Nintendo Is Sitting on the Next Big Sci-Fi Franchise After ‘Galaxy’

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has no shortage of memorable moments, but one of its biggest surprises barely belongs to Mario at all. Fox McCloud’s appearance, voiced by Glen Powell, immediately stole scenes with the kind of confidence and charisma that reminded audiences why Nintendo’s ace pilot was once one of the company’s biggest stars. Two months later, Nintendo followed that up with its first new Star Fox game in years, and the critical response has been overwhelmingly positive. Either moment would have been encouraging on its own. Together, they suggest Nintendo may finally have the momentum to turn Star Fox into one of its biggest franchises.

For years, Star Fox has occupied an awkward place within Nintendo’s lineup. Fox and his crew have remained recognizable thanks to Super Smash Bros., but the series itself has struggled to reach the same heights as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, or even Kirby. Nintendo has spent years experimenting with different ideas, often changing the formula instead of building on the arcade-style action that made the series popular in the first place. Now, Nintendo has something it hasn’t had with Star Fox in a very long time: people are excited about it again. If the company wants another franchise capable of standing alongside its biggest names, it may not have to invent one. It just has to finally commit to the one it already has with a spin-off.

Fox McCloud Has Never Been the Problem

Image via Nintendo

It’s easy to forget just how important Fox McCloud once was to Nintendo. During the Nintendo 64 and GameCube eras, Star Fox was one of the company’s flagship franchises, and Fox himself stood alongside Mario, Link, Samus, and Donkey Kong as one of Nintendo’s defining heroes. The series delivered cinematic space battles years before most console games could even attempt them, while memorable characters like Falco, Peppy, and Slippy gave the Star Fox team a personality that separated them from other action games. The problem was never Fox McCloud, it was Nintendo’s inability to decide what Star Fox should be. Rather than refining the formula that players already loved, later games introduced motion controls, experimental mechanics, and entirely new gameplay styles that often overshadowed the fast-paced aerial combat people actually came for. The franchise slowly lost its identity, and each new release felt like another attempt to reinvent something that didn’t need reinventing.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reminded audiences of something Nintendo seemed to forget: Fox is an incredibly likable character. Instead of treating him like a nostalgic cameo, the movie presents him as someone who immediately commands attention. Powell brings an effortless confidence to the role without making Fox feel arrogant, creating the kind of charismatic action hero audiences naturally want to spend more time with. For plenty of younger fans, Fox McCloud wasn’t a Nintendo legend, he was simply one of the coolest new characters in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. That’s an incredibly valuable position for Nintendo to be in.

Nintendo Finally Has Proof That Star Fox Still Works

Image via Nintendo

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Movie excitement only goes so far if the games don’t deliver. Fortunately for Nintendo, the newest Star Fox has done exactly that. Released June 25, the latest entry has already earned some of the strongest reviews the franchise has seen in years. More importantly, much of that praise centers on the same idea: Nintendo stopped trying to turn Star Fox into something it isn’t. The series has always thrived on tightly designed missions, replayability, cinematic dogfights, and the thrill of weaving an Arwing through impossible odds. It doesn’t need sprawling open worlds or dozens of RPG systems to justify its existence. Sometimes, players simply want an action game that understands its strengths and executes them exceptionally well.

That’s important because Nintendo doesn’t really have another franchise like Star Fox. Mario owns platformers, Zelda delivers a fantasy adventure, Animal Crossing offers cozy life simulation, while Splatoon has become Nintendo’s multiplayer powerhouse. Star Fox occupies a lane that none of those series do: science-fiction action built around memorable characters and exhilarating space combat. The newest game proves there’s still plenty of room for that kind of experience. Rather than feeling like a nostalgic throwback, Star Fox suddenly feels relevant again.

Nintendo Can’t Afford To Waste This Opportunity

Image via Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo

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Successful franchises aren’t built from one great game or one memorable movie appearance. They’re built by recognizing when audiences are ready for more. For the first time in years, Nintendo has momentum coming from multiple directions at once. Movie audiences walked away wanting to see more of Fox McCloud, critics are praising the newest game, and Powell has become closely associated with the character after a standout performance. Instead of trying to manufacture excitement through marketing, Nintendo suddenly has something much harder to earn: genuine interest. That creates opportunities well beyond another sequel. Star Fox has the kind of universe that naturally lends itself to movies, animated series, merchandise, theme park attractions, comics, and future crossover appearances. Nintendo has made it clear that it wants to build an entertainment ecosystem around its biggest properties, and Star Fox feels uniquely positioned to become part of that future.

Perhaps the biggest reason is that it fills a gap in Nintendo’s portfolio. While the company’s other flagship franchises each dominate their own genres, none of them scratch the same science-fiction itch that Star Fox does. Fox McCloud and his team have always offered something different, and that difference is exactly what makes the series valuable. Nintendo has spent years searching for the next franchise that can stand alongside Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon, but they may not need to search anymore. Between The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reminding audiences why Fox McCloud is such a compelling hero and Star Fox‘s latest game proving the series still has plenty of life left, Nintendo has already done the hard part. Now it just has to keep going.