A group of passionate fans is building a native PC port for the beloved 1999 classic Donkey Kong 64. Furthermore, this ambitious project, titled Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled, brings major technical upgrades. However, the developers are already making headlines by publicly slamming a rival project.
“Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled” & AI “Vibe Coding” Drama
Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled promises a faithful recreation of the original 3D platformer. Additionally, the team is delivering massive performance improvements. Players will experience high-resolution graphics and uncapped frame rates. Moreover, the developers plan to include native mod support and cross-platform compatibility. The specific details regarding the cross-platform mechanics remain unknown.
Importantly, the team is proactively dodging Nintendo’s notoriously strict legal department. Therefore, they confirmed that the port will not use any copyrighted assets from the original game. Meanwhile, the project currently lacks an official release date.
During their announcement, the Recompiled development team openly called out a competing project. Another group is currently attempting to bring Donkey Kong 64 to the PC. Consequently, the Recompiled developers heavily criticized this rival team for relying on artificial intelligence. The competitor reportedly uses AI “vibe coding” to construct their version of the game. As a result, the Recompiled team dismissed the rival AI-generated build as “poorly made.”
A Franchise Riding High on Switch 2
This fan project arrives at a fantastic time for the franchise. Recently, Donkey Kong 64 joined the Nintendo Classics library on the Nintendo Switch in June 2026. Previously, the game only saw one other official re-release on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015. Originally, the title dominated as the seventh best-selling Nintendo 64 game. It easily outsold heavyweights like Banjo-Kazooie and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. It also marked Rare’s final Donkey Kong game before Microsoft acquired the studio.
Today, the franchise is enjoying massive momentum. Nintendo successfully returned the series to its 3D platformer roots with Donkey Kong Bananza. Released in July 2025, this hit Switch 2 title pairs Donkey Kong with a teenage version of Pauline. Consequently, Bananza became the second-best-selling original game on the Switch 2, sitting right behind Mario Kart World. Furthermore, the game secured “Best Family Game” at the 2025 Game Awards and even earned a “Game of the Year” nomination. Fans now have another reason to celebrate as they await this ambitious new PC port.
