Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo Life Image
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Nintendo has been on a roll with the revival of its 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 the futuristic racing series F-Zero.

So, what exactly is going on with it? The now-retired 30-year Nintendo veteran Takaya Imamura, who also happened to be the artist and designer behind characters such as Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud, has shared his own thoughts about Nintendo's possible reasoning, during an interview with VGC.

He thinks it's because Mario Kart is Nintendo's main focus, being the company's most popular racing game. This translates to sales as well, with the latest entry Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch shifting more than 53 million units to date. According to Inamura, a new F-Zero could also "cost a fortune".

As for F-Zero getting "less attention" than series like Star Fox, this is apparently tied to Shigeru Miyamoto's love of this particular series. Here's the full exchange:

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 this could be another reason 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 Captain Falcon 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 special tracks and even a vehicle in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Takaya Imamura has previously mentioned how F-Zero would require a "grand idea" in order to be revived for a new generation:

Do you think there will be an F-Zero revival at some point in the near future? Can a title like this co-exist alongside Mario Kart? Share your own thoughts below.

[source videogameschronicle.com, via gonintendo.com]