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==Release== ===Marketing=== Lincoln unveiled ''Donkey Kong Country'' at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] in [[Chicago]], which took place from 23 to 25 June 1994.{{sfn|Gillen|1994|p=70}} The unveiling was the finale of Nintendo's conference and did not reveal that ''Donkey Kong Country'' was a SNES game until the end of the presentation, fooling the audience into believing that it was for the upcoming Nintendo 64. Gregg Mayles recalled the audience was stunned in silence before bursting into applause.<ref name="RG: MakingOf" /> As one of the flagship games of Nintendo's [[Nintendo marketing#Play It Loud!|Play It Loud!]] promotion,<ref name="DF Retro"/> ''Donkey Kong Country'' was backed by an exceptionally large marketing campaign—"marketing [[blitzkrieg]]", as ''[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]'' put it.<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Nintendo spent {{US$}}16 million on marketing ''Donkey Kong Country'' in America alone; at the time, major games typically had an average marketing budget of {{US$}}5 million.<ref name="LAT: Battle" /> Marketing materials emphasised the revolutionary graphics—often noting that Rare's SGI workstations had been used to create the ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1993) film's dinosaurs<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs">{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Tim|author-link=Tim Rogers (writer)|date=27 November 2019|title=Let's remember ''Donkey Kong Country'', 25 years later|url=https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602182711/https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307|archive-date=2 June 2022|access-date=2 June 2022|website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>—and positioned ''Donkey Kong Country'' as a direct competitor to Sega's [[Mega-CD]] and [[32X]] platforms to remind players it was not for next-generation hardware.<ref name="NWR: Exposed" /> Nintendo sent a promotional [[VHS]] tape, ''Donkey Kong Country: Exposed'', to subscribers of the magazine ''[[Nintendo Power]]''.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed">{{cite web|last=Berube|first=Justin|title=Remembering ''Donkey Kong Country'' Exposed|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/38417/remembering-donkey-kong-country-exposed|website=Nintendo World Report|access-date=5 June 2020|date=9 September 2014|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122212621/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/38417/remembering-donkey-kong-country-exposed|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Exposed'', hosted by comedian [[Josh Wolf (comedian)|Josh Wolf]], provides a "behind-the-scenes" glimpse of the Treehouse, the Nintendo of America division where games are tested.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed"/> ''Nintendo World Report'' wrote that ''Exposed'' was "probably the first time most people outside of Nintendo learned about the [Treehouse]" and the promotion allowed players to see the game for themself at home, rather than having to learn about it secondhand from a magazine.<ref name="NWR: Exposed"/> ''Exposed'' also features gameplay tips and interviews with localisers, [[playtester]]s, and Tim Stamper.<ref name="DS: RetroCorner" /><ref name="NWR: Exposed"/> In October 1994, Nintendo of America held an online promotional campaign through the internet service [[CompuServe]]. The campaign included downloadable video samples of the game, a trivia contest in which 800 people participated, and an hour-long [[online chat]] conference attended by 80 people, in which Lincoln, Arakawa, and vice-president of marketing Peter Main answered questions. Nintendo's CompuServe promotion marked an early instance of a major video game company using the internet to promote its products.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fitzgerald|first=Kate|date=14 November 1994|title=Videogames vie for online eyes: Sega, Nintendo, Acclaim finding target audience in front of computer screen|url=http://adage.com/article/news/videogames-vie-online-eyes-sega-nintendo-acclaim-finding-target-audience-front-computer-screen/89320/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309011652/http://adage.com/article/news/videogames-vie-online-eyes-sega-nintendo-acclaim-finding-target-audience-front-computer-screen/89320/|archive-date=9 March 2018|website=[[Ad Age]]}}</ref> Nintendo gave away ''Donkey Kong'' T-shirts as a pre-order bonus,<ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" /> and partnered with [[Kellogg's]] for a promotional campaign in which the packaging for Kellogg's [[breakfast cereal]]s featured ''Donkey Kong Country'' character art and announced a prize giveaway. The campaign ran from November 1994 to April 1995.{{sfn|''EGM'' staff|1995|p=66}} [[Fleetway Publications]] published a promotional comic in the UK in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=30 September 2021|title=Check out this forgotten Donkey Kong Country comic from the UK|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk|access-date=20 July 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720115950/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Context=== {{see also|1994 in video games}} [[File:Wikipedia SNES PAL.jpg|alt=A Super Nintendo Entertainment System PAL-region console (a grey video game console with two grey buttons for "Power" and "Reset" and a grey one for "Eject") and its controller (a gamepad with a D-pad on the left, "Start" and "Select" buttons in the middle, four buttons on the right, and two shoulder buttons on top).|thumb|''Donkey Kong Country'' was released for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (pictured) when it was beginning to face competition from [[fifth generation of video game consoles|next-generation hardware]].]] By October 1994, Nintendo was still in fierce competition with Sega and its popular ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' franchise. ''Donkey Kong Country'' was released a month after ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' for the Mega Drive. The ''Los Angeles Times'' characterised the coinciding releases as a battle; both featured company mascots, boasted "[[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]-sized" marketing budgets, and advertised revolutionary technological advances ([[lock-on technology]] for ''Sonic & Knuckles'' and 3D-rendered graphics for ''Donkey Kong Country'').<ref name="LAT: Battle">{{Cite web|last=Kronke|first=David|date=15 October 1994|title=It's gonna be a video jungle out there: Video-game stars Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog will battle it out with new games backed by tech advances and mega-marketing.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-15-ca-50485-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918185341/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-15/entertainment/ca-50485_1_video-game-technology|archive-date=18 September 2015|access-date=26 May 2020|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> ''Donkey Kong Country'' was highly anticipated. ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' wrote: "It was everywhere. You couldn't escape it. It was on the cover of every magazine. It was on gigantic, imposing displays and marquees at [[Wal-Mart]] and [[GameStop|Babbages]]... For kids of the era, November 20th seemed like the eve of a revolution".<ref name="HG101: DKC"/> The ''Exposed'' VHS tape contributed significantly to the hype.{{sfn|''GamePro'' staff|1996|p=12}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' was expected to gross at least {{US$}}140 million in the US if it matched sales projections.<ref name="LAT: Battle" /> Nintendo anticipated that it would sell two million copies in a month, an expectation that Main acknowledged was unprecedented but was "based on the off-the-chart reactions we've received from game players and retailers".<ref name="LAT: Battle" /> ''[[USGamer]]'' noted that Nintendo, at the time of ''Donkey Kong Country''{{'s}} release, faced difficulty to keep the SNES profitable. The [[fifth generation of video game consoles]] was on the horizon, the [[32-bit]] prowess of [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and the [[Sega Saturn]] far exceeding the SNES's capabilities. The Nintendo 64 was not due for release until 1996, so ''Donkey Kong Country'', wrote ''USGamer'', served as Nintendo's "bluff" to make it seem that the SNES could hold its ground against next-generation hardware.<ref name="USG: Bluff" /> ===Sales=== ''Donkey Kong Country'' was released worldwide in November 1994, two weeks ahead of schedule and around the [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] shopping season.<ref name="Rare: DKC"/><ref name="Kotaku: 25Yrs" /> It was released in the UK on 18 November,<ref name="Rare: DKC"/> in North America on 21 November, in Europe on 24 November, and in Japan on 26 November.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McFerren|first=Damien|date=21 November 2014|title=Anniversary: 20 years ago today, Rare resurrected the Donkey Kong brand|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/anniversary_20_years_ago_today_rare_resurrected_the_donkey_kong_brand|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605174352/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/11/anniversary_20_years_ago_today_rare_resurrected_the_donkey_kong_brand|archive-date=5 June 2020|access-date=5 June 2020|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref> In Japan, the game was released under the title ''Super Donkey Kong''.<ref name="NWR: Mini">{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Zachary|date=30 March 2015|title=''Donkey Kong Country'' (Wii U VC) review mini|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/39952/donkey-kong-country-wii-u-vc-review-mini|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605174442/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/39952/donkey-kong-country-wii-u-vc-review-mini|archive-date=5 June 2020|access-date=5 June 2020|website=Nintendo World Report}}</ref> ''Donkey Kong Country'' set the record for the fastest-selling video game at the time:{{sfn|''Next Generation'' staff|1996|p=45}} it sold over 500,000 copies within a week,{{sfn|''Billboard''|1995|p=77}} and sales reached one million copies in the US alone in two weeks. In its second week on sale in the US, the game grossed {{US$}}15 million, outpacing the week's highest-grossing film (''[[The Santa Clause]]'', {{US$}}11.5 million) and album (''[[Miracles: The Holiday Album]]'', {{US$}}5.2 million).{{sfn|Nintendo|1994b|p=12120032}} In the UK, it was the top-selling SNES game in November 1994.{{sfn|''CVG'' staff|1995|p=115}} ''Donkey Kong Country'' sold six million copies worldwide in its first holiday season,<ref name="IGN: SNESvsGen">{{Cite web|last=Buchanan|first=Levi|date=20 March 2009|title=Genesis vs. SNES: By the numbers|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918231636/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/20/genesis-vs-snes-by-the-numbers|archive-date=18 September 2018|access-date=12 June 2022|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> grossing {{US$|400 million|long=no}} in worldwide sales revenue.{{sfn|Nintendo|1995|p=01030008}} Cumulative sales reached 9.3 million copies. Based on available sales figures, it is the [[List of best-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games|third-bestselling SNES game]]<ref name="DF Retro"/><ref name="Vice: Xanax" /> and the bestselling ''Donkey Kong'' game.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gray|first=Kate|date=25 April 2022|title=Feature: The best (and worst) selling games of Nintendo's biggest franchises|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530175807/https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises|archive-date=30 May 2022|access-date=29 June 2022|website=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref>
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