Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an “important milestone” in the series’ history, according to Shinya Kumazaki, general director at HAL Laboratory.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the developers and creators of Kirby discussed the future of the series.
With Kirby and the Forgotten Land being the first 3D game in the series, the developers were asked if this would be a permanent evolution.
Kumazaki said although the game is “certainly a fresh new look for the Kirby franchise, it doesn’t necessarily mean this will be the standard going forward.
“Nintendo is on the same page as us, and this is something we talk about often. We hope to go beyond what is currently imaginable and challenge ourselves to create new and innovative Kirby games. This game was one of those challenges coming to fruition. We will continue to explore via trial and error and not just limit ourselves to 3D.
“With that said, one thing I can say is that Kirby and the Forgotten Land came with such big changes that it could be considered an important ‘milestone’ in the long history of the series.”
Nintendo’s Kei Ninomiya also responded: “I feel that what we achieved in this game has opened up more possibilities for future Kirby titles.
“We hope to continue this momentum and explore new genres and new ways to play in the future.”
The developers were also asked if the Kirby series had a narrative thread like the Zelda timeline.
“There is no clear timeline for the game stories,” said Kumazaki. “This is to avoid being constrained by past settings, and so that we can easily take on new challenges and prioritise the optimal gameplay experience for each instalment - even in a series with a long history.”
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the biggest launch in UK history for the series, with launch sales alone making it the fifth biggest game in the series overall.
Nintendo also discussed the difficulties of bringing Kirby into 3D because he’s too round.
