UPDATE: The profile has been found, and can be seen here. And it still notes not only the in-progress first-person shooter for Switch, but also lists Ridge Racer 8 clear as day.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Okay, now we’re more intrigued. (And ready to drift.)
ORIGINAL STORY: Bandai Namco’s support for the Nintendo Switch has been growing pretty good, although the system still has yet to get big-name titles like Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Soul Calibur VI. However, that could very well change at E3 – and it looks like a pretty big exclusive could be added to the mix as well.
A YouTuber by the name of Doctre81 has reportedly come across a LinkedIn profile of a lead designer for Bandai Namco‘s Singapore team, which lists a number of projects over in the work for the publisher.
These projects include the forthcoming aerial combat game Ace Combat 7, which is set to be revealed sometime this year; and a yet unnamed first-person shooter/adventure game for the Nintendo Switch, which could very well be Metroid Prime 4, although that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
But then there’s a third listing, which has been screen captured below.
That listing indicates a new title called Ridge Racer 8, and its description notes “Drift-based High Speed Car Racing Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch”.
Now this is interesting. We haven’t seen a new Ridge Racer game on the console front since Bandai Namco attempted to revitalize the series alongside Bugbear Interactive with Ridge Racer Unbounded for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. And we haven’t seen a numbered entry since Ridge Racer 7 debuted back in 2006 during the PlayStation 3 launch. So to say that Ridge Racer 8 – if it exists – would be a key exclusive for the Nintendo Switch would be an understatement.
We’ve already talked in the past about Bandai Namco working closely with Nintendo on Metroid Prime, though, again, it’s not confirmed. And the two have been cozy in the past, so this exclusive could be possible, and maybe even something Nintendo announces during its E3 presentation.
But, on the flip side of that, we tried to locate the official link to the LinkedIn profile that Doctre81 claimed to find and came up empty. (The screen capture was taken from his video.) So this could also be a fake.
Besides, would Bandai Namco really allow one of its employees, especially a lead designer, to list a game title as obvious as Ridge Racer 8 without its consent? Especially since the same listing also points out that “unannounced IP” in the same profile?
So take this with the lightest grain of salt if you can, since there’s no official details. That said, some fans would be thrilled to see a new Ridge Racer, if only to go crazy around turns with their ever-drifting system. We’ll keep you informed if more viable confirmation pops up.
