Takaya Imamura: F-Zero Hasn’t Been Revived Because Mario Kart Is Nintendo’s “Most Popular Racing Game”
Nintendo has been on a roll with its revival of older games and series like Metroid Prime, Pikmin 1+2 and more recently the announcement of Super Mario RPG. However, one franchise that still hasn’t made a major comeback is F-Zero.
So, what exactly is going on there? The now retired 30-year Nintendo veteran Takaya Imamura, who was the artist and designer behind characters such as Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud has shared his own thoughts during a recent interview with VGC.
He thinks it’s because it would “cost a fortune” and also because Mario Kart is the main focus – being Nintendo’s most popular racing game. The latest entry in this series has sold more than 53 million units to date. Miyamoto also happens to be a big fan of Star Fox, which is apparently why Fox and co have returned more often in the past.
So why do you think F-Zero gets less attention from the company than Star Fox does? There hasn’t been a new F-Zero game for almost 20 years now.
Takaya Imamura: “I think it’s because Mario Kart is Nintendo’s most popular racing game, and a new F-Zero would cost a fortune. My impression is that Miyamoto-san is very affectionate about Star Fox.”
Inamura further notes how Miyamoto “is always thinking about Nintendo as a whole” so that’s apparently why he probably doesn’t get much time to think about F-Zero. He also believes it comes down to “careful consideration” when reviving IPs, and in the case of Metroid’s resurgence, the Western studios involved are a “result of careful selection”.
Although there are no new F-Zero games to experience on the Switch, fans of the futuristic racing series can still get their fix via the Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service with titles like F-Zero X for the Nintendo 64. The series also has a special track and kart in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Takaya Imamura has previously mentioned how F-Zero would also require a “grand idea” in order to be revived:
Nintendo has been on a roll with its revival of older games and series like Metroid Prime, Pikmin 1+2 and more recently the announcement of Super Mario RPG. However, one franchise that still hasn’t made a major comeback is F-Zero.
So, what exactly is going on there? The now retired 30-year Nintendo veteran Takaya Imamura, who was the artist and designer behind characters such as Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud has shared his own thoughts during a recent interview with VGC.
He thinks it’s because it would “cost a fortune” and also because Mario Kart is the main focus – being Nintendo’s most popular racing game. The latest entry in this series has sold more than 53 million units to date. Miyamoto also happens to be a big fan of Star Fox, which is apparently why Fox and co have returned more often in the past.
So why do you think F-Zero gets less attention from the company than Star Fox does? There hasn’t been a new F-Zero game for almost 20 years now.
Takaya Imamura: “I think it’s because Mario Kart is Nintendo’s most popular racing game, and a new F-Zero would cost a fortune. My impression is that Miyamoto-san is very affectionate about Star Fox.”
Inamura further notes how Miyamoto “is always thinking about Nintendo as a whole” so that’s apparently why he probably doesn’t get much time to think about F-Zero. He also believes it comes down to “careful consideration” when reviving IPs, and in the case of Metroid’s resurgence, the Western studios involved are a “result of careful selection”.
Although there are no new F-Zero games to experience on the Switch, fans of the futuristic racing series can still get their fix via the Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service with titles like F-Zero X for the Nintendo 64. The series also has a special track and kart in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Takaya Imamura has previously mentioned how F-Zero would also require a “grand idea” in order to be revived:
