The Argonaut Software Star Fox handover moment the internet needed arrived this week, when the British studio that co-created the original 1993 SNES game reached out on social media to welcome GameSpot-confirmed New York-based Velan Studios as the team bringing the series back in 2026.
Argonaut’s message was warm and characteristically precise about its own place in history: ‘As the developers who programmed the original SNES Star Fox and created the Super FX chip, we’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on bringing our boys back. It’s time to pass the baton and do a barrel roll!’
Velan’s reply matched the occasion. ‘This means more than we can say,’ the studio wrote back. ‘We are honoured to be standing on the shoulders of giants.’
Why the Argonaut Software Star Fox Legacy Still Matters
Argonaut’s connection to Star Fox runs deep, and it is worth spelling out exactly what that studio achieved. The Super FX chip, designed by Argonaut, was what made the SNES capable of rendering the game’s polygon-based 3D graphics at all, without it, Star Fox simply could not have existed on Nintendo’s hardware. Beyond the chip itself, Argonaut sent staff directly to Nintendo’s offices in Kyoto to work alongside the Japanese team, a collaboration that shaped not just the original release but the direction of the series.
Argonaut also worked on Star Fox 2, the planned SNES sequel that was cancelled before release. Many of the ideas developed during that project were later folded into Star Fox 64, the 1997 Nintendo 64 title that the new 2026 game draws from most directly. Argonaut was not involved in Star Fox 64 itself, by that point the studio had moved on to other projects, including Buck Bumble, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, and Croc 2, but its fingerprints are all over the series’ foundations.
That history explains the warmth of this week’s exchange. Several studios have taken up the Star Fox mantle since Argonaut last worked on the franchise, among them Bandai Namco, Q Games, and Platinum Games, yet none of that seems to have diminished the original team’s affection for Fox McCloud and his crew.
Velan Studios and What to Expect From Star Fox on Switch 2
For those unfamiliar with Velan, the studio is perhaps best known for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, according to My Nintendo News. Taking on Star Fox represents a considerable step up in profile, and the studio clearly understands the weight of the assignment, Velan’s reply to Argonaut suggests a team that has done its homework on where the series came from.
A free demo is already available on Switch 2. According to Nintendo Life, the demo takes players through the tutorial and one of the game’s opening stages, specifically Meteo, so there is a tangible slice of the new game to try right now, ahead of the full launch.
Star Fox (2026) arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on 25 June 2026. If the Argonaut Software Star Fox handover exchange tells us anything, it is that there is genuine affection for this series on both sides of the baton, and that the team now holding it knows exactly what they have been handed.
