Nintendo Apparently Passed on "Ultra-Realistic" F-Zero Switch Game

A lot of F-Zero fans have been hoping to see a new entry in the beloved racing series, but it seems that Nintendo recently passed on the opportunity to bring back the franchise. In an interview with GameXplain, Vitei founder Giles Goddard confirmed that his development studio pitched a "ultra-realistic" F-Zero game for Nintendo Switch. Apparently, the game would have included a number of features that could have taken the series in a bold new direction. A demo was created for Switch and PC to show off the game's engine, and presented to Nintendo before the company ended up declining.

"We had a multiplatform engine that was running on 3DS, Switch, PC, whatever, so we just made a demo of some really cool F-Zero cars going around this crazy track, and just hundreds of the cars using AI to sort of race each other. But they'd all have realistic physics, like really ultra, sort of a bit too over-the-top realistic, so the hovering was actually caused by four jets in the bottom sort of adjusting themselves – way too over the top," Goddard told GameXplain. "But it meant that if you killed one of the jets it would end up sinking, and if you killed the other one it'd flip over and all this kind of stuff. And it was just really fun – it was like a sandbox type thing, playing around and seeing what would happen if you caused a crash there and whatever."

Goddard confirmed that Nintendo is very cautious when it comes to using its old IP, which might have played a role in the pitch being turned down. However, Goddard also stated that it was "difficult" working with Nintendo; the company felt that Vitei was too small for the job, but funding for the project would have allowed more people to be hired.

"So it was forever this ridiculous catch-22 with them wanting us to make a game, us pitching a game, and then them saying you don't have enough people," Goddard told GameXplain. "Alright, so what do we do? Do we just find a lump of cash from somewhere, then get the people, then go back to you with the proposal?"

The F-Zero franchise has never been a big seller for Nintendo, so it's easy to see why it might have been hesitant to approve such a project. The company is apparently still looking for a "grand new idea" for the series, and Vitei's pitch might not have fit that definition. Vitei has mostly handled smaller projects for Nintendo, including the Steel Diver series on 3DS. It might be discouraging that Nintendo turned this opportunity down, but a failed game could have been worse for the series in the long run. For now, F-Zero fans will just have to wait patiently and hope that Nintendo can find a way to eventually bring the series back!

Would you like to see a new F-Zero game on Switch? Are you disappointed this project was turned down? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Nintendo Everything]