It’s been too long since F-Zero fans were treated to a new game. Unfortunately, it seems the waiting will continue. Even though the series just passed its 30th anniversary last year, the February 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation once again snubbed fans by omitting any sort of news regarding a new F-Zero game.
While the presentation did have some interesting reveals, none were quite as big as fans had hoped. There was a long delay between full Nintendo Directs, after all, and many believed that meant a major announcement was on the way. Many signs pointed to a new F-Zero, considering the recent rumors of a new F-Zero game based on a newly created Twitter account, which itself followed a trademark filing in 2018.
However, there was no such luck. Instead, we got the reveal of Splatoon 3 and a couple of 32-bit RPG re-releases. That’s all well and good, but the show ultimately served as a disappointment for dedicated followers of Nintendo’s fast-paced racing series.
When will we get a new F-Zero game?
So what gives? What exactly is Nintendo waiting for? The last new F-Zero game released over 16 years ago for the Game Boy Advance, which is a lifetime for some players. In fact, it’s been over 17 years since console players were treated to an F-Zero game, and the series notably skipped both the Wii and the Wii U (not counting digital GBA ports).
This omission can’t be caused by hardware concerns. Nintendo’s handheld can run The Witcher 3 and Doom Eternal, so it’s not a matter of power. The system also has motion controls, meaning the developers could come up with an interesting new twist on racing gameplay. And then there’s online connectivity, something that wasn’t included when F-Zero GX launched on the GameCube so many years ago.
In other words, the time is right for a new F-Zero game. Nintendo may have several projects in the works, but they’re still ignoring one of their most popular and beloved franchises. The series’ 30th anniversary came and went without a breath of new information, and that’s not right. Still, we’re holding out hope that Nintendo will eventually revive its futuristic racing formula for an entirely new generation of players.
