Fans of Nintendo’s F-Zero racing franchise have been waiting a long time for a new series entry. There hasn’t been a new game in the series since 2004, leaving fans around the world begging for another entry. While fans can’t be blamed for thinking F-Zero might be dead to Nintendo, it seems the company hasn’t forgotten about the series. In an interview with IGN, former Nintendo designer Takaya Imamura was asked about the series and why there hasn’t been a new game for so long. According to Imamura, Nintendo is looking for a “big idea” for the series.
“Of course I’ve thought about it a lot, but without a great new idea it’s hard to bring it back,” Imamura told IGN.
The F-Zero series debuts on Super Nintendo with an emphasis on high-speed racing in futuristic environments. Since that first game, Captain Falcon has been the main character. The first game featured only four playable characters, although in later games the number of racers quickly increased to over 30. Unlike Nintendo’s Mario Kart series, F-Zero places a much greater emphasis on high speed and high difficulty.
F-Zero has a loyal following, but the series has never been able to generate sales comparable to Nintendo’s other major franchises. As such, it’s understandable that Nintendo would want to find a strong hook to revive the series. The last F-Zero game released in North America was in 2004 F-Zero: GP Legend, a Game Boy Advance racer based on the short-lived anime series. A sequel, F-Zero Climax, released the same year in Japan, but it has never been released outside the region.
While F-Zero fans have been waiting a long time for a new game, the franchise is appearing on Nintendo Switch in a way. The Blue Falcon and Mute City both appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while Captain Falcon appears as a playable hunter in Super Smash Bros. UltimateLast but not least, the original F-zero can be played through Nintendo Switch Online. It might not be as satisfying as a new game, but until Nintendo finds the grand idea it’s looking for, fans will just have to settle for it.
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