Yoshi Racing

The Argonaut Yoshi platformer is a rejected pitch for a 3D platforming game in the Yoshi series.

Following their successful collaboration with Nintendo on Star Fox, British game developer Argonaut Games pitched a 3D platformer starring Yoshi and made a prototype for it. However, Nintendo did not follow on the offer, with one Argonaut employee speculating this was because the company did not want to let third-parties use its characters. Following this setback, Argonaut decided to retool the prototype as an original IP, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.

Argonaut's Jez San believes that the refusal to pick up the Yoshi pitch was the final blow to Nintendo and Argonaut's relationship, which was previously damaged by the cancellation of the nearly completed Star Fox 2. San further claims that the prototype influenced Super Mario 64, stating that "Miyamoto-san went on to make Mario 64, which had the look and feel of our Yoshi game - but with the Mario character, of course". Jez San also recalls an occurrence where Shigeru Miyamoto came to him and apologized for not picking up the Yoshi game.