Today, the Nintendo of America Twitter account posted an update regarding the highly anticipated installment in the Metroid Prime series, Metroid Prime 4. However, senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi stated that the game’s initial development didn’t meet Nintendo’s standards and that all development from the prior team has been scrapped.
On the other hand, fans were met with exciting news that the team responsible for the Metroid Prime series, Texas’s Retro Studios will take over and develop the title alongside producer Kensuke Tanabe. To watch Nintendo’s statements about Metroid Prime 4, click here.
Shinya Takahashi was sincere and passionate in his statements about the delay but wanted to make sure fans were aware of the game’s development since its announcement during Nintendo’s E3 Showcase 2017 event (link courtesy of GameSpot’s YouTube channel). Here are a few statements Takahashi stated in the video.
“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 to confront whether the game is living up to that quality on a daily basis.”
Thus, Takahashi admits that the decision to delay the title was a challenging one as the development team now wants to re-analyze Metroid Prime 4’s development structure and switch things up. He also believes that if the game were to release in its current vision, it may not meet fans’ expectations and could damage Nintendo’s confidence—applying that Nintendo wasn’t satisfied with the game’s current build.
Furthermore, Takahashi confirms that the project’s current producer, Kensuke Tanabe, will work “in trust and in collaboration with the studio that developed the original Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios”—as all prior development will be scrapped and changed. These two entities, Takahashi claims, will help make Metroid Prime 4, the title Metroid fans have been clamoring for.
Speaking of expectations, Takahashi declared, “this change will essentially mean restarting development from the beginning” and the game’s release regarding Nintendo’s initial internal plan will be postponed. Furthermore, Takahashi states,
“it will be a long road until the next time we will be able to update you on the development progress, and development time will be extensive. However, we will continue developing the game so that when it is completed, it will stand shoulder to shoulder with the past Metroid Prime series titles.”
Its been two years since we’ve last seen and heard news about Metroid Prime 4. Though some fans are a bit disheartened by Nintendo’s decision to delay and restart its development, it appears Takahashi’s humble approach in addressing the news, won fans over—especially the news that Retro Studio’s taking over the development for the game. I estimate that we won’t see or hear from this game until late 2021 or early 2022—since development’s been restarted “from the beginning.” Though we know it’ll be in good hands.
If Miyamoto’s quote about delayed titles comes true for Metroid Prime 4, this decision and announcement will not be in vein. We’ll be sure to keep you updated when news about this title or other announced Nintendo games are publicly shared to us all.
What do you think about this news? Will Nintendo’s decision to delay the title backfire on them, or do you believe it was the right move to make? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us for more Nintendo news, and everything gaming too.
Silver Soul Gaming 