The developer, Marc Max, has confirmed that the Donkey Kong DX colorization remaster will not be released in 2025 as originally promised.
The decision stems from unforeseen personal challenges faced last year, which required him to drastically slow down his ROM hacking work and focus on his mental health.
Key Issues and Project Status:
- No Current Progress: Marc admitted he has not worked on Donkey Kong DX (DKDX) this year. His motivation for the complex project is currently nonexistent, citing the work as “discouraging and exhausting.”
- Technical Roadblocks: The hack currently requires another major rewriting overhaul and refactor to overcome a significant technical barrier, ruling out the possibility of a Christmas demo.
- New Strategy: To regain momentum, Marc will prioritize finishing other smaller projects first. This approach has recently allowed him to successfully complete major releases like Mega Man World 4 DX and KOF: Battle de Paradise.
- No New Date: The team has agreed not to announce a new release date until the developer is ready to resume work, avoiding previous mistakes.
Marc thanked the graphic artists, Jorge and Kensu, for their continuous support. He also shared a significant long-term plan: after DKDX is finally released, he intends to take a long break from ROM hacking to focus on developing and publishing his own original video game.
You can find out more in Marc’ public Patreon post.
Sometimes life just moves differently. I hope he can sort things out for him and improve his mental health.
That’s always the most important thing in life. He’s honest about what’s is going on, that should be commended.