Today, Nintendo held a pretty solid Direct, giving players a glimpse into what to expect on the platform for the rest of this year and beyond. The show concluded with the long-awaited Metroid prime 4 getting a release window: 2025.
The game, now boasting the subtitle Beyond, was announced all the way back in 2017. At the time, Bandai Namco was handling development, but in 2019 the project had apparently not reached the standard Nintendo wanted. The game was rebooted under the control of Retro Studios, the original developers of the Metroid games.
Since then, updates on the game’s development have been almost non-existent, making its appearance today a most welcome surprise. It’s a great trailer, too, giving us plenty of gameplay.
But it’s the release date that grabbed my attention. Nintendo previously confirmed they wouldn’t be talking about the Switch’s successor at today’s show and they stayed true to their word. However, the 2025 release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond provides a tantalising hint toward the next console. The trailer confirms the game will be launching on the existing Switch, which makes sense because there’s a freaking huge install base of Switch owners out there, but Metroid Prime 4 would also be an ideal candidate for a launch title for Nintendo’s next console, right?
Yep. I’m calling it. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be a cross-gen launch title for the next Nintendo console, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was for the Switch
