With E3 around the corner, one can expect rumored new game announcements to pop up. A rumor that is making the rounds across the internet is that Retro Studios is working on a new game for Nintendo: a Star Fox racing game titled “Star Fox Grand Pix.”
A Reddit user named DasVergeben posted information on this supposed Star Fox racing game: “It is actually a racing game. Something like Diddy Kong Racing mixed with F-Zero essentially. But more like F-Zero gameplay. It will have a adventure mode of some kind (think Diddy Kong Racing) and there will be some boss fights and a hub world like it too.” An anonymous user on 4chan soon posted a logo for the game, seen below.
Interestingly, Retro Studios confirmed to GameSpot in 2014 that the company was working on a new game. That game is not Metroid Prime 4. Could this new game, then, be the next installment in the Star Fox series? The site Eurogamer says their sources have heard similar:
Eurogamer: “So, what do we believe? Well, as improbable as Retro making a Star Fox racing spin-off may sound, Eurogamer sources have heard similar.”
It should be noted of course that there has been no official word of a new Star Fox game, whether it be racing or traditional. Everything said here, and anything one can find on “Star Fox Grand Prix” is a rumor. Still, it is interesting to think about. It may sound unlikely, but Nintendo has surprised us in the past, like with the recent Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Plus, Star Fox wouldn’t be the only Nintendo franchise to get the Mario Kart treatment - Kirby received his own racing game on the GameCube in Kirby Air Ride. Also, one of the endings to the DS game, Star Fox Command, has Fox and Falco turn their Arwings into racing machines. So, Star Fox as a racer isn’t unheard of.
The last game in the franchise was Star Fox Zero. It was supposed to breathe new life into the series, but ended up receiving “mixed or average reviews,” according to Metacritic with a score of 69. Perhaps Nintendo is hoping to bring back the Star Fox name for another go. Though, if true, why not bring back a series that has already been established as a high-octane racer, namely F-Zero? One answer could be that Star Fox is a more recognizable brand name. If Zero, a game that aimed to be like traditional Star Fox games, didn’t do well, maybe Nintendo figures a racing game is a safer bet at this point. Of course, we don’t know if “Star Fox Grand Prix” is an actual thing. If so, perhaps it will be announced at E3.
