NetEase’s Toshihiro Nagoshi, who served as producer on 2003’s F-Zero GX, has said he’d be open to working on the series once again.
Arguably one of the best racing games of all time, F-Zero GX marked the final home console release in the series, and fans have been waiting over two decades for a true follow-up. In a recent interview with VGC, however, producer Nagoshi shared his love for the game, stating it was “a very nostalgic game title for me.”
Nagoshi added “that was when I learned how to create a high quality game to satisfy a fanbase. I learned a lot, and if there was a chance, I wouldn’t mind working on it again.”
Nagoshi, who previously served as director and creator of the Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball series, now runs his own studio under Chinese company NetEase. When asked if this new role made an F-Zero GX follow-up more or less likely, Nagoshi simply stated: “That is more of a question for Nintendo.”
It can’t be understated how much of a technical marvel F-Zero GX was for its time. Not only do its utterly gorgeous visuals still hold up 20 years later, but its ability to render at blindingly fast speeds, at a solid 60fps, with a total of 30 cars on track, is something that’s difficult to replicate even today.
F-Zero GX was a feature-rich package, too. Standard modes like Grand Prix and Time Trials were present, as well as a full story mode complete with cutscenes, and a ship editor where players could buy parts to create their own racing machine. Players could also import (or eventually unlock) F-Zero AX data from the arcade version to unlock that game’s unique tracks and characters.
While the series has remained dormant for the better part of 20 years, Nagoshi’s interest in the series isn’t the only glimmer of hope for a follow-up. Recently, rumors have been circulating of an F-Zero GX remaster in development for Nintendo Switch at Next Level Games, the studio responsible for Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Mario Strikers: Battle League.
The future of F-Zero may remain up in the air, but there are still plenty of the best Nintendo Switch games to check out in the meantime. Also consider browsing our best Nintendo Switch controllers guide to boost your setup.
