I recently stuck w/ the series via the Franchise Report that was made last year by Freelance Nintendo, then I was watching the first episode of the anime. When suddenly, there was a question that just came to me like a slap in the face. I came to thinking... Was F-Zero made for the wrong demographic?
Here's the thing: During the Franchise Report concerning the future of F-Zero, people would see how sales have decreased overtime in the franchise. From the original, to X, Max. Velocity, and especially GX, GP Legend, and Climax, lifetime sales seemed to have decreased w/ every game in various generations and systems. At first, it did bother me, but I constantly thought it'll all change if they should count the virtual consoles, Classic systems, etc. But recently...I thought of the anime as well, and I kept thinking to myself whether or not Myamoto has done this all wrong.
I understand why GX failed so much, obviously cause of the vindictive Story Mode; however, it just wasn't right for the other media to suffer as a whole. Sure, GP Legend may have been rushed and was designed more leniently. But it just wasn't fair for the anime, or the fact that they were unsuccessful resulting in Climax to be a Japanese exclusive. Again, it made me think; since the anime aired w/ 4Kids on the FoxBox, before its sudden corruption, I thought it was for the WRONG audience. Maybe it was best to feature it to kids, to introduce them early, like how the original was to us. But, the anime would've gone so much further if it was made for an older audience; the Japanese dubs were designed for mature viewers from its own nature, after all. While I blame 4Kids for suffocating the chance to try again after the second airing of Target Tanaka, I thought to myself that all this time it could've been made for the wrong demographic. Without the risk of sugar-coating content and prevented it from reaching its true potential.
Also, I blame the games themselves. While I thought of the question, I compared the series to Mario Kart; I figured that the latter was created for a younger audience, while F-Zero was more serious, intense, and required more strategy than its competitor. With that, I believe that the series was made for the wrong type of age-range. And I think Myamoto made this mistake from the start. If the series was made for an older, more experienced demographic, then perhaps it wouldn't have flopped like a dying fish! It was a good reason why GX was rated the way it was.
On a side note, I think Myamoto should step down from making another F-Zero title since he said he lost inspiration and interest on making a newer, better experience. If the torch was passed onto, say, Kono from the Mario Kart series, or perhaps Sakurai, or another member of the group, then F-Zero can have another promising comeback! Another reason as to why F-Zero was swept under the rug was that all the cashcows cannibalize each other! Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, Super Smash Bros, even Kirby are in serious competition, tearing each other apart to see who'll make the most money! Nintendo doesn't give a rat's ass of the smaller guys, as I think that Myamoto's losing his prime, and it's turning into a greedy corp. like any other. And finally, it is too big to care. I think the big N's afraid of giving series another go; sure we got a comeback w/ Starfox and soon Metroid, but with Myamoto's disinterest, F-Zero will NEVER see the light of day. And it'll only care about the short-term as well as forgetting its existence!
In closing, F-Zero should've had a change in its own demographic. A lot of the fans, myself included, are already grown and in their mid-teens, 20s, and 30s. It may still be nice to introduce it to a younger audience, but it won't be enough for F-Zero to thrive. If we could just remove the training wheels, break the shackles of censorship, and make it as intense as it should be without losing potential, then perhaps F-Zero could make a better comeback. I mean, hell, Zelda and Smash moved to a higher rating, so why can't F-Zero be more available and essential to a more mature audience. If they can manage that, then maybe there's a chance...