After years and years of waiting, it seems to finally be happening: according to rumors, Metroid Prime 4 seems to be nearing its release. Here's what you need to know.
It's been five years since Nintendo bit the bullet and had to announce that Metroid Prime 4 hit rough waters and they needed to restart the development process – tough pill to swallow for fans of the one and only Samus Aran.
Half a decade came and went without much new info from Nintendo's side about the project, leaving fans waiting and, lately, speculating and doing some detective work. Nintendo-focused content creator SuperMetalDave64 on YouTube is now convinced there's big news coming.
Is The Metroid Prime 4 Release Coming Soon? Is It Really Happening?
Before we get into it: maybe take the info with a grain of salt as there is no confirmation from Nintendo's side.
In his video, Dave shares three hints that he sees as evidence that Metroid Prime 4 is just around the corner. First off: the demo testing software got revealed by quality insurance tester and AAA game tester Edwin Atwell, stating that he's been using Jira for bug testing on Metroid Prime 4 for the past months.
Connected to that, the testing period should be coming to an end soon, considering how long it usually takes and that it started back in March 2023. That could mean the game is getting polished and ready for release as we speak.
Another hint Dave saw were the partnerships: Nintendo has been partnering up with Retro Studios again for Metroid Prime 4 – amazing news from way back when the announcement came. Interestingly, the "AAA co-developer studio for hire" Next-Gen Dreams 3D had then in turn shared their partnership with Retro Studios on their own website. They are specialized in trailers – are they doing one for Metroid Prime 4?
Since this has been discovered, Next-Gen Dreams 3D has backpaddled and removed Retro Studios from their partnership listings. Suspicious! Still, proof in the form of screenshots can be seen in Dave's video.
Nintendo has remained silent on the topic for now and, again, the new info should be taken with a grain of salt. While the hints do make sense and could point towards a soon-to-come update on Metroid Prime 4 (maybe even for the Switch 2), it's only natural to be clutching at straws after five years of waiting.