Nintendo were looking for third-party developers to revitalise the F-Zero series, it has been revealed. According to Nintendo Life, back in 2011 Nintendo asked Criterion, the developers behind Burnout and the Need for Speed titles, to start working on a new entry to their futuristic racing series.
Nintendo was apparently keen for the studio to immediately begin work on a functional E3 demo that was intended to be shown together with the unveiling of the Wii U, but with Criterion busy working on Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the whole project ran out of steam before it even properly took flight.