Jeff Grubb, a gaming industry insider, provided an encouraging update on Metroid Prime 4. Throughout the Switch’s lifespan, Metroid Prime 4 has remained elusive. While Nintendo first announced Prime 4 at E3 2017, development was restarted two years later, shifting from Bandai Namco to Retro Studios. Nearly five years after the reset, Nintendo has released very few updates for Metroid Prime 4.
Despite a lack of official announcements, Nintendo is still developing Metroid Prime 4. A recent Nintendo financial report mentioned Metroid Prime 4 alongside other system-exclusive games like Princess Peach: Showtime and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. However, there was no mention of Prime 4’s release window. Nonetheless, after a protracted period of quiet, insider Jeff Grubb of the gaming industry claims that Metroid Prime 4 may be revealed this year.
Metroid Prime 4 be out this year Overview
| Franchise | Metroid |
| Platform(s) | Switch |
| Developer(s) | Retro Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Genre(s) | Action |
Metroid Prime 4 be Released in 2024?
Grubb took to Twitter to clear up any confusion about Metroid Prime 4’s potential release date, detailing what he had learned from the source. Grubb claims he learned last year that Nintendo planned to acquire assets by May 2024. He speculates that these assets will be used for two potential Metroid Prime 4 trailers, one of which will be a computer-generated imagery trailer and the other a gameplay trailer. He points out that since he was last informed, these plans may have changed, and that simply having assets ready for May does not guarantee anything will happen at that time.
In response to an inquiry regarding the possible remaster of Metroid Prime 2, Grubb stated that while it looks to be finished, it is presently “lying in wait” and not in a rush to be released. Fans should temper their expectations and take Grubb’s claims with a grain of salt despite these positive signs. Plans might not have changed from what Grubb had heard the year before, and Metroid Prime 4 might not be revealed at all this year.
Development
Nintendo revealed Metroid Prime 4 during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2017. Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America’s director of product marketing, confirmed that the game would be developed by Metroid producer Kensuke Tanabe rather than Retro Studios, which had previously worked on the Metroid Prime games. While Nintendo has not confirmed this, Eurogamer reports that Prime 4 is being developed by both Bandai Namco Studios in Japan and Singapore; the Bandai Singapore team includes former LucasArts employees who worked on the canceled Star Wars 1313.
Reggie Fils-Aimé, then-President of Nintendo of America, stated in 2018 that Metroid Prime 4 was “well into development” and “proceeding well”. However, Nintendo did not reveal it during their E3 2018 Nintendo Direct, stating that they would only share more information once they “had something that would wow people”.
In a video posted online in January 2019, Nintendo EPD general manager Shinya Takahashi announced that Metroid Prime 4 development had resumed under Retro Studios and Tanabe. Takahashi stated that development at the previous studio did not meet Nintendo’s standards and that the decision to restart the project was not taken lightly.
Retro advertised a job opening in October 2020 for storyboard artists to work on “emotional” and “interesting and innovative scenes that elevate the narrative”. Video Games Chronicle interpreted this as a more cinematic focus than previous Metroid Prime games.
Conclusion
Metroid Prime 4 is still under development, despite a few official updates. According to Jeff Grubb, who cited Nintendo’s internal plans, an announcement is expected this year. Expectations should be kept in check, though, because game development is an unpredictable process. There is a lot of excitement among fans regarding the much-awaited Metroid franchise addition.
