Star Wars Episode 1 Racer releases on Nintendo Switch on 12th May

The official Star Wars site has reconfirmed that the hit Nintendo 64 game Star Wars Episode 1 Racer is being remastered for the Nintendo Switch and will arrive on 12th May. As you would expect, the game features a number of upgrades over the original version which include modernised controls. Here’s a portion of the interview from the official site:

StarWars.com: What can you tell us about the modernized controls you’ve developed?

James Vicari: Racer originally came out in an interesting time for controllers. We were really starting to see interesting things — rumble, multiple analog sticks. Even the shape of the N64 controller. So it’s sort of fitting that when you look at controls today, we’re seeing the same thing. Like the Switch Joy-Cons. You really want to make sure that the game plays well and embraces as much of the variations as possible for them. So we’ve done a lot of work to make sure that the game feels comfortable in all configurations, including playing with each individual Joy-Con. The team here is a big believer that the best control scheme is the one you don’t ever think about and that philosophy really permeates everything we’ve done with the controls. 

StarWars.com: It’s also really exciting to have this game on Switch, since Racer debuted on a Nintendo console. “The circle is complete,” in other words. 

James Vicari: It’s super exciting. For many gamers, the Nintendo 64 was their first console and Episode I was their first Star Wars, which puts Racer in a very special place. And where before they may have been playing with their friends, now they can play it with their kids, their families. You know, Nintendo and Star Wars are really a generational experience and we’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of that circle. 

Source