Fans of Nintendo‘s F-Zero racing franchise have been waiting a very 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 a new 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 in so long. According to Imamura, Nintendo is looking for a “grand idea” for the series.
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“Of course, I’ve thought about it many times, but without a grand new idea, it’s hard to bring it back,” Imamura told IGN.
Debuting on Super Nintendo, the F-Zero series puts a focus on high-speed racing in futuristic environments. Since that first game, Captain Falcon has been the primary protagonist. The first game featured just four playable characters, though the number of racers quickly ballooned to more than 30 in later games. Unlike Nintendo’s Mario Kart series, F-Zero puts a much greater emphasis on high speed, and high difficulty.
F-Zero has a faithful following, but the series has never been able to generate sales on par with Nintendo’s other key franchises. As such, it’s understandable that Nintendo would want to find a strong hook in order to breathe life back into the series. The last F-Zero game to release in North America was 2004’s F-Zero: GP Legend, a Game Boy Advance racer based on the short-lived anime series. A follow-up, F-Zero Climax, released that same year in Japan, but it never released outside the region.
While F-Zero fans have been waiting a long time for a new game, the franchise does appear on Nintendo Switch in some ways. The Blue Falcon and Mute City both appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while Captain Falcon appears as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Last 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.
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