While there are all sorts of events going on in the gaming space right now, some gamers are looking away from the things that “aren’t coming out for a long time or until next year” and instead are focusing on what they might be playing soon. That’s a totally fair thing to do, as having a release date means you can do a countdown for when you’ll be playing your next gaming adventure. However, for those who are excited for Metroid Prime 4 Beyond on the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, the game doesn’t have a release date yet, and that has many people concerned.
To recap this game’s life story, it was first announced back in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch, and it was to be made by a new team instead of Retro Studios, who handled the original console trilogy of this series. Needless to say, things went wrong, the game had to be started over from scratch, and Retro was brought in to help make that happen. Fast forward to 2024, and the first trailer for the new Metroid Prime 4 Beyond came out. It looked good and was given a 2025 release date.
Enter 2025, and it was confirmed for the Switch 2, but it still hasn’t gotten a release date. As we’re ten days away from entering September and Nintendo hasn’t officially announced when we might learn more about the game, some are worried. Even Nate The Hate, the “famous” insider who posts all sorts of “insider information” about The Big N, was asked about this, and he noted that while he wasn’t worried…that could change, depending on how much more time passes.
So what is going on here? The answer, as it were, is that both Nintendo and Retro Studios are likely going the extra mile to ensure that the game is quality, especially on the Nintendo Switch 2, as it could easily be a system-seller for the holiday season. We also need to remember that we JUST got a Direct that broke down the upcoming Kirby racing game, and it dropped a November release date at the end of that. It’s entirely possible that Nintendo will do the same thing for Samus and her new adventure.
Just as important, during the recent financial briefing, Nintendo said the game was still scheduled for a 2025 release.
While silence can sometimes be a bad thing for video games, it can also mean the developers are taking things seriously so that they don’t screw up crossing the finish line.
