F-Zero for Wii U was nearly a thing, but Burnout Paradise developer turned it down

Nintendo fans have wanted a new F-Zero racing game for years, and they nearly got one back in 2011.

Nintendo of Europe approached the U.K. studio Criterion Software at the time, asking it to work on a Wii U version of F-Zero. Criterion turned down the opportunity due to a lack of time according to Nintendo Life, who confirmed the missed deal with Criterion founder Alex Ward. It shows that Nintendo does want to bring back some of its fan favorites — as we’ve seen with the recently announced Star Fox Zero for Wii U — but it doesn’t necessarily want to do it in-house.