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Nintendo’s Metroid Prime 4 was announced all the way back in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch, but the game has never materialized, leading some to believe if it was still happening at all. The game, now retitled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, is very much alive, as Nintendo re-revealed Metroid Prime 4 during the Nintendo Direct event today and confirmed a 2025 release window.
A trailer during the Nintendo Direct revealed showed Samus exploring an alien planet that appears to be under siege between alien factions. We saw plenty of Prime-action like scanning creatures and lock-on targeting for enemies, and the end of the trailer showed what appeared to be this game’s villain: a humanoid character flanked by two Metroids like bodyguards. Check out our Metroid Prime story primer to catch up on where the story has been and where it may be going.
In 2019, Nintendo announced that development shifted to Retro Studios, noting at the time, “The current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series.” Bandai Namco was said to be the original developer of Metroid Prime 4.
Due to the change, development on Metroid Prime 4 was restarted from the beginning at Retro, and the project’s release was delayed. But now the game is finally (almost) ready for its release this holiday. It may end up being one of the Switch’s last major exclusives, as the Switch 2 is expected to debut in 2025. Given the 2025 release date and that Nintendo is expected to announce the Switch successor next year, it’s possible Prime 4 will become a cross-generation title.
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