Rumor mill suggests the next Super Monkey Ball installment is already in development. The news comes from Zippo, a Nintendo leaker with a reasonable track record.
As per Zippo, a new title to be published by Sega under the Super Monkey Ball franchise is currently in the works. The next game in the iconic arcade series is expected to be announced early next year, with a launch window within the first few months of the release of Nintendo Switch 2.
Next Super Monkey Ball Game Will Be Released On Switch 2, PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S
It is believed that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, who developed the previous installment, is working on the new title. It is a game development team under Sega as a part of its ‘Sega CS Research and Development No. 1’ division. The studio has gained quite a bit of respect over the years for working on the Like a Dragon series and Yakuza franchise.
The leaker also mentions that the new Super Monkey Ball installment will be launched on several platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. But what particularly stood out is that the title is supposed to be coming on the next-gen Nintendo console.
If this and the fact that the game might be released in 2024 is true, it might be possible that the Super Monkey Ball game will be one of the first games on the highly anticipated Switch 2.
What is Super Monkey Ball?
For our younger audience, Super Monkey Ball can be regarded as the older-gen version of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Super Monkey Ball is a series of arcade games published by Sega. The first game in the series was simply called Monkey Ball and released in 2001 only for the arcade. Following the success, an entire franchise was born, and a few installments were published by Sega for GameCube over the following years before transitioning to PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo DS. Later in the early 2010s when the mobile gaming revolution was on the rise, the franchise developed games for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android.
The most recent entry in this franchise is Super Monkey Ball Banana Monster, which was also developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. It is a remake of the first three console titles of the franchise released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Gameplay
In the Super Monkey Ball games, the player has to tilt the world itself in order to navigate a monkey inside a ball. The player is able to change the character’s movement direction by tilting the board in different directions, as well as the speed by changing the angle of the tilt of the board. Generally, the objective of the game is to clear stages by moving the monkey around the platforms.
Many of the game modes are time-based, and the player has to reach the next level without falling off the board. Extra lives and bonus points can also be earned by collecting bananas throughout the board.
After the recent success of modern party games like Fall Guys, Super Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it will be interesting to see how the new title will pan out for the remarkable franchise.
