Nintendo Switch Online Game Gets Surprise Update

Key Takeaways

• F-Zero 99 received a surprise update with 5 new tracks from the Ace League of BS F-Zero Grand Prix.
• Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the game offers 12 new badges, backdrops, and emotes for a limited time.
• Nintendo added 2 F-Zero Game Boy Advance games to the service, hinting at the possibility of a new mainline F-Zero game.

The Nintendo Switch Online service exclusive game, F-Zero 99, has gotten a brand-new update almost out of nowhere, adding five new tracks for subscribers to race on. F-Zero 99 is the latest iteration of Nintendo’s classic games to get a massive online multiplayer variant, similar to Super Mario Bros. 35 and Tetris 99. F-Zero 99 was first added to the Nintendo Switch Online service in September 2023.

The F-Zero battle royale game became an unexpected hit, as the dormant IP getting a resurgence in a massive multiplayer setting made for a fresh re-introduction to Nintendo’s niche racing series. While there were a number of fans who were disappointed that F-Zero wasn’t getting a new full release game, others were glad the series made a comeback at all, especially after two decades of no new games in the franchise. F-Zero has continued its unexpected comeback with various updates on the Nintendo Switch Online service, including a new update for F-Zero 99.

The new update was shadowdropped at the start of October, updating the game to version 1.5.0. In this new update for F-Zero 99, five new tracks from the Ace League of BS F-Zero Grand Prix, one of Nintendo’s forgotten SNES games, have been added to the course lineup. These tracks are Mute City IV, Sand Storm I, Big Blue II, Sandstorm II, and Silence II, and all of them have been adjusted to F-Zero 99‘s mechanics. Players who manage to complete the league will receive a decal with the motif of the BS F-Zero Grand Prix machine.

BS F-Zero was released through the Japan-only Super Famicom Satellaview peripheral, meaning that its content had never reached Western shores before. Players will get the chance to try out content from the game for the first time, officially, via F-Zero 99. Nintendo also plans on holding a one-year anniversary to celebrate the release of F-Zero 99, where 12 anniversary badges, backdrops, and emotes have been added. This one-year anniversary event will be held for a limited time.

This wasn’t the only thing that was added to Nintendo’s subscription service, as Nintendo added two F-Zero Game Boy Advance games to the NSO service the same day as this update went live. These two classic games were F-Zero GP Legend, a tie-in to the 2003 anime of the same name, and the Japan-only F-Zero Climax, which is notable for having a course editor mode. It was also the last ever F-Zero game to be produced before 2023’s F-Zero 99. Many fans believe that Nintendo might be testing the waters for a new big budget F-Zero mainline game, though this is still mostly wishful thinking.

F-Zero 99 Version 1.5.0 Patch Notes

New Additions

• We have added five tracks (MUTE CITY IV, SAND STORM I, BIG BLUE II, SAND STORM II, SILENCE II) from the Ace League of the BS F-ZERO GRAND PRIX game, which was distributed exclusively on the Super Famicom satellite broadcast adapter known as Satellaview. Grand Prix Ace League has also been added.
  • The new tracks have been adjusted for F-ZERO 99.
  • Practice Mode has been expanded so that you can practice by unlocking the Ace League tracks.
  • A Grand Prix Ace League tab has been added to the leaderboard.
  • Ace League track information has been added to TRACKS and PRIX under Records in the Workshop.
  • If you complete the Grand Prix Ace League, you will receive a decal with the motif of a BS F-ZERO GRAND PRIX machine.
• A one-year anniversary event will be held. A total of 12 anniversary badges, backdrops, borders, and emotes have been prepared. During the event, if you match at least one Lucky Rank (updated daily), you can obtain one of the one-year anniversary rewards. If you collect all 12 of them, you’ll unlock a bonus decal for each machine.
  • The one-year anniversary event will be held for a limited time only. During the event, Ace League tracks will appear more frequently. You can press the L Button on the Main Menu to check the status of one-year anniversary rewards and how much time is remaining in the event.
  • One-year anniversary rewards that could not be obtained during the event period can be obtained from regular Lucky Ranks after the event ends. Unlock requirements for bonus decals will also remain in place.
  • If you obtain all the one-year anniversary items during the event period, you will revert to regular Lucky Rank rewards.
  • Any Bounty Chips from Lucky Ranks you earned before the event will be retained, and by returning to regular Lucky Ranks, you can pick up where you left off.
• As part of the one-year anniversary celebration, players will receive four new emotes as a gift when launching the game.
• Added the ability for players to set which emotes they want to enable, and added a function where they will be automatically displayed at specific times.
  • You can set which emotes to display by going to the Workshop menu and selecting EMOTES.
  • You can now also set emotes to automatically display when you KO another pilot, crash out, or finish a race.
• In addition to one-year anniversary rewards, new boost colors and Spin Effects have been added to customize your machine. New backdrops, badges, and borders have also been added for Pilot Card customization. All of these can be unlocked when certain conditions are met.
  • One default decal, four backdrops, and four borders will be added upon completion of the F-ZERO 25 training. These will automatically be added for players who have already completed the F-ZERO 25 training.
  • The new boost colors and Spin Effects can only be obtained through limited-time challenges. Press the L Button on the Main Menu for the Challenge Highlights screen where you can check limited-time challenges.
  • You can check acquisition conditions and equip new items by selecting MACHINES or PILOT CARDS from the Workshop menu.

Other Adjustments and Changes

• The training flow has been revised so that Practice and Workshop are unlocked sequentially while the game content of F-ZERO 99 is explained to first-time players. Also, it’s now possible to restart training at any time by selecting Replay Training from Options.
• You can now choose team colors from Team Battle in a Private Lobby.
• A new bar has been added to the top of the Main Menu that shows your skill rating and how far you are from the next level.
• A screen showing a list of machines and Pilot Cards has been added to the Workshop.
  • Move the cursor over MACHINES or PILOT CARDS under Workshop and press the Y Button to display the screen.
• Boost colors and Spin Effects can now be previewed by selecting Machines from the Workshop menu.
• Adjusted Balance of Machines