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Donkey Kong is a video game series created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. It is published by Nintendo, with entries in the series developed by Nintendo, Rare, Namco, Retro Studios, and Paon. The series debuted in 1981 with the arcade game Donkey Kong, which was a sales success that brought Nintendo into the North American market. Most Donkey Kong games have either been arcade games or released for Nintendo consoles and handhelds dating from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the current generation of video game consoles. However, some of the original arcade games were ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. Donkey Kong is among the best-selling video game franchises, with more than 48 million games sold worldwide.
Most of the games in the franchise are platform games, although the series also includes other genres such as racing and rhythm games. The franchise centers on the anthropomorphic gorilla Donkey Kong and his family, who are usually the series's protagonists. Many of the Donkey Kong games use supporting characters throughout gameplay, allowing the player to control different members of the family. The success of the series is commonly attributed to its technical innovation and entertaining platforming sequences.