Sega Explains Why Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble Is a Nintendo Switch Exclusive

Earlier this year, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble was announced during a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. While recent Super Monkey Ball games had been released on multiple platforms, Banana Rumble broke with tradition, launching this week as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Over the last few months, Sega has been quiet about the chances of the game coming to other platforms, but the company has now offered some information about why it was made exclusive in the first place. In an interview with SiliconEra, producer Nobuhiro Suzuki and designer Yukio Oda offered some hope for those that want to see Banana Rumble on PlayStation or Xbox. 

“The reason for limiting the game to Nintendo Switch was primarily to provide a stable quality of online competition with 16 players, which is the biggest selling point of this game. As a result of focusing on a single platform, we were able to focus on the implementation and stabilization of online matches over time, and as a result, we were able to reach a level that our users can enjoy,” Suzuki and Oda told SiliconEra. “If we receive support from our users, we believe we can consider expanding platforms in the future, so please support Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble.”

This is basically the same thing we heard from Sega around the time Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD was released; back in 2019, Sega told fans that if the game sold well, it could lead to more remakes, or wholly new games. Since then, we’ve gotten Banana Mania on multiple platforms, and now Banana Rumble on Nintendo Switch. Hopefully Sega will stay true to its word and bring the game to more platforms if the Switch version is successful enough. That would also benefit Nintendo fans, as it would give them a larger pool of players for the online multiplayer segments. 

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is the first wholly-new game in the series in more than a decade. The last two games featured elements from previous titles, but Banana Rumble features a brand-new single-player campaign, as well as new multiplayer options. Later this year, the game will add DLC characters based on various Sega icons, including Beat from Jet Set Radio, Axel from Crazy Taxi, and characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. 

Have you picked up Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble yet? Do you think the game will ever release on PlayStation or Xbox? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!