LinkedIn has been a great resource for game leaks over the years, and a recent job posting by Bandai Namco has a new one. Apparently, Ridge Racer 8 is in development, and coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.

A video uploaded yesterday by YouTube user Doctre81 contains a screenshot of the LinkedIn posting, which also lists the previously-announced Ace Combat 7 (exclusive to PS4 and PSVR) and an “Unannounced IP (First Person Shooter/Adventure Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch)”. The latter is speculated to be further confirmation that the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 is being developed by Bandai Namco, though some have posited it could be a Switch port of the previous three Metroid Prime games.

Guessing aside, the name drop of Ridge Racer 8 is pretty clear confirmation that a new entry in the popular arcade racing series is on its way – Switch exclusive or not. Whether it’s coming out this year remains to be seen, though the job listing does specify 22 months from May 2016 as the duration for the position. This would place March 2018 as its conclusion.

One thing to keep in mind with all of this is that the whole thing is still very much a rumor. It would be quite straightforward to create a spoof listing for the purposes of a video, and a quick search on LinkedIn yielded no matching results. Obviously, the listing could have been removed once word got out, but it also raises the question of why the story is only being picked up now, as opposed to back in 2016.

Despite the validity of the job posting being up for debate, it nonetheless gives some hope that Ridge Racer may see a new installment soon. The last time the series made its way to consoles was with 2012’s Ridge Racer Unbounded on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and the franchise’s two most recent titles have both been mobile-exclusives. Plus, Ridge Racer hasn’t been on a Nintendo home console since 2003.

At any rate, hopefully some confirmation will come from Bandai Namco soon. The time certainly seems to be right for a new Ridge Racer, and the Switch is an ideal platform for its fast-paced arcade antics.

Ridge Racer 8 has yet to be officially announced.

Source: Doctre81 – YouTube