Release Date: TBD
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Welcome to the Metroid Prime 4 development and speculation thread! We are nearing three years since it's initial announcement, and over a year since it restarted development with Retro Studios. This thread serves as a place to discuss all facts, rumors, and speculation about the game.
What do we know about the game?
Very little actually. And it's especially tricky because now that development has been restarted from scratch, we don't know if things that were initially said about the game still hold true. Here are some general hints we have:
-The original E3 press release hinted at a return to focus on the isolation and exploration of Prime 1.
-The end of Federation Force shows Sylux
stealing a Metroid from the Federation.
-Tanabe has said on multiple occasions he wants to explore the dynamic between Samus and Sylux. Expect Sylux to be a big part of the game.
-Tanabe also stated interest in a time shifiting mechanic while giving an interview for Federation Force.
-Tanabe also mentioned the desire to have the game take place on a single planet.
See this Eurogamer Interview:
Next proper Metroid Prime "would likely now be on NX"
Nintendo's next home console Metroid Prime game will now likely not release until the company has launched its next-gen…
Offiicial trailers and Information videos:
Who is still left at Retro from the old Prime team?
The following Linkedin profiles belong to Retro Studios employees, and line up closely with the credits on Tropical Freeze:
President:
Michael Kelbaugh (Prime 2)
Producer:
Ryan Harris (Prime 2)
Designers:
Russell O'Henly (Prime 2), Bill Vandervoort (Prime 3), Jay Fuller (Prime 3), Brandon Salinas (Prime 3), Jonathan Delange (Prime 3).
Engineers:
Alex Quinones (Prime 1), Jim Gage (Prime 1), Ryan Cornelius (Prime 3), Andy Hanson (Prime 3), Jesse Spears (Prime 3), Aaron Walker (Prime 3).
Artists:
Chuck Crist (Prime 1), Ryan Powell (Prime 1), Luis Ramierez (Prime 1), Teague Schultz (Prime 2), Sean Horton (Prime 2), Matt Manchester (Prime 3), Thomas Robins (Prime 3), Amanda Rotella (Prime 3).
Animators:
Dax Pallotta (Prime 1), Stephen Zafros (Prime 1), Carlos Mendieta (Prime 2), Rapheal Perkins (Prime 3).
Audio:
Scott Petersen (Prime 2).
Keep in mind that the teams that worked on the original Prime games were much smaller than Retro is currently. Linkedin lists them as currently having about 130 employees. Nintendo and Retro have been hiring quite a bit lately, bringing in developers from the likes of Crytek, 343i, and DICE.
When can we expect the game to release?
This is the biggest question of all. Most reasonable people agree that the game will take a minimum of three years to make. This would align with what Tanabe said during an interview for Federation Force with Eurogamer (see the link from earlier). This would put us at a potential Holiday 2021 release. Past Prime games were made in 2 to 2.75 years, but this involved a lot of crunch and SD hardware. Retro themselves have never made an HD Metroid game before, and haven't released a new game in over 6 years now. Given the complexity of HD development, and with so many questions marks surrounding the game and Retro themselves, a 2022 release wouldn't be far fetched. Let's hope it doesn't slip beyond that.
Updates:
I will update this thread as new information becomes released. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to add. Thanks to everyone who participates in this thread!
Last edited:
