The latest Nintendo Direct provided fans with plenty of games to look forward to this year, but surprisingly some of them were made available to play that same day. At the time of the Direct, Nintendo not only shadow dropped a series of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games for Switch Online, it also dropped a remaster of the 2002 classic Metroid Prime.
Like the available Game Boy games, Metroid Prime is considered a timeless classic, and it was due a remaster for years now. Rumors have even previously pointed to ideas like a full Prime trilogy remake, though this didn't come to pass. Despite the enthusiasm around these shadow drops, Nintendo may have set fans up with impossible expectations around surprise releases in the future.
Shadow Dropping Games versus Years-Long Marketing Campaigns
Though this phenomenon was fairly uncommon in the past, one can't help but see the frequency of surprise drops has been on the rise. This is not the first time Nintendo has dropped a game the same day as its announcement during a showcase, as in 2019 it revealed that both Tetris 99 and Super Kirby Clash would be available to play at the time of their debut. Beyond Nintendo, other publishers have also recently been delighting fans with surprise launches. A perfect example is Hi-Fi Rush debuting and releasing amid the Xbox & Bethesda Developer_Direct. Previously unannounced, Hi-Fi Rush's strong rhythm and action mechanics has made it one of the most talked-about games of the year so far.
The nature of these drops is often exciting, but an over-saturation of surprise releases might lead to them quickly becoming lackluster. Game development cycles are long, and players are lucky if they get an update about their most anticipated upcoming titles. Despite the sometimes agonizing wait, nothing is more gratifying than finally having a game hit store shelves at the end. That feeling is all-but washed away if players are suddenly given a game they didn't know existed. Furthermore, gratuitous use of shadow dropping with games like Hi-Fi Rush will temper excitement toward surprise releases all together if it becomes a more common gimmick.
Another challenge of this model is that as the frequency of surprise game debuts increases, so do the expectations of fans. The increase in popularity of shadow dropping games may cause players to assume they'll be getting secret games every time they tune into a publisher's direct, be it Nintendo or otherwise. This places undue challenges on developers to carry the weight of fan expectations.
Not only will studios have to keep everything they're working on under wraps, but individual developers will also have to bear the brunt of harassment by upset fans when things don't go their way. Many may even stop sharing progress as a game gets closer to its release. On the other side, fans would be missing out on the updates from developers and publishers they're demanding in the first place, sometimes taking matters further by leaking footage and stills from games currently in development.
In an industry overflowing with passion, it benefits developers and fans alike for studios to share their passion projects while fans wait, bubbling up with anticipation. While shadow drops are cool from time to time, hopefully they don't become so much of a norm that it eliminates the feeling of finally having that one special game ready to play after months of quietly waiting.
Metroid Prime Remastered is available now on Nintendo Switch.