While it is certainly true that Nintendo funnels most of its creative energy into the Mario series, DKC's existence does set the precedence for the company creating new high quality, well received platformers within a similar design space, which is more the point I was trying to make. I do not fully disagree with what you are saying, mind you, as Mario traditionally has been, and continues to be, the company's flagship series and when they want to develop a new platformer it is directly where they go and spend their money and effort, it is just that I do believe they, or as is the case with DKC one of their first party teams, do possess the ability to develop other high quality IPs if they actually care to, they've simply elected to let the Mario series serve as a safe catch-all for their efforts.

Quote Originally Posted by maybee
Donkey Kong isn't really new though. He's just as old as Mario.
Sure, however the character and IP laid pretty well dead after DKJ until it was reinvented as a banana chasing, barrel busting platformer in the mid 90s, which was certainly a new direction for the series and quite different from where Mario was going.