a 1990 Japanese lawsuit against Falcon Company, which had sold 12,000 counterfeit arcade cabinets in the United States during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=News Digest: Nintendo Finally Wins ''Donkey Kong'' Convictions in Japan |magazine=RePlay |date=May 1990 |volume=15 |issue=8 |page=20 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-14-issue-no.-8-may-1990-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2014%2C%20Issue%20No.%208%20-%20May%201990/page/20}}</ref>

===Sequels===
''Donkey Kong'' spawned the sequel ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Jr.|Donkey Kong Jr.]]'' (1982) with the player controlling Donkey Kong's son in an attempt to save his father from Mario.

The 1983 spin-off ''Mario Bros.'' introduced Mario's brother Luigi in a single-screen cooperative game, set in a sewer, and launched the [[Software:Mario (franchise)|''Mario'' franchise]].

Also in 1983, ''[[Software:Donkey Kong 3|Donkey Kong 3]]'' appeared in the form of a fixed shooter, with an exterminator named Stanley ridding the ape—and insects—from a greenhouse.

===Later games===
Nintendo revived the ''Donkey Kong''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://technopython.com/donkey-kong-30th-anniversary-google-doodle/ | title=Celebrate Donkey Kong 30th Anniversary Google Doodle - Technopython | date=September 21, 2022}}</ref> franchise in the 1990s for a series of platform games and spin-offs developed by [[Company:Rare|Rare]], beginning with ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Country|Donkey Kong Country]]'' in 1994.

In 2004, Nintendo released ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong'', a sequel to the Game Boy's ''Donkey Kong'', in which Mario must chase Donkey Kong to get back the stolen Mini-Mario toys.

In the follow-up ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis'', Donkey Kong once again falls in love with Pauline and kidnaps her, and Mario uses the Mini-Mario toys to help him rescue her. ''Donkey Kong Racing'' for the GameCube was in development by Rare, but was canceled when Microsoft purchased the company. In 2004, Nintendo released the first of the ''Donkey Konga'' games, a rhythm-based game series that uses a special bongo controller. ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Jungle Beat|Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'' (2005) is a unique platform action game that uses the same bongo controller accessory.

In 2007, ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Barrel Blast|Donkey Kong Barrel Blast]]'' was released for the Nintendo Wii. It was originally developed as a GameCube game and would have used the bongo controller, but was delayed and released exclusively as a [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]] game with no support for the bongo accessory. The ''Donkey Kong Country'' series was revived by [[Company:Retro Studios|Retro Studios]] in 2010 with the release of ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Country Returns|Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'', and its sequel, ''[[Software:Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze|Donkey Kong Country]]'', in 2014.

''Donkey Kong'' appears as a game in the Wii U game ''[[Software:NES Remix|NES Remix]]'', which features multiple NES games and sometimes "remixes" them by presenting significantly modified versions of the games as challenges. One such challenge features Link from ''[[Software:The Legend of Zelda|The Legend of Zelda]]'' traveling through the first screen to save Pauline. The difficulty is increased compared to the original ''Donkey Kong'' because Link cannot jump, as in ''Zelda''.

''[[Software:Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' include a demo of the NES version of ''Donkey Kong'', and a stage called "75m", a replica of its Donkey Kong namesake.<ref name="DK Smash stage">{{cite web|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/stages/stage30.html |title=Smash Bros. DOJO!! – 75m |publisher=Smash Bros.Dojo |access-date=March 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308182327/http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/stages/stage30.html |archive-date=March 8, 2008}}</ref>

===Popular culture===
By late June 1982, ''Donkey Kong''{{'}}s success had prompted more than 50 parties in the U.S. and Japan to license the game's characters.<ref name="Ultimate History" />{{rp|215}} Mario and his simian nemesis appeared on cereal boxes, board games, pajamas, and manga. In 1983, the animation studio Ruby-Spears produced a ''Donkey Kong'' cartoon (as well as ''Donkey Kong Jr.'') for the ''Saturday Supercade'' program on CBS. In the show, mystery crime-solving plots in the mode of ''Scooby-Doo'' are framed around the premise of Mario and Pauline chasing Donkey Kong (voiced by Soupy Sales), who has escaped from the circus. The show lasted two seasons.

The game has also been referenced and discussed in several films and documentaries. The 2007 documentary ''The King of Kong'' follows the efforts of Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell to break the world record for high scores in ''Donkey Kong''.<ref name=BeforeYouDie>{{cite book|last=Carroll|first=Martin|chapter=Coin-op Capers: Donkey Kong|title=100 Nintendo Games to Play Before You Die – Nintendo Consoles Edition|edition=3rd|editor-last=Jones|editor-first=Darran|publisher=Future plc|date=2021}}</ref>{{rp|31}} The documentary inspired Hank Chien to start playing the game for fun; he became the new world champion on February 26, 2010.<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>{{rp|32}} The game's creation and lawsuit with Universal were discussed in the second episode of ''High Score'' on [[Company:Netflix|Netflix]], which also featured an interview with John Kirby (who the episode was dedicated to as he died shortly before its release).

In the 2015 film ''Pixels'', a film where aliens take on the form of 1980s arcade characters as they attack Earth, the alien leader takes on the form of Donkey Kong in the film's climax. In the 2023 ''Super Mario Bros. Movie'', Charles Martinet (Mario's voice actor in the video games), makes a cameo appearance as Guiseppe, who resembles how Mario looked back in ''Donkey Kong''. Guiseppe is also seen playing ''Donkey Kong'' on an arcade cabinet, but in the film the game is called "Jump Man", referencing Mario's original name.

In 1982, the songs "Do the Donkey Kong" by Buckner & Garcia and "Donkey Kong" by R. Cade and the Video Victims were released. Artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Trace Adkins referenced the game in songs. Episodes of ''The Simpsons'', ''Futurama'', ''Crank Yankers'', and ''The Fairly OddParents'' have referenced the game. Sound effects from the Atari 2600 version serve as generic video game sounds in films and television series. The phrase "It's on like Donkey Kong" was coined by American rapper Ice Cube in 1992,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hartlaub |first1=Peter |title="It's on like Donkey Kong": A comprehensive history |url=https://blog.sfgate.com/parenting/2011/01/06/its-on-like-donkey-kong-a-comprehensive-history/ |access-date=8 June 2021 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414111919/http://blog.sfgate.com/parenting/2011/01/06/its-on-like-donkey-kong-a-comprehensive-history/ |archive-date=April 14, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has been used in various works of popular culture. In November 2010, Nintendo applied for a trademark on the phrase with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.<ref name="Gross2010">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/11/10/on.like.donkey.kong/index.html |title=Nintendo seeks to trademark 'On like Donkey Kong' |last=Gross |first=Doug |date=November 10, 2010 |publisher=CNN |access-date=November 10, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022200616/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/11/10/on.like.donkey.kong/index.html |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Ultimate History">{{cite book|last=Kent |first=Steven L. |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World |date=2002 |publisher=Random House International |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7 |oclc=59416169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624183529/https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=June 24, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Game Over">{{cite book | first=David | last=Sheff |  date=1999 | title=Game Over: Press Start to Continue: The Maturing of Mario | location=Wilton, Connecticut | publisher=GamePress}}</ref>
<ref name="Power-up">Kohler, Chris (2005). ''Power-up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life''. Indianapolis, Indiana: BradyGAMES.</ref>
<ref name="Arcade Fever">Sellers, John (2001). ''Arcade Fever: The Fan's Guide to the Golden Age of Video Games''. Philadelphia: Running Book Publishers.</ref>
<ref name="High Score!">De Maria, Rusel, and Wilson, Johnny L. (2004). ''High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games''. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne.</ref>
<ref name="Chris Crawford">Crawford, Chris (2003). ''Chris Crawford on Game Design''. New Riders Publishing.</ref>
<ref name="Gender Inclusive">Ray, Sheri Graner (2004). ''Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market''. Hingham, Massachusetts: Charles Rivers Media, Inc.</ref>
<ref name="Top Coin-op">McLemore, Greg, et al. (2005). "[http://www.arcade-museum.com/TOP100.php The Top Coin-operated Videogames of All Time] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401225547/http://www.arcade-museum.com/TOP100.php |date=April 1, 2013}}". Retrieved October 11, 2011.</ref>

<ref name="Donkey Wrong">{{cite web | last1=Mikkelson | first1=Barbara | last2=Mikkelson | first2=David | date=February 25, 2001 | url=http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/donkeykong.asp | title=Donkey Wrong | publisher=Snopes | access-date=August 29, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="King of Kong">{{cite AV media | people=Seth Gordon (director) | date=2007 | title=The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters | publisher=Picturehouse | type=DVD}}</ref>
<ref name="King of Kong, overview at AllMovie">{{cite web|title=The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters > Overview |url=http://allmovie.com/work/the-king-of-kong-a-fistful-of-quarters-384804 |work=Allmovie |access-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722133521/http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-king-of-kong-a-fistful-of-quarters-384804 |archive-date=July 22, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1984">''Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo, Co., Ltd.'', United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, October 4, 1984</ref>
<ref name="Court of Appeals, 1986">''Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo, Co., Ltd.'', United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals, July 15, 1986</ref>

<ref name="Wii VC Lineup">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/news/virtual-console-lineup-unveiled|title=Wii Virtual Console Lineup Unveiled|access-date=November 1, 2006 |last=Parish|first=Jeremy|date=October 31, 2006|website=1UP.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603233125/http://www.1up.com/news/virtual-console-lineup-unveiled|archive-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Consalvo, Mia (2003). "Hot Dates and Fairy-tale Romances". ''The Video Game Theory Reader''. New York: Routledge.
* Fox, Matt (2006). ''The Video Games Guide''. Boxtree Ltd.
* Mingo, Jack. (1994) ''How the Cadillac Got its Fins'' New York: HarperBusiness. {{ISBN|0-88730-677-2}}
* Schodt, Frederick L. (1996). ''Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga''. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press.
{{Refend}}
{{div col end}}

==External links==
* {{KLOV game|id=7610|name=Donkey Kong}}
* [http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=donkey-kong&page=detail&id=666 ''Donkey Kong''] at Arcade History

{{Shigeru Miyamoto}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Donkey Kong (Video Game)}}
[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]

{{Sourceattribution|Donkey Kong (arcade game)}}