2016 doesn’t seem like that long ago when it comes to video games and development cycles, but for nintendo – A publisher who is excellent at keeping most of Its franchises have been ongoing and fresh – it’s been a long time.
Ten years ago, Star Fox Zero was meant to be the triumphant return of everyone’s favorite spaceship-flying furball, but this fail to make waves And disappointed longtime fans of the rail shooter series. But now – a full decade later – perhaps we should re-evaluate its old-fashioned sensibilities?
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Why do we fall, Master McCloud?
Star Fox Zero’s home console, the Wii U, was a massive failure. This cannot be denied. with approximately 13.5 million units Compared to the Switch’s 155.3 (and still counting) sold worldwide, it marked a low point for Nintendo that caused the company to refocus its future first-party bets on safer franchises like Mario and Zelda.
Thankfully, the Switch improved Nintendo’s fortunes enough that in 2026, the entertainment giant may be making big changes again. And what could be a bigger change than bringing back Star Fox and its unique brand of sci-fi rail shooter?
For Nintendo fans wondering if the Star Fox series can escape the shadow of Star Fox 64, Nintendo is in a position to prove everyone wrong. However, some lessons need to be learned.
The Wii U’s highly criticized awkward gamepad didn’t do Star Fox Zero any favors, with its controls being at the center of many of the most scathing reviews, but it wasn’t the only problem. There was just a severe lack of originality that doomed Zero from the start.
Star Fox’s greatest hits, but with better graphics and animations, may have looked good on paper, but the nostalgia hype couldn’t push for a whole new game. It was criminally small GamesRadar Note that the main mission can be completed in a few hours.
Fast forward to the Switch 2 era, and Nintendo is back on track with a hybrid console that’s been hugely successful without trying to recreate the controller. Sure, it’s a hybrid console/handheld, but both of those concepts are tried and tested.
Still, with the addition of gyro and mouse Joy-Con 2 controls as options (rather than forced features), Nintendo’s versatility isn’t lost, and they can be used to great effect on a new Star Fox game… as long as regular controls are also an option. No, this time control is not the issue; It’s providing a great story and plenty of content that feels like a priority.
I’ve been waiting for you, Star Fox
We’ve got it, Nintendo’s biggest, safe-bet franchises are Mario, The Legend of Zelda and pokemonBut as the company looks to appeal to a different type of players and refresh older properties as well as develop new properties like Splatoon (which is now over a decade old), we can’t help but notice that its stockpile of science fiction goodness is gathering dust for the most part.
Metroid Nintendo continues to lead the pack for space adventures on consoles, but last year metroid prime 4 This was hardly the surprise we were expecting. It’s hard to imagine a future in which Samus Aran won’t return in some form, 2D or 3D, but at the time of writing, the Metroid series has seen better days. And of course, it is lifetime sale Nintendo’s greatest prowess can’t be matched, but in a small community there’s a hunger for more.
The only other big sci-fi franchise is F-Zero, and things are looking serious there. f-zero 99 It was a fun online entertainment, but other than that, we haven’t got anything since 2004’s F-Zero climax.
Even Star Fox has spent less time in the dark hangar. It’s disappointing, but at least we’re still getting sci-fi racing games from elsewhere; Rail shooters are a void in the current market that no one, other than shy re-releases and remasters like Panzer Dragoon, is able to cover.
That doesn’t mean the new Star Fox is guaranteed to be a smash hit. It may still be a huge misfire – rail shooters are niche, and the franchise has been dormant for over a decade – but we’ve seen zanier stakes like Splatoon find an audience and expand.
With the right story hook, gameplay overhaul, and look, a team of anthropomorphic animals taking on galactic rogues with nimble spaceships in a fun and colorful sci-fi setting, it seems like an easy win – especially for a company like Nintendo.
The Super Mario Galaxy movie has some heavy lifting
One of the most unexpected cinematic surprises of 2026 so far is the appearance of Fox McCloud, voiced by Glen Powell, in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. It’s not just a quick cameo either, with Fox spending the majority of the film with Mario and other regulars. Additionally, Team Star Fox members Slippy, Peppy, and Falco appear briefly as part of an anime-style 2D flashback sequence.
It’s a questionable amount of Star Fox in a movie that’s still first and foremost about the Super Mario cast. It’s almost as if Nintendo is setting something else up.
It’s logical to think that a potential Star Fox spinoff movie would be made at some point in the future, but that seems like an even bigger risk than bringing back the game series… unless that happens first. One thing can lead to another, allowing young fans to slowly but steadily enter an “all-new universe” that they had previously only heard about; Brand synergy at its finest.
never give up. trust your intuition
It won’t be too long before we know for sure whether or not a new Star Fox game is being made for the Nintendo Switch 2, but given the hits and misses of Zero, the path forward is clear and should be easy to navigate.
This is not a mystery to be solved, nor a void that Nintendo should stay away from. People love spaceships, arcade-y action, and cool/cute anthropomorphic animals. We dislike pathetic control schemes and full-priced adventures that you can beat in a single sitting.
Let’s take it from the top, Nintendo, and this time, with emotion.
