There’s a new rumor going around about what’s happening to Metroid Prime 4.
This was shared on reddit by user tryingtoclimb0118 but the rumor actually comes from PapaGenos. PapaGenos is a YouTuber who also muddles in game rumors, but this one was shared on Discord a few days ago.
We’ll just quote PapaGenos verbatim here:
“The thing is I’ve heard prime4 is basically done and has been for a while, but the cutscenes are apparently really bad (or were a few months ago) so that’s what was delaying the game.
I do believe prime4 will be a switch title and not specifically made for the switch2 buuut maybe that’s changed at this point I haven’t heard.
Just the fact I know it’s been “basically in a finished state” for a while with the delay being related to needing to polish up the cutscenes had me hopeful we could see it soon but again so far I have heard nothing about what Nintendo could bring to the game awards”
If cutscenes were the only thing that was left to work on Metroid Prime 4, that’s actually a sign that the game is very close to release. Fans who have some knowledge on how game development works knows that most of the development period does not go to game visuals nowadays.
Instead, that’s the period where they spend that time refining the game design. Thanks to advancements in technology and the larger size of game studios, visuals don’t get their final polish until the near end of development.
And, of course, we are not talking about the visuals of Metroid Prime 4 per se. If Nintendo’s teams are working on refining their cutscenes, they likely acquired help from Nintendo European Research and Development, as well as Intelligent Systems.
While the game could be more visually stunning if it was moved completely to the hypothetical Switch 2, that would have to be a calculated decision. Nintendo has managed to successfully release even their lesser known titles to great success on the Switch, because the console already has that captive player base.
While Nintendo could count on some momentum coming into the Switch 2, would they be better off finalizing the Switch version of this game to release it on the established platform? Note that this is also a matter of Metroid Prime 4 spending most of its development on the Nintendo Switch.
We won’t know for sure until Nintendo announces it, but it’s certainly interesting that The Video Game Awards are coming up later today, as a perfect podium to make such an announcement.
