Indie Developers Create Their Own Star Fox Versions Due to Franchise Stagnation

The Star Fox franchise, one of Nintendo's iconic series, has not received a full-fledged sequel in nearly a decade. The last original game, Star Fox Zero, was released on the Wii U in 2016, and since then, the company has limited itself to remakes and including characters in other projects. In the absence of new entries, indie developers have decided to revive the arcade space shooter genre inspired by the classic.

Projects like Rogue Eclipse by Huskrafts and Wild Blue Skies by Chuhai Labs, founded by former Star Fox programmer Giles Goddard, attempt to adapt time-tested mechanics to modern standards. However, the path to success is complicated by the skeptical attitude of publishers, who consider the genre unprofitable. As Huskrafts head Hasban Siddiqui noted, most labels refused to fund Rogue Eclipse, citing the lack of a market for such games.

Some studios, faced with rejections, turn to crowdfunding. This approach has already helped projects like Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight, which proved that niche genres can be successful. However, not everyone manages to attract enough funds: in February 2025, Flippfly, the developer of Whisker Squadron: Survivor, was forced to disband the team due to a lack of funding, freezing a more ambitious sequel to the game.

Developers emphasize that the key to success is not simply copying the classics but creatively reworking them. For example, Wild Blue Skies aims to capture the atmosphere of the 90s, combining gameplay mechanics with nostalgia for cartoons and games of that era. Meanwhile, Rogue Eclipse draws inspiration not only from Star Fox but also from franchises like Armored Core and Gundam, adapting their elements for a modern audience.

Despite the challenges, interest in the genre persists. The success of Ace Combat 7 and the announcement of its sequel at The Game Awards 2025 prove that arcade shooters are still in demand. Developers hope that their projects will not only restore popularity to forgotten mechanics but also inspire major studios to experiment with the genre.