Four years ago today, Nintendo announced that development on Metroid Prime 4 had been restarted under a different studio.
If you've forgotten - and in fairness, it's been a very long time - Metroid Prime 4 was originally announced in 2017, developed in partnership between Nintendo and Bandai Namco. In a Nintendo Direct on January 25, 2019, the publisher said the game had "not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series," and so development had restarted under the leadership of Retro Studios, the developer that built the Prime series in the first place.
pic.twitter.com/aDkEeuHyzNJanuary 25, 2023
I too am a sad man in the absence of a new Metroid game, Steve Rudzinski. Rest assured that when I write whatever I want about you, I am writing about myself, too.
4_years_since_that_fateful_day_what_are_you from r/Metroid
The vast majority of the discussion happening right now is (mostly) practical speculation on when we'll see more of Metroid Prime 4. Will it be re-revealed this year? Will it be on the next Nintendo console? Would you even want it to come out on Switch?
Mostly, though, it's a lot of memes of commiseration.
When Metroid Prime 4 was first announced I was dossing about at Tesco and living with my mam.Since then I've had 2 jobs, gotten married and am about to get my 2nd mortgage. https://t.co/hsncye5Q3TJanuary 25, 2023
pic.twitter.com/b9wTs1ySYxJanuary 25, 2023
Meanwhile, the daily update gag accounts continue their important work. The IsPrime4Out subreddit continues to say "no" and the Daily Metroid Prime 4 News Update continues to note that the news is that there is no news. Someone's posting weekly photos of a Samus Aran action figure until Metroid Prime 4 launches. They're on week 124.
posting_a_samus_figma_picture_every_week_until from r/Metroid
Who knows how many more weeks there will be to come.
Metroid fans haven't been completely starved during the wait for Prime 4 - after all, Metroid Dread was announced and released in the span since that development reboot. There are still glimmers of hope for Prime 4, too, with job listings and Twitter teases hinting that the game is making progress. A remake of the original Metroid Prime was rumored to release in 2022, though obviously that didn't happen. (That reporter has, at least, shaved his head in shame.)
I've got no idea if Metroid Prime 4 might release this year, but there are plenty of other new games for 2023 to enjoy regardless.
