A round of internet leaks has suggested Nintendo's Retro Studios - developer of the Metroid Prime trilogy - is working on a Star Fox racing spin-off.

The leaks appeared online over the weekend on reddit and 4chan, and were then reported this morning on multiple gaming sites and blogs.

So, what do we believe? Well, as improbable as Retro making a Star Fox racing spin-off may sound, Eurogamer sources have heard similar.

Details posted to reddit by user DasVergeben, who has a patchy record, touted Retro's Star Fox project as a racing game "like Diddy Kong Racing mixed with F-Zero".

"It will have an adventure mode of some kind (think Diddy Kong Racing) and there will be some boss fights and a hub world like it too.

"It is called Star Fox Grand Prix."

While I hadn't heard the name - and don't know if that is accurate or final - other details line up with what I have heard. The Star Fox series is traditionally a space (and sometimes land) based vehicle shooter, although it has dabbled in various other genres before.

Shortly after the reddit post went live, a logo for Star Fox Grand Prix separately appeared on 4chan, that home of reliable video game leaks. Again, I've not heard that name specifically, but the rest of the details line up.

Nintendo fans have been acutely interested in the goings-on at Retro Studios. The secretive Austin, Texas-based developer was catapulted to fame when it developed the excellent Metroid Prime trilogy for GameCube and Wii.

Retro followed this with the well-received if not revolutionary Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze side-scrolling platformers for Wii and Wii U.

For years, fans have wanted the studio to work on a project or franchise with which it can leave a similar mark as it did with the original Prime - so the news Retro has been busy building a spin-off to Star Fox may surprise many.

The last Star Fox game, Platinum's Wii U entry Star Fox Zero, was something of a disappointment. And there will be some hardcore Nintendo fans who will simply wonder why the company hasn't just brought back F-Zero, instead.

But if Star Fox is in need of a reimagining, then why not a more accessible introduction to the characters and its world? And who better to reimagine a franchise than the team which did so for Metroid?

As for Metroid Prime 4, that is being developed by Bandai Namco, Eurogamer sources say.

Nintendo declined to comment when contacted.