The Kirby series may very rarely be one of Nintendo’s most critically acclaimed, but that doesn’t stop developer HAL Laboratory from trying new things with the series over the years. While 2020 saw only the release of the abysmal Kirby Fighters 2, it sounds like there are more things on the horizon for the popular series.
Kirby Star Allies did exceptionally well sales wise on the Nintendo Switch, making it all but certain they would try to get another mainline Kirby game out when they could. Based on the typical schedule, we get a new Kirby game every two or three years, and now we’ve at least got confirmation that something is coming in 2021.
4Gamer spoke with many Japanese developers to ask about their plans for 2021, including HAL Laboratory, which Siliconera has translated. Tadashi Kawai, Director at HAL Laboratory, said the following about the developer and 2021.
“We at HAL Laboratory will continue to deliver games in 2021 filled with three key values: surprise, fun, and warmth. Thank you very much.”
While this comment was more vague about games in general, with them already releasing Part Time UFO in 2020, another Director at HAL Laboratory, Yumi Todo, was a more specific with Kirby.
“We’ll keep working hard on our goal in 2021. That is, for as many people as possible to enjoy Kirby [games]. We have plans not only for games but also for merchandise, books, and a variety of events like with the Kirby Cafe. We hope you’ll continue to support both Kirby and HAL Laboratory in 2021!”
COVID-19 obviously could cause plenty of delays as things are still not anywhere close to back to normal around the world, but hopefully we will see a new Kirby game in 2021 that satisfies long time fans of the franchise.
