News Articles
Thursday1st Jun 2023
News Dillon's Rolling Western & Kirby Developer Vanpool Shuts Down
"We have decided to disband"
In some surprising news, it's been discovered Vanpool, the independent Tokyo-based development team behind the Dillon's Rolling Western series, has shut down. As of 31st May 2023, the studio is no longer in operation. It shared an official statement on its website confirming this. Here's part of a translation:...
Wednesday5th Aug 2020
News Has The Chibi-Robo Studio Skip Pulled The Plug On Development?
Some concerning updates
There's a story doing the rounds within the Nintendo community at the moment that the Chibi-Robo! developer, Skip Ltd, may have closed its doors. This follows on from a similar story that was published here on Nintendo Life last October. The latest update stems from the same YouTube channel, One Controller Port, which...
Monday16th Dec 2019
News Get Discounts On Zelda: Ocarina Of Time And More In The Latest My Nintendo Rewards (Europe)
Wario and Chibi-Robo also up grabs
The latest batch of My Nintendo game discounts for Europe has now gone live, giving players the usual chance to grab a handful of games at reduced prices. There are four new discounts up for grabs this time, including the 3DS remake of Legend of Zelda classic, Ocarina of Time. As always, you can take advantage of...
Tuesday22nd Oct 2019
News What's Going On With Chibi-Robo Developer Skip?
Has this cult studio finally shut its doors?
Chibi-Robo! might not be of the same stature as Zelda, Mario or even Kirby, but it's a Nintendo franchise that has plenty of fans, and its refreshingly original gameplay and quirky sense of humour have set it apart from similar titles over t
Thursday3rd Jan 2019
News Get Discounts On Zelda, Mario Kart And More With The Latest European My Nintendo Rewards
Chibi-Robo makes an appearance, too
The latest batch of My Nintendo game discounts for Europe has now gone live, giving players the usual chance to grab some 3DS and Wii U games at discounted prices. There are seven games up for grabs this time around, including a couple of Zelda greats, a nice dose of Mario Kart, and even some love for the...
Thursday19th Nov 2015
News Standalone Chibi-Robo amiibo Will Be Amazon Exclusive in North America, Releases 30th November
Pre-orders go live on 19th November
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash has been out for a while now and it unfortunately doesn't seem to have performed too well. While this could potentially signal the end of the series, it nonetheless was a decent, if so
Monday9th Nov 2015
Other evergreen releases hold the fort
The UK chart results are out and, yes, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is easily number one. That's hardly surprising, but the overall Nintendo results have prompted us to raise our eyebrows. Let's get the bad news out of the way - Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash appears to have tanked at launch in the UK. Not only is it...
Monday2nd Nov 2015
Nintendo Download 5th November (Europe)
Chibi-Robo! Electronic Super Joy! Contra! Toki Tori 3D! More!
Another week begins, and Nintendo of Europe has the task of setting off some virtual fireworks in its Download Update. It does succeed in terms of delivering a first-party retail title on 3DS, while we think the download-only scene on Wii U is looking pretty encouraging this week. Throw...
Monday26th Oct 2015
Nintendo Download 29th October (Europe)
Project Zero! Resi 4! Binding of Isaac! Freedom Planet! Much, much more!
It's the start of another week, but Nintendo fans in Europe at least have the download update to cheer their spirits. This week's edition seems to be a bit of a doozy, in fairness, with a mix of in-demand titles across both Wii U and - notably - the New Nintendo 3DS / 3DS; on...
Tuesday20th Oct 2015
News The Chibi-Robo amiibo is Being Sold Separately in Japan
Perhaps Nintendo has similar plans for the West?
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash launched recently in North America to somewhat middling critical reception. We awarded the game a 6/10, praising its solid gameplay and criticising its somewhat derivative execution. The game also launched alongside an amiibo which was sold exclusively in a bundle with the game...
Wednesday14th Oct 2015
News Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash Fails to Clean Up in Japanese Charts
Outperformed by baseball title Pro Yakyuu Famista Returns on 3DS
The Japanese Media Create charts are out in Japan and, despite some positives, are likely to cause some disappointment in Nintendo HQ. This is due to an attempt at mainstream success for a long-established franchise falling flat at launch in the country. The game we're referring to is...
Thursday8th Oct 2015
Nintendo Download 8th October (North America)
Chibi-Robo!, 3D Sonic 2, Legend of Legacy and much more
It's time once again for another Nintendo Download Update, and this week's North American line-up has some tempting options. There are four 3DS retail games, including a Nintendo platformer and an RPG with impressive pedigree, while M2 remasters another wonderful SEGA game for the eShop. On Wii...
Wednesday7th Oct 2015
Random Excitable Fans Face Disappointment When Nintendo Does Twitter Wrong
Deep breaths needed all around
What happens when Nintendo of America accidentally tweets "Mario has a new best buddy!" without an image and then deletes that tweet? Some of its 2.37 million followers - at the time of writing - get a bit over excited, thinking that a massive announcement is about to rock their world. Then this happens after a short...
Thursday1st Oct 2015
News Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash Could Possibly be the Last Game in the Franchise
"To be honest, this might be the last chance for us."
It's been somewhat under the radar, but Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is only a couple weeks away from launching in North America. The fairly niche action platformer starring that adorable miniature robot will represent a new direction for the franchise by being a 2D platformer, evidently in an effort to...
Wednesday9th Sep 2015
News Watch Chibi-Robo! Running Around In His Mario Costume In The Latest Zip Lash Gameplay Trailer
The Chibi-House is almost ready for departure sir!
As the release of Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash for 3DS draws ever closer Nintendo has been releasing new snippets of information about the game, along with the recent gameplay trailer below. In the trailer we can see a snippet of Chibi-Robo! running around in a Mario costume, which we can only assume is...
Saturday5th Sep 2015
News Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash Will Support Plenty of amiibo, Genre Given as 'Whipping Platformer'
Whip it good
Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash was a surprising E3 reveal, not only because it was the character's first out-and-out platformer, but the fact that it'll be a full retail title. Nintendo clearly believes that the IP has the potential to be a hit, though, with an amiibo bundle set to accompany the standard release. Though we were somewhat...
Monday24th Aug 2015
Star Fox Zero! Fatal Frame exclusive to eShop! Devil's Third! More!
Nintendo of America and their European counterparts have decided to have an information splurge to kick off the week, which is just fine by us. First of all, it's confirmed that a Super Mario Maker Wii U hardware bundle will arrive in North America, as was previously announced for...
Thursday23rd Jul 2015
News If Chibi-Robo Ever Came To Wii U, He'd Be Very, Very Shiny
Shiny happy robot
Chibi-Robo is one of Nintendo's most adorable characters, and the heroic 10-centimetre-tall robot is making a welcome comeback in Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash on the 3DS. While it might appear like a fairly simple platformer, we found Zip Lash to be fresh, fun, and genuinely charming in our first impressions from E3. Siliconera recen
Wednesday22nd Jul 2015
Video Nintendo Shines The Spotlight on Aya Kyogoku and Risa Tabata
"Please cherish what you really want to do"
In recent years we've seen a number of young faces move to the forefront of Nintendo development, and we've also seen key women step up with increasing visibility in the company. One of the most recognisable is Aya Kyogoku for her leadership in the Animal Crossing franchise, and in a video from Nintendo...
Monday1st Jun 2015
News Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash and Its amiibo Confirmed for North America and Europe
Swinging onto 3DS
Over the weekend we saw a new Chibi-Robo announcement from Japan, including a rather cute amiibo. Pleasingly this is making its way around the world, with the title being given the name Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash in the West. The platformer looks set to be a retail release in North America, at least, as the amiibo (pictured above) will...
