Rumour: Bandai Namco Could Be Working On An Unannounced Switch-Exclusive Shooter IP

Bandai Namco are working on Metroid Prime 4? I thought it was a new in-house team. Interesting. Weird choice. But interesting.

I don't think it's metroid. They'd want a known group to take on such an important project.

The article fails to mention that the job offer was posted in 2016 and that might explain why the FPS wasn't called "Metroid 4".
The rumor also says that a Ridge Racer game is coming exclusively for the Switch, which would be great!

From what I've read the Bandai Namco team in Singapore has recently been bolstered with a bunch of ex-LucasArts developers who were working on Star Wars 1313. It also seems like they're more helping with development as opposed to full on doing it with some input from Nintendo.

In any case bring on Metroid Prime 4!

I might try Metroid Prime, but since there's no mouse, I'll probably stick with PC for shooters.

@Rika_Yoshitake Isn't Bandai Namco a known group?

Sounds plausible, after their work on Smash 4.

The rumour that Bandai Namco are working on MP4 has been going around for ages, I just see this as confirmation that it's true. I'm sure there's senior Nintendo staff overseeing the project.

In the same post it says that they're working on Ridge Racer 8 as an exclusive for Switch. I'd rather them working on a new F-Zero instead even if they are very different racers.

And you really should acknowledge the guy who originally found this, Doctre81, even if he is obnoxious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkP9vThLw4

Am I surprised that you didn't? Not in the slightest.

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

@tourjeff

I Hope that's true I do miss the obligatory Ridge Racer games that pretty much every new console used to launch with.

The last decent one was Ridge Racer 7 on PS3

@Krull Bandai Namco will probably be involved in some capacity like with Nintendo’s other games, but the main development team is in-house as confirmed by Nintendo’s press kit at E3 last year.

@Marios-love-child Me too, it would be great to have another Ridge Racer and if it is really exclusive for the Switch even better
You can see a video from GameXplain on Youtube with the full details about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svRMsbI-Eno

Wonder if this would be the same title from that rumour a while back stating that Bandai Namco was working on a switch exclusive.

How the heck do you leave out the bit about Ridge Racer being exclusive for the Switch?

Riiiiiiiidge Raaaaaceeerrrr!!!

Maybe this is why Kaz Hirai is stepping down. He got so upset Ridge Racer isn't coming to PS.

@QwertyQwerty Absolutely the same feelings here, Doom really got to the core of why I used to love a good FPS.

I'd like to see a new Unreal Tournament.

It'll be year of the shooter for me if Bioshock Collection gets ported. XD But I think this isn't the first time we hear a rumour of Bandai Namco's involvement with MP4 either... even if I'm still not sure where the previous one came from.

@PLATINUM7 They're going to milk it. Already have:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/rumour_ridge_racer_8_could_be_exclusively_drifting_onto_nintendo_switch

Hope it's a slow-paced stealth-rewarding one !

Metroid Prime 4: Assault

@tourjeff

Cool thank you.... In work at the moment but will book mark it and watch it at home later

@SLIGEACH_EIRE You don't write for this website, give it a rest.

@Rob3008 Take your own advice and change the record please.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/uk_charts_show_mario_kart_8_zelda_and_super_mario_odyssey_are_still_selling_strong#comment4329335

Not sure what to expect from this, if this is true. But we'll see. I don't care who makes it, as long as it's good.

Bamco not releasing FighterZ on Switch but they are developing MP4? Doesn't add up. I assume FighterZ will be coming if that's the case.

@FredBiletnikoff They’re not developing MP4: Nintendo’s already confirmed it’s an in-house team working on the game. The Bandai Namco rumour came from the same person who ‘leaked’ Soul Caliber VI for Switch.

@FredBiletnikoff
“After the release of Xenoverse 2 on Switch, then we will start to consider whether we should have Dragon Ball FighterZ on Switch,” Hiroki added. "

I'm sure it's coming.

@nuovian Source?

@MFD well it’s not like a shooter like doom but rather a first person adventure with shooting elements.

@Saego The actual page (https://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/6i96ti/metroid_prime_4_fact_sheet_from_the_e3_2017_press/). I’ll try to find the full website to prove it’s reliable.

EDIT: The full site is over here - https://ia600609.us.archive.org/22/items/NintendoE32017PressKit/Nintendo%20-%20E3%202017/index.html

Doubtful it's Metroid Prime 4 since it has been announced. We don't know who's developing it, but that will be revealed in time. It'll be something else.

Namco Bandai and Nintendo are getting cozy with each other. I wonder if Capcom is jealous?

@WonderfulTorment You do shoot, with your stick, and target enemies right? Then it's a shooter, end of story.

@QwertyQwerty same for me but with the first Wolfenstein. That game is amazing!

@nuovian Although I think you're right, there is no information about an in-house team. Just that it's a new development team.

@Saego The listing of Nintendo as the developer is the key here; Yoshi, for example, lists Good-Feel as the developer. If Bamco were behind Prime 4, it would have been announced by now, either in the press kit or in an interview.

The thumbnail makes me really excited. I haven't played a FPS in so long and that's mainly because they're all the same war/battlefield/army/call of duty rehashes. I'd love like a 007/espionage old school shooter as what looks pictured above.

It says unannounced IP and puts the shooter before the adventure. Not sure it refers to Prime.

@Krull the Metroid Prime series has never been solely an in-house thing ...the series was developed by Nintendo and Rare Studios

Don't know if this would be Prime 4. I don't see Nintendo allowing them to work on it, but it's possible. Prime has been announced though. This is probably something totally different.

It's interesting to see how friendly Nintendo and Namco have been getting with each other.

First Person Shooter / Adventure

That's Metroid Prime. No question.

Can we get Tekken 7 please? Or the new soulcalibur?

The switch needs a few exclusive FPS

@MFD have you tried splatoon with gyro controls? The gyro is for fine tuning the aiming and it’s absolutely brilliant compared to just sticks alone and IMO rivals mouse controls. Wii pointer controls were quite good too as a substitute for mouse. Hopefully MP4 will have options of gyro enhanced stick controls or Wii like but better pointer controls. Plus another point Metroid is exploration, adventure and atmosphere first, shooter second. It’s hopefully gonna kick @&£

At this point, I'd be shocked if Bandai Namco wasn't working on Prime.

@MFD Metroid prime trilogy was typically called a first person adventure but sure.

@Gamecubed They worked on Smash Wii U/3DS and did a fantastic job. So I would imagine they'd have enough trust with other projects

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Extra salty today, are we?

Any of this sounds good honestly. Hope its a good game, Metroid or not.

Let's hope it's not as crap as project treasure!

Well they did help out with Smash 4, maybe Namco could be working on Metroid Prime 4....

....or watch it be a Time Crisis Collection, lol.

@Dogorilla The company is sure, but they have different groups within the company. This Singapore group doesn't seem to have much in their track record.

@tourjeff How do you know that that paragraph was added in 2016? It may have been added in 2017 or 2018.

@Rika_Yoshitake Oh I see what you mean. You're probably right then

@NinNin the original source showed the print screen of the ad and you can see the month and year.
If I remember correctly it was May 2016.
Assuming that it is true.

@tourjeff Do you mean "May 2016 - Present"? May 2016 is the month he started working for the company. It doesn't mean that he added that paragraph in May 2016. He may have added that paragraph in 2017 or 2018.

unannounced IP....already announced game

potato / patato

@beazlen1 I've tried Splatoon 1, and I didn't enjoy it. Gyro-controls are nice, but not something for excessive use, more something to mess around with when the mood hat flies south in games like BotW.

I'm a simple person: Shooting? Mouse.

How to write an article 101

Step 1. the article title.
"Blank could be working on an unnanounced blank exclusive for the blank IP"

Step 2. Fill in the blanks with whatever will produce the most page hits at the time.

Step 3. Write up the article to fit the article title. Opinion or fact? Doesn't matter as long as the article is entertainnig enough or generates enough hype for the required amount of page hits.

It will be Prime Collection HD or a new IP.

@BlackenedHalo
Rare never developed the Metroid Prime series, it was Retro who are 100% owned by Nintendo.

A shooter that is built from the ground up for the Switch is exactly the way to go. And my massive post-high school burn out on FPS games back in 2010 is finally starting to wear off. Good timing!

Ah, they changed the title. Good job!