Why Nintendo Cancelled Rockstar's Kirby Game

DidYouKnowGaming takes a look at a lost Kirby game originally developed by Rockstar games back when they were called DMA design. This Super Nintendo title would've been called Kid Kirby, and was aimed at a younger audience with the SNES mouse as its main method of control.

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Special thanks to Meeper12346, Patrick Kerr, Paul Reeves, and Sean Hicks.

Research/Writing by Dylan Mansfield
Video Editing by TheCartoonGamer
Narration by Tony of @hard4games
Thumbnail art by JetPackBraggin

Sources/Further Reading:
Kushner, David. Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. John Wiley & Sons, 2012. pp. 20-26.
“Timex Man Set to Make a Million.” Daily Record, 4 May 1994, p. 19.
“NINTENDO AND UK-BASED DMA DESIGN ANNOUNCE PROJECT REALITY AGREEMENT” Nintendo, 2 May 1994. Press Release.
"SOFTWARE INNOVATIONS AND HOT DEVELOPER ALLIANCES HELP NINTENDO OFFER TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY FOR TODAY’S SYSTEMS." Nintendo, 23 Jun. 1994. Press Release.
Kerr, Patrick. Personal Interview. 10 Dec. 2022.
Anonymous. Personal Interview. 25 Apr. 2023.
Meeper12346. Interview with Steve Hammond. 9 May 2022.
“An Interview with David Jones.” NEXT Generation, Apr. 1997, p. 103-104.
Reeves, Paul. Personal Interview. 20 Jun. 2023.
Meeper12346. Interview with Mike Dailly. 30 Nov. 2017.
@snap2grid. “I'm the Steve mentioned in the article! I didn't work in the game directly, (I was part of DMA Design's Design Department), and I created the instruction booklet, including the writing and typesetting/layout and some overwrought graphic design! 3D renders came from the artists.” Twitter, 15 Jun. 2022, 12:33 p.m.,

#kirby #nintendo #rockstar #snes

[pixellord]

"The vehicle stealing mechanics were later incorporated into Planet Robobot."

[Goldtiger]

So, all of those controversies and crimes attributed to Grand Theft Auto were the fault of Kirby? I knew that little puffball was dangerous, but this is a whole different level.

[BlinksAwakening]

Fascinating to think how for better or for worse, Nintendo is indirectly responsible for the likes of the rise of the GTA series or the entire PlayStation brand.

[Canadian_duck]

Rockstar and Kirby is something I never thought I’d hear used in the same sentence.

[MagentaNimbat]

I'm so happy to see Kid Kirby finally be more talked about

[brandonwilliams]

The fact that GTA exists from the cancellation of a Babified Kirby game is so ironic, would things be any different had Kid Kirby seen the light of Day? I was reminded of Starfox 2 which eventually got to see the light of day in 2017 on the SNES Classic and now Shantae Advance is coming soon.

[ThatGirlYouForgot]

The internet has gotten so good at finding lost media, I'm confident we'll have Kid Kirby within 2 years.

[primrosevale]

“All we had to do, was follow the Waddle Dee Train, C(apsule) J!”


Seriously tho, found out there was more to Kid Kirby discovered some time ago, was wondering why I hadn’t heard a channel talk about it. Great to see coverage on an obscure area of Kirby history! Happy to see those sprites and level designs were featured here, and to know that the most unhinged violent game series all started with an even littler pink puffball!

[rjstanley]

“ DreamLand… Home, At least I thought it was ‘til I fucked everything up”

[DarkCloudVA]

I'm hoping there's a rom out there somewhere.
I really wanna see this. I've heard about kid Kirby for years but I never knew about its story.

[Meeper]

Glad to have been a small part of this! Great job with the research and presentation on this one :)

[goldenyoshi]

Damn, this actually sounds really fun! It sounds like a combination of Kirby Canvas Curse and Mass Attack. This would've been really interesting for the system considering both were for the DS. Kudos to Sean for such amazing mock ups! Honestly makes me want to play this lost game.

[ParanoidThalyyMVS]

I've always been interested in Kid Kirby, much thanks for this deep dive.

[UOAPlays]

It's crazy how much effort you guys put into these videos. Tracking down people for exclusive interviews and making custom art to convey what they're talking about is such a tremendous amount of work.

[dylanmansfield]

So if Kid Kirby has hair, does that mean he’s bald now?

[Luma]

I've been watching this channel for several years now and I just wanted to say that the way it has evolved over the years is genuinely amazing, and videos like these are really showing off, from posting what basically was trivia compilations to now making well-researched mini-documentaires about obscure games containing mostly exclusive info. Great job

[DaNintendude]

I've always been glad that Kid Kirby never released, because I was never a fan of how the game looked-- or even the very idea of the game. Kirby is already supposed to be young, and his backstory is laid out in Kirby's Dream Land and Spring Breeze.
I also hated the idea of Kirby having cartoonish hair like he is depicted to have. My least favorite part about what we knew was Dedede's design, which I absolutely despised. I frequently thought "I'm glad Kid Kirby didn't happen, because then that horrific Dedede would have been canon" ...So when I got to 10:41, I nearly laughed out loud.

I really appreciate being able to learn more about the project. Even if I'm glad it never came to be, it's still a very interesting idea. The gameplay seems like it would've been fun, despite my issues with story and design! Sean Hicks did a fantastic job with his mockups. They definitely look very real, and help give a better understanding of what the game could've been.

The game has always given me heavy bootleg vibes. It reminds me of stuff like the classic Archie Sonic comics and DIC Sonic Cartoons, which similarly made up their own stories and ideas that are incompatible with the mainline games.

[steveluvscows]

"All we had to do, was follow the damn train, Kirby!"

[Probably_CLOUD]

The thumbnail and title is going to give both Kirby and GTA fans crossover ideas. I can already imagine how the fan art would look like. Sounds like a potential meme.

[KeebeThePlush]

It’s crazy to think that kid Kirby could of been the from the same devs as the gta series