In video game development, every significant company has had a “mistake” where they announce a game “too soon,” and then it doesn’t come out for YEARS for one reason or another. Square Enix, 343 Studios, Ubisoft, Sony, Microsoft, and even Nintendo have done this during certain years and have lived to regret it. For Nintendo, the one gamers have been talking about since 2017 was the announcement, and then vanishing, of Metroid Prime 4. What should’ve been a triumph for a fan-favorite franchise turned into one of the weirdest development cycles ever. But it could be changing soon!
Let’s recap, shall we? In 2017, the Nintendo Switch was on fire, a trend that would continue throughout its life. This “last gasp” by Nintendo to save themselves worked, and everyone was excited for E3 2017, where the company would announce more games for the console. Sure enough, they announced a slew of games that would become hit titles. But, to ensure that things were as “hyped as possible,” they also revealed that Metroid Prime 4 was in early development. Naturally, fans went nuts, as Samus Aran hadn’t had a good console game since the Wii era.
However, after that announcement, the game wasn’t talked about again until 2019, when Nintendo revealed that they would have to restart development with a new team. Specifically, the OG team behind the “Prime story,” Retro Studios. Fans were happy with this as Retro had done good work with the original trilogy, but that happiness soon faded when five years passed and no updates had been given.
That brings us to today, where new “leaks” about the game have been coming out through sources like the YouTube channel below:
They cite evidence that Nintendo is FINALLY in the final stages of the game’s development and are getting ready to announce it once again. The timing of this would line up because a Nintendo Direct is likely coming up in February. Furthermore, the Nintendo Switch currently has a “light lineup” regarding the 1st party titles set to arrive this year.
If this is true, fans will have much to delight in once the Direct drops, depending on the release date. However, since rumors about this game have been swirling for almost seven years, it might be best to wait for the Direct to see if anything happens. Not to mention, wait and see how the game looks in its first true trailer.
