Kirby Air Riders Developer Confirmed

Masahiro Sakurai has officially revealed another developer involved with the upcoming Kirby Air Riders, confirming that Bandai Namco will be involved with the game’s creation. Nintendo’s major Switch 2 Direct brought plenty of reveals about both the Switch successor’s hardware and some of the wide lineup of games that will be coming to the console. Nintendo kicked off the presentation with a bang by showing off Mario Kart World, an open-world Mario Kart game, and finished strong with Donkey Kong Bananza with plenty of big names packed in-between. However, one featured title came as a major surprise to fans.

First debuting on the GameCube in 2003, Kirby Air Ride quickly became a fan-favorite for its unique take on the racing genre. Kirby Air Ride features multiple different game modes, ranging from classic and top-down races to an adventure-style “City Trial” mode with players gathering power-ups in a free-roam city. The game was considered a cult classic on GameCube and saw plenty of excitement when Nintendo unveiled Kirby Air Riders as a follow-up coming on Switch 2. Now, Kirby’s creator is sharing more details about the upcoming sequel.

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Masahiro Sakurai Reveals Switch 2 Game Coming in 2025

During the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, the popular game director Masahiro Sakurai reveals a surprising new title for the console.

As reported by NintendoLife, a new update from Masahiro Sakurai has revealed another familiar development studio involved with Kirby Air Riders. Sakurai revealed that, alongside Nintendo, HAL, and Sakurai’s own Sora studio, Bandai Namco will be offering a hand with the development of Kirby Air Riders. Sakurai and Nintendo have previously worked extensively with Bandai Namco on the Super Smash Bros. franchise, assisting with both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A release date has not been confirmed for Kirby Air Riders.

Masahiro Sakurai Confirms Bandai Namco’s Involvement with Kirby Air Riders

The involvement of Bandai Namco with Kirby Air Riders should serve to excite fans anxiously awaiting the release of the Kirby racing game. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has not only been hailed as one of the best entries in the crossover fighting franchise, but also continued to see support long after its release. Sakurai himself also gave his own words of encouragement to excite fans of the franchise, stating that the game’s staff is “giving their all” towards Air Riders‘ development. The Bandai Namco-developed Smash Bros. game also stands as the Switch’s third best-selling game.

Kirby Air Riders looks to join an already stacked lineup of games planned to come to the Switch 2 following its launch. Alongside the previously mentioned Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo revealed that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will release on Switch 2 alongside its Switch debut. The Switch 2 Direct also revealed several high-profile third-party ports coming to Switch 2, including fan-favorite games like Elden Ring, Yakuza 0, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Nintendo’s initial reveals hope to give fans plenty of reasons to make the jump to Switch 2.

Systems

Released

2025

Publisher(s)

Nintendo