Nintendo Shuts Down Return of Fan-Favorite NES Series
Nintendo is sitting on a goldmine of IP. Some of this IP -- such as Mario and Zelda -- it's constantly tapping into. Other IP it's letting go dormant though. For example, it's been over a decade since a new Kid Icarus game was released, with the last being Kid Icarus: Uprising in 2012. That said, before Uprising, the series did sit dormant for 21 years. So there is precedence for this series to sit on the sidelines for prolonged periods of time. And it looks that is exactly where it's going to be sitting for the foreseeable future.
While he didn't create the series, Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai did handle the series return in 2012. And he's expressed, on multiple occasions, his interest in seeing it return. To this end, Sakurai once again reinforced this stance, but also seemingly confirmed that nothing is currently happening with the series.
In a recent video on his personal YouTube channel, Sakurai noted "it's a shame" that the game is stranded on the 3DS as he would "love to play it on a bigger screen with smoother graphics." Adding to this, he noted "without a team around to work on it, crafting a follow-up seems difficult." This seems like a soft confirmation nothing is currently happening with the series beyond Nintendo Switch Online.
"I think the final game turned out to be a showpiece title," said Sakurai of the 2012 release. "It's a shame that it is only lived on 3DS, as I'd love to play on a bigger screen with smoother graphics, but without a team around to work on it, crafting a follow-up seems difficult."
If Sakurai isn't working on bringing back Kid Icarus, what could he be working on? Well, probably a new Super Smash Bros. game. Not only is this a very important series for Nintendo that it will want a new release from for the new Nintendo console rumored to release next year, but this is all Sakurai has exclusively worked on for years.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Should Nintendo bring back Kid Icarus? If Sakurai and his team are not available to do it, who would you like see shepard the series going forward?
