F-Zero,one of those franchises that Nintendo seems to have forgotten about, is rumored to be making a comeback 2023. This marks two decades since the last mainline title in the series,F-ZeroGX,released on the GameCube in 2003. For many, it has felt like the once-popular futuristic racer has been relegated to a backstory for Captain Falcon, who has been a staple character inSuper Smash Bros.since its inception. Those fans think the return ofF-Zerois long overdue, and an interesting rumor suggests that it may finally happen.
Fans ofF-Zerohave long lamented the dormancy of the franchise, which was celebrated as one of the fastest and most realistic racers of its time when it first released on the Super Nintendo in 1990. Among theseF-Zerofaithful is apparentlyone of Nintendo’s shareholders, who apparently attended a meeting and supposedly expressed his enthusiasm for the revival of the series.
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NateTheHate, a podcaster who has reportedly been the source of accurate leaks in the past, confidently posited that 2023 would be the year forF-Zero. This came as a reply toyet anotherMetroid-related rumorthread discussing a comment from the user who is credited with teasingThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Nate went on to say thatMetroid Primewas finished up by Retro Studios in 2021, but still had to go through quality assurance and localization at that point.
Seeing Captain Falcon behind the wheel of his famous blue car in a new game would bring untold joy to the masses of fans that rememberF-Zeroas one of the best early 3D racers. Players can still access the original game and its sequel,F-Zero X,on Nintendo Switch via the SNES and N64 emulation software available as part of Nintendo Switch Online, but the GameCube’sF-Zero GXis unavailable at this time. It would likely be one of the first titles that Nintendo would want to make available to players if or when it decides to revive the series.
In a May 2022 VentureBeat interview, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that he believed Nintendo might bringF-Zeroback and added that he believed there was someone in the company’s Kyoto headquarters working on anF-Zeroidea, but whether this is actually true is anybody’s guess. The discussion around GameCube titles for the Switch has always been less around if it will happen and more about when. Nevertheless, Nintendo is extremely protective of its IP and takes leaks quite seriously, even if they areabout aZeldagame that never made itpast the initial pitch.
