Nintendo and PlatinumGames share a special relationship, with Nintendo even asking them to co-develop a majorStar Foxtitle on the Wii U. Since then, Platinum has had a solid relationship with Nintendo,releasing the hit titleAstral Chainlast year.
However, the aforementionedStar FoxWii U title,Star Fox Zero, was not very well received by fans or critics. Now, a recent interview with the Head Producer of PlatinumGames, Atsushi Inaba, confirmed that the company has not been approached for a possible port on Switch.
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PlatinumGames has had a very solid relationship with Nintendo over the last decade or so, developing major titles likeBayonetta,MadWorld, andThe Wonderful 101. In fact, Bayonetta became a Nintendo-exclusive franchise starting withBayonetta 2, after the game was shelved by Sega by revived through Nintendo’s funding. Now,Bayonetta 3is in developmentfor a release on Switch sometime in the near future.
Additionally, PlatinumGames has also shown interest in re-releasing titles the company felt needed a second chance. This was conveyed clearly through thehuge success ofWonderful 101: Remastered’s Kickstarter. Yet, PlatinumGames has apparently never been approached to assist on a potential port ofStar Fox Zeroon Switch, another Wii U title that couldn’t reach a larger audience because of its platform. A recent interview by way of GameXplain gives more details.
The Head Producer at PlatinumGames, Atsushi Inaba, was asked about any news regarding a potential Switch port ofStar Fox Zero, but denied having been approached by Nintendo. Inaba said, “To be honest we wouldn’t have the slightest clue,Star Fox Zerowas a bit of a special case for us.Star Foxwas, you know, an IP that Nintendo has had way before we entered the picture. That was a game that they were interested in making and kind of just lent out an offer to us…”
The offer apparently came about following Nintendo’s desire to but Nintendo-themed content inBayonetta 2. PlatinumGames has often partnered up with a variety of publishers while maintaining its overall independence for the most part. While some rumors claimed Microsoft was looking to purchase the studio, Inaba has denied receiving any offers and apparentlydoesn’t want to be part of Xbox’sfamily of developers either. So while Platinum has solid relationships with various publishers, it seems the company is striving to maintain that independence.
Still, aStar Fox Zeroport on Switch would be nice to see. Though the game wasn’t a major success for Nintendo, theStar Foxfranchise could be in danger of being forgotten likeF-Zero.Star Foxhas a history dating back to the SNES, with massively successful titles likeStar Fox 64– which wasrecently part of a massive Nintendo leak. Hopefully, the Switch will see some form of successfulStar Foxcontent in the future.
