Sega fans have been hoping for a new Super Monkey Ball game for a very long time now. While 2019 saw the release of Banana Blitz HD, that title is somewhat divisive among fans of the spherical primates, so some were still hoping for a remake of the original two games, or even a new title entirely. Fortunately, if a recent leak is any indication, news about Super Monkey Ball's future may be coming sooner rather than later.
Rumors about the existence of a new Super Monkey Ball have been rolling around for nearly a year now, but now there is a solid indication that one could be coming fairly soon. The Australian Classifications Board, which is responsible for rating games in Australia, has listed a page for a mysterious new game called Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.
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This classification, posted today, gives Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania a PG rating, for "mild violence" and "online interactivity." Oddly enough, this is above the G rating that Banana Blitz HD received only two years ago. Nonetheless, an official ratings board listing a new Super Monkey Ball game is exciting and means this title could be releasing fairly soon. For reference, Banana Blitz HD was rated by this board on July 16, 2019, and released three months later on October 29th, 2019. A similar timeframe for this title could see it releasing as soon as July or August of this year, if it's real.
Of course, like most gaming-related rumors, this information should be taken with a grain of salt. While a rating board listing is exciting, one should keep in mind that this could simply be a mobile or arcade game rather than a full console entry. Even if it is a console entry, Banana Blitz HD is still a fairly divisive title, so it's best to wait and see what the actual direction of the game might be before getting hopes up too high.
This isn't the only recent Sega-related rumor to make the rounds, as a remaster of the 2010 Wii game Sonic Colors is also purportedly on the horizon. The company has been fairly quiet as of late when it comes to their major upcoming titles, which is fairly understandable considering the impact that the covid-19 pandemic has had on global game development.
However, all of this potential news leaking at once could indicate that the Japanese game company is gearing up for some sort of news dump, possibly even an online presentation similar to Nintendo's Direct presentations or the recent first Square Enix Presents livestream. Sega surely has plenty of exciting titles in development, so even a peek at any of these could satiate fans until the games are ready in the future.
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Source: Australian Classifications Board