The Nintendo Switch has been an excellent place for Nintendo to revive some of its long-dormant franchises. With titles like Metroid Dread, F-Zero 99, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, and the upcoming Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Nintendo has proven the adage that a franchise doesn’t die; it just rests. These revivals have proven beneficial for Nintendo and have become massive commercial achievements. Despite all of these successes, one franchise never got a chance at life on the Nintendo Switch: Star Fox.
Once a major technological achievement with the original SNES title and its follow-up Star Fox 64, the series has gone through a massive identity crisis since that second game and has laid dormant for almost a decade. Star Fox desperately needs a refresh, and the Switch 2 seems like the perfect place to make that happen.
Star Fox Could Have A Return To Form On Switch 2
After Star Fox Zero, The Franchise Needs A Lift
One of the last Star Fox games Nintendo released was Star Fox Zero in 2016. Though it was eagerly anticipated as the first mainline Star Fox game in a decade, it collapsed under several issues. Beyond its short length and awkward Wii U GamePad controls, the general sentiment towards the game was that it felt too much like a retread of Star Fox 64, leading to concerns that Nintendo had written itself into a corner with the series.
Given that the Wii U was Nintendo’s worst-selling home console, Zero would always have difficulty selling, but it became an even bigger commercial disappointment than expected. With less than half a million copies sold, Star Fox Zero landed far behind the other entries in the series and failed to turn a profit for Nintendo. Thus, outside the official release of the once-canceled Star Fox 2 in 2017, the franchise has returned to hibernation.
A New Star Fox Game Could Help The Franchise Find Its Voice
One of the biggest issues Star Fox has faced since Star Fox 64 has been its lack of an identity. Every game that’s come since the Nintendo 64 title has either strayed too far from the formula to the point where it doesn’t feel like Star Fox anymore, or hewed too close to the formula to the point that it lives in the shadow of the classic Star Fox titles. It also helps that Nintendo, outside of a few re-releases, has not developed a Star Fox game in-house since 64: the publisher has generally handed the series off to partners and third-party developers, thus creating a lack of cohesion.
That said, Nintendo's in-house studios have a golden opportunity to create a confident Star Fox game that takes full advantage of whatever next-gen hardware the Switch 2 features. The first few Star Fox games were significant in that they served as excellent demonstrations of Nintendo’s technology, and a new game could do the same for the Switch 2. Given how well Nintendo’s first-party games have pushed the boundaries of its hardware, a franchise like Star Fox could be dazzling for Nintendo’s next platform.
Nintendo's in-house studios have a golden opportunity to create a confident Star Fox game that takes full advantage of whatever next-gen hardware the Switch 2 features.
The Switch 2 Could Help Sell A New Star Fox Game
It should also be said that where Star Fox Zero was a commercial failure for Nintendo, a new game shouldn’t suffer the same fate on the Switch 2. The current Switch has been a massive hit for Nintendo, and the publisher has seen great commercial success with franchise revivals on the system. So long as it can leverage that audience into the new platform, the Star Fox franchise could get back into the mainstream just as other Nintendo franchises have done on the Switch.
Given how long it’s been since Nintendo has even acknowledged Star Fox - let alone developed a new in-house title in the series - it might be a long shot if a new game comes along. With that said, a new entry could be exactly what Nintendo needs to make Star Fox a household name all over again. The franchise has sinned a few times before, but all can be forgiven if Nintendo puts its best foot forward with a new game on the Switch 2.
Star Fox Zero
The Star Fox team arrives on Wii U for a new adventure!
Fox, Falco, Peppy and Slippy save the Lylat system in this new deep space dogfighting adventure. Using the Wii U GamePad controller and the TV together creates a unique interface that allows players to experience the game with two different viewpoints within the Arwing aim and shoot enemies in one direction while flying in another. This frees up the TV for a more cinematic flight experience. Then, pilot the Arwing with its new Walker transformation, along with the new Gyrowing and the Landmaster Tank, to traverse interplanetary terrain.
