The last F-Zero game was released in 2004 and the series only makes appearances as part of crossovers, such as Captain Falcon appearing in Super Smash Bros., or F-Zero tracks appearing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It seems that Nintendo has abandoned the F-Zero franchise, even though there is still demand for the series, with a vocal fanbase that wants to see it return. Nintendo staff members have given different reasons for the abandonment of F-Zero in the past, as well as offering hope that it could return one day.
F-Zero was a racing series that used futuristic vehicles and tracks, with fast-paced gameplay that was akin to F1 races. The original F-Zero was created to show off the hardware of the Super Nintendo, which used Mode 7 Scrolling to create the impression of 3D, with 2D sprites moving across a scaling background that responded to player movement. F-Zero was a launch game for the Super Nintendo and it spawned sequels on other systems, with the most recent being F-Zero Climax on the Game Boy Advance.
It has been a long time since the last F-Zero game, but fans haven't lost hope, with many hoping a new F-Zero could be a hardcore Mario Kart. Recently, a Nintendo fan asked about a new F-Zero during a shareholder meeting, resulting in a vague response. This is different from previous years when Nintendo seemed resistant to the idea of new F-Zero games. It's possible that a new F-Zero game is in development for the Nintendo Switch, assuming Nintendo has had a change of heart in recent years.
Nintendo Is Resistant To A Making New F-Zero Game
In 2012, Shigeru Miyamoto was interviewed by Game Kult, and asked about the possibility of a new F-Zero. He gave a disheartening response, as he wondered why fans would even want a new F-Zero game, as he felt everything had been done with the concept. Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé told Venture Beat that there was never a decision to just abandon F-Zero, but that Nintendo would make a judgment about bringing back an IP if it matched a unique gameplay concept that was being worked on. It's known that Nintendo shot down a realistic F-Zero concept around 2014, as a studio named Vitei approached the company with the concept, but Nintendo was wary about bringing it back, especially when another studio was involved.
It seems that Nintendo hasn't decided to just give up on F-Zero, but is waiting for the right time and circumstances to bring it back. The one difficult aspect is that Nintendo already has a massively popular racing franchise, in the form of Mario Kart, which has produced some of the company's best-selling games of all time. This means F-Zero can't just come back as a standard F-Zero game with HD visuals. It remains to be seen how F-Zero can come back, though it could be a good candidate for any future VR hardware that Nintendo might produce, as racing games work well with the VR format. Nintendo hasn't closed the door on F-Zero just yet, but it's unclear when Captain Falcon will return to the track.
Source: Game Kult, Venture Beat