Today Nintendo remains one of the leading companies in the world of video games, and that is because they have franchises under their shoulders, including Pokémon, Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby and some more than They are recognized by even people outside the industry. However, there are other forgotten ones that do not present more games due to the issue of sales, and with that in mind, some die-hard fans wonder if they will ever return.
The Punch-Out!! franchise, starring Little Mac, may not return to the big N consoles, according to recent statements by Imran Khan, host of Kinda Funny Games. In a ResetEra forum, he shared information about internal conversations that indicate that the saga faces significant challenges to its return.
According to the source, the reception of the latest Wii game in 2009 generated more controversies than expected, especially around the characters and their cultural representations. Despite the development team’s efforts to address these issues, the risk of further criticism appears to have discouraged the company. In addition, the current projects of the responsible studio have considerably greater sales potential, since sagas such as Luigi’s Mansion have worked for them.
The latest installment developed by Next Level Games, was a moderate success among fans by maintaining the essence of the classic NES and SNES versions, integrating modern visual and mechanical improvements. However, since then, the series has not received any new additions, despite reaching the level of Nintendo Selects.
The community still hopes to see a return of Punch-Out!!, although rumors suggest that other more lucrative projects could be prioritized and that do not get them into a community problem. For now, fans will have to settle for reliving the classics while they wait for an official announcement that gives the green light to a new chapter. Or perhaps they can take the Skyward Sword route, that is, port the Wii installment to the current console.
Via: GoNintendo
