Unless you hold an incorrect opinion about the Metroid Prime series, the delay of the fourth installment probably sucked for you. Originally expected to hit the Nintendo Switch back in 2018; that never happened.
It has been known for a while now that Retro Studios have been expanding their development team for the project after development was started from scratch. Jhony Ljungstedt, former DICE Art Director, has now joined the studio as confirmed by MCV/DEVELOP. With a history of games such as Battlefield 5, Medal of Honor, and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst behind him, he certainly has a pedigree that would add gravitas to the title.
Jhony is not the only big name to be lured to Retro Studios with the promise of working on the next Samus outing, though. Back in October, VGC confirmed that former Lead Character Artist on Halo 4, Kyle Helfey, had also joined the team.
Originally worked on by Bandai Namco Studios in Singapore, the game was said not to have lived up to Nintendo’s expectations, with development in a poor state across multiple satellite studios. Nintendo took the decision to give the franchise back to Retro Studios in January of 2019. Shinya Takahashi, the development coordinator at Nintendo, stated that starting from scratch would cause the “development time [to] be extensive” in the official announcement video shared online. A year on, and concerns have been raised that Retro Studios have only just filled roles for Art Director and Lead Character Artist. It might be some time indeed before we actually see Metroid Prime 4 in any capacity, let alone release ready.
Bad news for the series has followed the development cycle of Metroid Prime 4 since its announcement back in 2017. The long rumoured Metroid Prime: Trilogy for the Nintendo Switch, expected to be announced at The Game Awards of that year due to a leak by a Swedish retailer, never came. Radio silence on this much-requested title followed, despite many internal leaks suggesting that the game is ready.
When do you think we’ll get to see Samus again? Are you happy that the game was delayed by such a huge degree? Let us know in the comments below.
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