While a new Star Fox game for the Wii U had been teased since last year, Nintendo die-hards were still excited to see Star Fox Zero revealed at E3 this summer. We got a chance to look at the game, and while the nostalgia was certainly heavy, the mechanics were interesting enough on their own to make for a promising experience despite the awkward controls.
The game was originally slated to be released on November 20, just in time for holiday sales, but it seems that at least some of the minds behind the game are realizing that rushing it out the door isn’t the best idea. Fresh off his appointment as Creative Fellow at Nintendo, Star Fox creator Shigeru Miyamoto issued a statement via Nintendo’s Facebook page, starting with “I made a big decision last week.”
“Although we felt that the development had been progressing well, we now believe that we will need a little more time to work on areas such as the unprecedented discovery that we want players to experience in the game by using two screens, and further polishing the level designs and perfecting the tone of the cut scenes,” the message reads. “While we have already reached the stage where it would be technically possible to release the title in time for the year-end holiday season, we want to polish the game a bit more so that players will be able to more smoothly grasp the new style of play that we are proposing.”
No new release date for the game has been specified, but fans shouldn’t have to wait for too long. The game is now expected to be released in early 2016.
“Star Fox Zero is going to bring new game play and experiences that take it far beyond the framework established by Star Fox 64,” the statement continues. “All the members of the development team are doing our best so that the final product will not betray your expectations. And the game will not be delayed for a very long time – we’re aiming to launch the game in Q1 2016. Please stay tuned for further announcements.”
While this will certainly leave some fans disappointed, Nintendo currently has a massive hit on its hands with Super Mario Maker, which should mean that customers don’t have to worry about finding a game to go with new consoles this holiday season.
