With more than 35 years as one of the most recognizable names in gaming, Nintendo has produced some of the industry's most iconic franchises. From the success of early games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda to modern hits like Pokemon and Splatoon, Nintendo's IPs have garnered legions of fans throughout the company's history. However, for every Mario and Zelda, many other popular Nintendo franchises spend long stretches of time without a proper follow-up. Now, a recent shareholder meeting saw Nintendo questioned about a handful of its dormant franchises.
While Nintendo has seen sustained success from many of its top names, the company has been known to have popular series go quiet for many years. Following the controversial Metroid: Other M's release in 2010, Metroid did not see a main-series game until Metroid: Samus Returns in 2017. Star Fox has also not seen a new game in five years with the last main-series Star Fox coming with the SNES Classic release of Star Fox 2. Now, one shareholder has asked Nintendo about several long-dormant series, with Baten Kaitos and F-Zero notable among the list.
During a Nintendo shareholder meeting on Tuesday, one shareholder who goes by Momiji on Twitter asked Nintendo about the status of some of its classic franchises. Alongside the previously-mentioned Baten Kaitos and F-Zero, Momiji also mentioned other series like Wario Land and multiple Japan-only titles like Trade & Battle: Card Hero and Chosoju Mecha MG. Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi reportedly responded that Nintendo is "thinking about a wide range of interesting ideas" for its games, though Takahashi confirmed he couldn't disclose any details.
A new Baten Kaitos or F-Zero would mark the first return to either of the two franchises in nearly two decades. F-Zero's last new release came with F-Zero Climax on the Game Boy Advance in 2004, though the original F-Zero has seen ports to Nintendo's classic game programs like Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online. Baten Kaitos has not seen a new entry since 2006's prequel Baten Kaitos Origins, though rumors have persisted about Monolith Soft reviving the franchise for several years.
While Nintendo could not give any confirmation or denial on the possibility of a new Baten Kaitos or F-Zero, Nintendo has been keen to revisit some of its older series in recent months. June's Mario Strikers: Battle League marked the first Mario soccer game from the developer in 15 years. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp also sees Nintendo coming back to a classic strategy franchise which has been dormant since the DS. Nintendo's recent return to older series like Advance Wars and Live A Live could bode well for a potential new F-Zero or Baten Kaitos to come in the future.
Source: Video Games Chronicle