Fans of Nintendo’s F-Zero racing franchise have been waiting for a new entry in the series for a long time. There has been no new game in the series since 2004, leaving fans around the world begging for a new entry. Although fans cannot be blamed for believing that F-Zero could be dead for Nintendo, it seems that the company has not forgotten 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 “great idea” for the series.
“Of course, I’ve thought about it many times, but without a big, new idea, it’s hard to bring it back,” Imamura told IGN.
Debuting on Super Nintendo, the F-Zero series focuses on high-speed racing in futuristic environments. From the first game, Captain Falcon was the main protagonist. The first game featured only four playable characters, although the number of races quickly increased to over 30 in subsequent games. Unlike the Nintendo Mario Kart series, the F-Zero places a much greater emphasis on high speed and high difficulty.
F-Zero follows closely, but the series has never managed to generate sales on par with Nintendo’s other key franchises. As such, it is understandable that Nintendo would like to find a strong hook to bring the series back to life. The last F-Zero game released in North America was in 2004 F-Zero: Legend GP, a racing game Game Boy Advance based on the short anime series. A chase, F-Zero Climax, released in the same year in Japan, but never released outside the region.
While F-Zero fans have been waiting for a new game for a long time, the franchise appears on the Nintendo Switch in some respects. 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. last. Last but not least, the original F-Zero can be played via Nintendo Switch Online. It may not be as satisfying as a new game, but until Nintendo finds the great idea they’re looking for, fans will just have to settle down.
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