Nintendo Reboots Metroid Prime 4, Hands Development to Retro Studios

Early Friday, Nintendo announced that they are rebooting the development of Metroid Prime 4 and handing over development to Retro Studios.


Published: January 25, 2019 10:59 AM /

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Early Friday, Nintendo announced that they are rebooting the development of Metroid Prime 4 and handing over its development to Retro Studios, the developer behind the original Metroid Prime trilogy.

The announcement came via a video posted on the company's official Youtube channel. In it, Nintendo Senior Managing Executive Officer Shinya Takahashi apologized to fans and explained that the current state of Metroid Prime 4 is not meeting the company's standards, to the extent that the company has decided to reboot the game entirely and hand over the development reins to Retro Studios.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLIv_UXI_So

Takahashi explains,

We deeply understand the high anticipation that Metroid Prime series fans have for this title. ... Although this is very regrettable, we must let you know that the current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series. Nintendo always strives for the highest quality in our games; and in the development phase we challenge ourselves and confront whether the game is living up to that quality on a  daily basis. ... From this perspective, we have determined that the current development status of the game is very challenged, and we had to make a difficult decision as a development team. ... Specifically, we have decided to have the Producer, Kensuke Tanabe, work in trust and collaboration with the studio that developed the original Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios in the United States, and restart development from the beginning. By collaborating and developing with Retro Studios, we believe we can make this game something that will meet our fans' expectations.

Information on the next Metroid Prime has been scant ever since the game was teased at E3 2017, to the extent that Nintendo never even confirmed the game's previous developer. Though no release window was given before or after this delay, the change in studios obviously means that we won't be seeing Metroid Prime 4 in any playable form for quite some time. Fans can, however, take solace in knowing that Metroid Prime 4 is now in the hands of the series' original developers. The Austin, TX-based Retro Studios was founded in 1998 to develop the first in the Metroid Prime series, and has since worked on all three games and numerous Donkey Kong titles, including the well-received Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.

What do you think of this delay? Do you feel better seeing Retro Studios at the helm? Let us know in the comments below.

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Metroid Prime 4
Game Page Metroid Prime 4
Developer
Retro Studios
Publisher
Nintendo
Platforms
Nintendo Switch