The more I think about this ... the more I actually believe it ...
I think it's misguided to think that Bandai is making the entirety of Prime 4, I don't even think they're the main devs, but the Ridge Racer part is actually the most credible to me. It's so weird and odd it makes sense. It's not some ultra nostalgia fanboy bullshit like saying "F-Zero!!!" or something obvertly obvious like Mario Part 11. It's just a very odd but specific choice.