LOS ANGELES — Nintendo announced a major partnership that could make one of its big releases of 2015 way more interesting.
Bayonetta and Vanquish developer Platinum is working with Nintendo to develop Star Fox for the Wii U. This is one of the ways that the publisher is trying to make the latest entry in its long-running shooter franchise stand out.
Mr. Miyamoto just announced that Nintendo and Platinum Games are working together on Star Fox Zero.
— Bill Trinen (@trintran) June 16, 2015
This is the latest chapter in Nintendo’s relationship with Platinum. The two companies worked together closely before to bring Bayonetta to Wii U along with its sequel, which is exclusive to that platform.
Nintendo confirmed in September 2014 that the shooter will debut this year alongside the new Zelda Wii U game — although the company went on to indefinitely delay that adventure release. This leaves Star Fox as one of the sole triple-A games for Nintendo’s holiday season.
Star Fox will reportedly use the Wii U GamePad’s gyro sensors to target enemies. The GamePad can also switch between Star Fox’s Arwing and the Landmaster tank with a button press. The game will introduce a new helicopter-type vehicle as well.
The Star Fox series began on the SNES in 1993. It has seen sequels like Star Fox 64 along with a Zelda-style game called Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube.