The creator of Star Fox, Takaya Imamura, has responded to the reveal of Nintendo’s new Switch 2 game — and said he preferred how Fox looked in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Imamura, who departed Nintendo in 2021 after a 32-year tenure, originally designed the cast of Star Fox back in the early 1990s. Serving as a graphical designer on the original Star Fox and later art director on Star Fox 64, Imamura originated the look of Nintendo’s now-iconic characters.
Now, decades later, Imamura continues to post on social media about his love for Star Fox (he was particularly pleased when the character appeared in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, though admitted he hadn’t been invited to the premiere).
Responding to fan questions about the reveal of the new Star Fox Switch 2 game (which is a fresh port of Star Fox 64), Imamura offered his personal opinions on the project’s new character designs — something fans have been discussing in earnest online, with many commenting on how Fox appeared far more cartoon-like when on the big screen.
“I wake up in the morning,” Imamura wrote on X/Twitter, via machine translation. “A ton of messages have come in. Oh! Star Fox is finally making a comeback… I’ve gotta post about this… wait, this isn’t a dream, right?
“I guess this is how it turns out if I’m not supervising… or something like that,” he continued, when asked specifically what he thought of the character designs. “I think the concept is good.”
“Personally, I prefer the movie version,” Imamura added in a separate post, “but I thought this one was good in its own way, with a clear direction!”
This isn’t the first time Imamura has given his opinion on a Nintendo film project. Having previously served as art director on The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Imamura recently posted his thoughts on the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie — and questioned how it would feel when fans inevitably hear Link speak. “The moment Link speaks, I can’t help but worry a little that the ‘Zelda magic’ everyone has been nurturing in their hearts might just vanish into thin air,” Imamura said.
Earlier today we heard the official word on pricing for Star Fox on Switch 2, which might cost less than you think — though more if you want to buy it in a box.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
