As ‘Star Fox Zero’ turns 10, here’s why the sci-fi rail shooter series deserves a comeback (Image Credit: Space.com)
2016 doesn’t feel like too long ago when it comes to video games and development cycles, but for Nintendo — a publisher that excels at keeping most of its franchises moving and fresh — it’s a long time.
Ten years ago, Star Fox Zero was meant to be the triumphant return of everyone’s favorite spaceship-flying furball, but it failed to make waves and disappointed longtime fans of the rail shooter series. But now — a full decade later — perhaps we should reevaluate its old-fashioned sensibilities?
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Why do we fall, Master McCloud?
Star Fox Zero’s home console, the Wii U, was a massive failure. There’s no denying that. With around 13.5 million units sold worldwide versus the Switch’s 155.3 (and still going), it marked a low point for Nintendo that led the company to refocus its future first-party bets to safer franchises like Mario and Zelda.
Thankfully, the Switch improved Nintendo’s fortunes so much that in 2026, the entertainment giant can afford to take big swings again. And what’s a bigger swing than bringing Star Fox and its unique brand of sci-fi rail shooter back?
With Nintendo fans wondering if the Star Fox series can escape Star Fox 64’s shadow, Nintendo is in a position to prove everyone wrong. A few lessons need to be learned, though.
The Wii U’s much-criticized awkward gamepad didn’t do Star Fox Zero any favors, with its controls being at the center of many of the most scathing reviews, but that wasn’t the only problem. There was just a severe lack of originality that doomed Zero from the get-go.
Star Fox’s greatest hits, but with better graphics and animations, might sound cool on paper, but that nostalgia hype couldn’t carry an entire new game. It was also criminally short, with GamesRadar noting the main campaign can be completed in a few hours.
Fast-forward to the Switch 2 era, and Nintendo is back on track with a hybrid console that’s been hugely successful without trying to reinvent the controller. Sure, it’s a hybrid console/handheld, but both of those concepts are tried and tested.
Still, with gyro and mouse Joy-Con 2 controls as options (rather than forced features), Nintendo’s playfulness isn’t gone, and they could be used to great effect on a new Star Fox game… as long as regular controls are an option too. No, this time the controls aren’t the issue; it’s delivering a great story and plenty of content that feels like the priority.
I’ve been waiting for you, Star Fox
We get it, Nintendo’s largest, safe-bet franchises are Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, but as the company seeks to entice different types of players and refresh old properties while growing new ones like Splatoon (which is itself over a decade old now), we can’t help but notice its vault of science fiction goodness is collecting dust for the most part.
Metroid continues to lead the pack for space adventures on Nintendo consoles, but last year’s Metroid Prime 4 was hardly the stunner we were hoping for. It’s hard to imagine a future in which Samus Aran doesn’t make a 2D or 3D return one way or another, but at the time of writing, the Metroid series has seen better days. And sure, its lifetime sales can’t match the might of Nintendo’s greatest, but there’s hunger from a smaller community for more.
The only other big sci-fi franchise is F-Zero, and things are looking dire there. F-Zero 99 was a fun online diversion, but besides that, we’ve gotten nothing since 2004’s F-Zero Climax.
Even Star Fox has spent less time in a dark hangar. It’s disappointing, but at least we’re still getting sci-fi racing games from elsewhere; rail shooters are a gap in the current market that no one seems to be covering beyond shy re-releases and remasters like Panzer Dragoon.
That’s not to say that a new Star Fox is a guaranteed smash hit. It could still be a colossal misfire — rail shooters are niche, and the franchise has been dormant for over a decade — but we’ve seen zanier bets like Splatoon find an audience and expand.
With the right story hook, gameplay overhaul, and look, a team of anthropomorphic animals taking on galactic evildoers with agile spaceships in a fun and colorful sci-fi setting feels like an easy win — especially for a company like Nintendo.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has done some heavy lifting
One of 2026’s more unexpected cinematic surprises so far is the presence of Fox McCloud himself, voiced by Glen Powell, in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. It’s not just a quick cameo, either, with Fox spending much of the movie alongside Mario and other regulars. Moreover, Team Star Fox members Slippy, Peppy, and Falco briefly show up as part of an anime-style 2D flashback sequence.
It’s a suspicious amount of Star Fox in a movie that’s still about the usual Super Mario cast first and foremost. It’s almost as if Nintendo is setting something else up.
It’s logical to think a potential Star Fox spinoff movie will happen at some point in the future, but that seems like an even bigger risk than bringing the game series back… unless that happens first. One thing could lead to another, easing the younger fans slowly but steadily into an “all-new universe” they’d only heard about before; brand synergy at its finest.
Never give up. Trust your instincts
It won’t be long before we know for sure if a new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2 is happening or not, but looking back at Zero’s hits and misses, the path forward is clear and should be easy to navigate.
It’s not a mystery to be solved, nor a void Nintendo should stay away from. People like spaceships, arcade-y action, and cool/cute anthropomorphic animals. We dislike miserable control schemes and full-price adventures you can beat in a single sitting.
Let’s take it from the top, Nintendo, and this time, with feeling.
