Many Nintendo fans desperately want a new entry in the popular sci-fi racing series, F-Zero. However, only one staunch fan devoted himself enough to spend more than 5 million yen (approximately US $ 40,000 (US $ 58,000) on Nintendo stock), which gave him the opportunity to ask the Japanese publisher on F-Zero and its future. directly.
On June 29, during an annual shareholders meeting, an investor called and asked Nintendo chairman Shuntaro Furukawa if the company had considered retrieving fans ’favorite franchises, specifically F-Zero. It’s been more than 15 years since the last release of the series, and so the question caught the attention of fans desperate for a new entry in the futuristic racing title. Now, thanks to a new report, we know who asked that question and why.
According to Business Insider, the investor who asked about F-Zero is a Nintendo fan who spent 5.6 million yen on 100 shares in February after selling shares of a different company. The investor wanted to remain anonymous and is simply known by his Twitter username: Momiji. He describes himself as a “staunch fan.”
“I’ve been playing Nintendo games since I was little,” Momiji told Insider. “Between them, I don’t get enough of that feeling of F-Zero speed.”
Although he had bought enough shares to access the meeting, he told Insider he was not guaranteed to receive a question. Asking a question, he said, was a “good one.” Nintendo later confirmed with Insider that 100 or more shares are needed to access these annual shareholder meetings.
After asking about F-Zero, the Nintendo president offered an answer that was basically “Thanks for asking, but … no.”
“It’s realistically difficult to develop new titles and remakes, including sequels, for every Nintendo game that people request,” Furukawa said through the translation verified by Momiji. “But we are very grateful and grateful for the expectations our fans have for our games.”
Shinnya Takahashi, Nintendo’s chief executive, was a little more optimistic, but promised nothing.
“During the 79th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders in 2019, we were asked if there were any plans to remake the Famicom Detective Club series, and at that time we were planning a remake,” Takahashi said via VGC translation. “This is an example where we were already actively developing a title like this.”
“We can’t tell you if there are plans for future remakes of any specific game,” Takahashi continued. “But during development, we’re always thinking about various possibilities that players can enjoy.”
So I guess there’s an opportunity. I’m not sure if that answer was worth A $ 58,000, but at least Momiji still has shares in one of the world’s most popular video game companies. Surely worth something!