Jeff Grubb has shared some follow up speculation to rumors about Metroid Prime 4, in relation to the Nintendo Switch. Or more accurately, its successor.
In the latest episode of his Nintendo themed podcast, called Last of the Nintendogs, Jeff and co-host Mike Minter get into it on the topic of Metroid Prime 4 releasing on the Switch 2. Mike believes that the title must have been planned to release on the Switch 2.
The period that they were working on the game lines up with the period that Nintendo would have been working on the Switch 2 behind the scenes. We should remember, even though the game companies don’t announce it, that as soon as they release their latest game console, they are already hard at work on prototyping and planning the console to come out after that.
At the very least, Mike believes that it could be a cross generation release, which would put it in the same boat as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now, some fans may dismiss the fact that that iconic title released on the Wii U and the Switch at the same time, but Link’s first open-world adventure did sell 1 million copies on the Wii U. For all the criticism of the Wii U and its low sales numbers, those Wii U owners that were out there were substantial enough to make a lot of money, on top of the record breaking numbers it made as the system seller for the Nintendo Switch.
If this is what’s happening, then Metroid Prime 4 does have a special opportunity as the only Metroid title that can see as a cross generational title. Other rumors suggest that Nintendo has other games lined up for the Switch 2, including a Mario game and a separate Donkey Kong game. So Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t have to be the system seller, but it could benefit from this release plan.
Jeff believes differently. We have transcribed Jeff’s visualization of how Metroid Prime 4 will be announced, and its relation to the Switch 2 in the 2024 timeline:
“In my mind, you go to the February Direct, you talk about how great it was to launch Metroid Prime 1 Remastered last year. Maybe something still happens with 2 or 3, I don’t know, it’s Nintendo.
But, I think they talk about Metroid Prime 4 in the next Direct. They announce when that’s coming out, and then the timeline probably syncs up so that new hardware launches this year, and Metroid Prime 4 comes out before that.”
One thing about Metroid Prime 4 is certain: it is one of the last new major releases that has been announced for the Switch. Between itself and Princess Peach Showtime, it may be one of the last games to release on the system, period.
