Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t officially exist, but Nintendo Switch owners have been trying to will it into existence. After countless rumors, we’ve got a new leak from the series’ developers at Retro Studios. As they contract a known sci-fi game composer, is it safe to assume our prayers may finally be answered?
The development arrives via a public Facebook post from game composer Alexander Brandon. For those who haven’t heard the name before, Brandon is responsible for the tunes featured in titles like Unreal Tournament and Deus Ex. In a lengthy update posted Wednesday, he mentions that he is “currently working with Retro Studios here in Austin.” He adds that “as much as I’d like to say more (except the work is incredibly exciting and the team is awesome), I can’t.”
Despite the statement’s nondescript nature, it goes without saying that the tease raises more than a few alarm bells. Whether the position is in composition or sound design, what use might a Nintendo-owned studio like Retro have for someone with a sci-fi pedigree? We all know Metroid is the top answer to that question.
Of course there are other possibilities too. Aside from working on a new IP, Retro might also be making yet another Donkey Kong Country Returns title. That doesn’t seem like a project that would play to Brandon’s known strengths, but it’s not unreasonable to think he might want to try something new.
Regardless of how telling this Facebook post may or may not be, the Metroid Prime or Metroid Switch rumor train has carried on for quite a while. For us the story began back in 2015 when job postings suggested the studio was looking for a graphics engineer. Above all, that development told us Retro had started its next major project. We just didn’t know what it would be.
READ: Retro Studios Job Listing Gives Metroid Fans Hope
Nintendo employees have been quite coy when asked about Metroid’s future as well. Around the time of E3 2015, franchise producer Kensuke Tanabe told Eurogamer that the next chapter in Samus’ story would likely be on Switch. Tanabe also told IGN that he hoped to explore the complex relationship between Samus and Sylux in the years to come. When GameSpot asked about Metroid this January, Nintendo Of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé said “talk to me in a year and let’s look back and see what happened.”
With all these brief allusions in mind, the general assumption amongst fans is that Nintendo may have something Metroid -related to share during the company’s E3 Direct stream this June. We know something’s been cooking for a long time, so could we see a finished product released this year?
Why do you think Retro Studios hired this Deus Ex composer? Is it for a Metroid Prime on Switch, or are we looking at something else? Tell us in the comments section!