Since Metroid Prime 4 is still MIA, with no real updates on its development since 2019, fans have hoped that Nintendo would release the complete trilogy of Metroid Prime games for the Nintendo Switch in the interim. This was a popular theory/rumor for some time but, only a couple of months ago, reputable insiders suggested that Nintendo is only planning to release a remaster of the first Metroid Prime.
Nintendo itself has yet to confirm this but, recently, reputable insider Emily Rogers claimed on Twitter that development on the Metroid Prime remaster wrapped up over the summer and is pretty much ready to go. Rogers is not only the original source of the rumor, but she has also previously shared accurate information related to Nintendo.
In response to a comment about the rumors that the whole Metroid Prime trilogy was being remastered, Rogers states that this was the original plan. Development on the first game’s remaster began around 2017 to 2018 and it would be used as the foundation for remastering the two sequels later down the line. However, Rogers adds that nobody knows if these plans were changed or axed altogether as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, saying she hopes that Nintendo is sticking to the original plan.
The first Metroid Prime released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, followed by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in 2004. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ended the trilogy on the Nintendo Wii in 2007. In 2009, Nintendo released all three games for the Wii as Metroid Prime: Trilogy, which was met with near universal praise from fans and critics. Unfortunately, Nintendo discontinued its distribution in North America and Australia only a year later in 2010, making it extremely difficult to obtain physically. The compilation is still available digitally on the Nintendo Wii U but many would much rather have the trilogy on the more modern and popular Switch.
The franchise is enjoying quite the resurgence at the moment thanks to Metroid Dread, the latest 2D entry in the series. Aside from being a critical darling, it holds the highest-grossing launch in the entire series, dethroning, funnily enough, the first Metroid Prime game. Between the franchise’s popularity and the eventual release of Metroid Prime 4, it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to have all three Metroid Prime games more readily available before the fourth game releases. So far, all that’s really known about it, beyond the logo, is that Metroid Prime series developer Retro Studios has returned to make it, albeit following a complete development reboot.
Metroid Prime is rumored to be in development for the Nintendo Switch.