It's been almost two years now since Nintendo announced the development of Metroid Prime 4 would be scrapped and restarted, so what's been going on since then? If you've been keeping up, you'll know Retro Studios has been on a massive hiring spree.
In recent times, it recruited a veteran GTA producer, a God of War level designer, and various other talents that have worked on AAA franchises like Call of Duty, Halo, Borderlands and EA's Battlefield series. One position it still needs to fill though is the Boss / AI Designer vacancy.
This is seemingly the same position it's been looking to fill for quite some time now. At the very least, it serves as a reminder to fans that the Retro Studios' Twitter account is still active. This is the first time it's sent out a tweet since August, and seemingly the fourth tweet it has posted out this year.
The response to this tweet has been received with mixed reactions - with a lot of followers relieved to know the game is still clearly in the works, but at the same time voicing concerns about how much longer it will take.
It was also recently discovered Retro Studios would be remodelling its headquarters to aid the development of Metroid Prime 4. How are you feeling about this project as we near 2021? Share your thoughts down below.
[source careers.nintendo.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 50
Get whoever designed the 4 major bosses for Prime 2. Best bosses in the series imo. Especially Quadraxis.
In the year 9093 weโll get our first trailer of Metroid Prime 4 and if weโre lucky the second Bayonetta trailer as well.
I pre-ordered this game in 2017. My payment card expires in July 2021. The question is, when I get my new payment card, shall I update the payment details with the retailer, or just save myself a bit of time and wait another 4 years for the next payment card?
@gcunit Why would you pre-order a game thatโs essentially just a title? I genuinely never understood this, people seem to pre-order games way before theyโre even the slightest bit done.
What a fiasco!
@nessisonett because if you pre-order with the price-guarantee... you will get it for the 2017 release price even in 2021.
At least this works for other countries where inflation and game prices change every year. Here in Mexico we pay the equivalent of $80-85 USD for games.
I think, when Metroid Prime 4 arrives... I would have paid $60 USD because I preordered in 2017.
But hey... no one ever expected that development would be rebooted mid-way through with another studio.
I know nothing about game development, but this obviously means the game is coming out in 2035. Shower me with likes and @'s (all that agree with me) now.
At this point this game is about -0.009% complete. Probably won't be out until the PS6 hit the market. Never thought a company would spend this long working on a spinoff. Like I said before the least they could do is give us Metroid Prime Trilogy while we wait.
@Retro_Player_77 Ouch... calling Metroid Prime a spinoff hurts... even if it is technically true.
Everyone asks where is Metroid Prime 4, but nobody wonders how is Metroid Prime 4's development team ๐
@IronMan30 You are so off with your timescale it hurts me physically. Metroid Prime 4 is a 2077 title at the earliest.
@fafonio Unless they completely replace it with the main series Prime to me is still just a side story, a very long side-story. My guess is that Fusion is the final story and they just made Prime so to not let go of Samus Aran as after Fusion ended all Metroids are extinct and Samus probably retired.
At this rate, we might even see Star Citizen release before Metroid Prime 4!
When this game comes out, our descendants will have advanced so much they'll look at this game and think, "Oh look at this game showing old days before we transcended to pure energy.
On the bright side, the wait can't be any worse than the wait for Cyberpunk which was announced before the PS4 and XB1 even came out(!!) and run horribly on those same consoles.
@nessisonett If you buy at Amazon (for example) they often match any price that the game is reduced to for any period from the time that you pre-order through to release, automatically.... and they often match other retailers automatically. Plus, often get other bonusโs like $10 off for pre-order (Amazon also)... plus, they donโt charge until they ship. Seem like some pretty good reasons to me. edit- @fafonio - yes as you said.
Comical at this point. Their next game better win like GOTY or something.
@nessisonett
Because it was half price on Amazon and other major retailers the day it was announced. Save $30 on a game you're going to buy anyways? Yes thank you.
Life tip: If you can't understand why someone would do something so stupid, you're likely the one lacking information.
@HeadPirate Yeah, I didnโt call anybody stupid. I actually appreciate the people here whoโve taken the time to explain it to me without acting like a massive twonk.
I'm going to be in my death bed with my children and grandkids around me when this game comes out.
I do wonder which will we see first? Bayonetta 3? Or Metroid 4? I'm guessing BOTW 2.
We need bring back Kraid for Metroid Prime 4.
Whats the minimum age?
It really does make you curious how far along this game is, doesn't it? Does anyone know of a game that's been hiring on important positions like this while being far(ish) along in development? I know they rebooted it once, but going two years without even beginning active production just seems crazy to me.
Whelp, time to learn how to code!
Did a project on this in my CS class this past semester. Sounded pretty cool.
imagine ignoring a platform so full of proper video-games to the point of caring this much about a single one
@fafonio very interesting I never knew about the prices changing like that. Iโm assuming because of the conversion rate? Thanks for the info.
I wish I knew enough coding/ software to get a position like this.
I feel like they're still going to be hiring people to help develop this game by the time the next Nintendo console is out, lol.
At this point, I don't expect Metroid Prime 4 to make it to the Switch, which means Nintendo should never have announced it in the first place. It's arrogant to assume everyone who wants it will buy Nintendo's next console.
It sounds like itโs in development hell and youโll know what that means, so when they finally finish donโt get to hype or you might get disappointed, but hopefully Iโm wrong and they might actually deliver a masterpiece
This job posting has been up since April 2020. Congrats on being 8 months late to the party.
@westman98 They mention that in the article. This is about the tweet Retro Studios had about the position today.
@GrandScribe Kind amusing how this sme joke always reappears with games
Its almost like some games take years to make, intact loads of games do.. shocker right?
Ooh, I can be a boss!!! ๐คก
Does anyone know of a game that's been hiring on important positions like this while being far(ish) along in development?
@SwitchVogel I have been fervently hoping that Nintendo Life would do an exposรฉ on AAA development and project timelines, in order to answer your question and quell the kind of comments that are snowing this thread. They make depressing reading.
Every bit of MP4 news Iโd like a kick in the balls...
The year is 2035 and Nintendo just announced the realise of the Switch 20 Ultra Plus Pro with Metroid Prime 4 as it's realise game!
80s years old gamers celebrate the announcement "I've never thought I'd be able to play MP4 in my life time".
@Xiovanni lol or maybe just 2077?
-but if itโs good it I donโt mind 2079!
I thought this link was about a job for AI programming (as in the computational/computer science definition) and I could lend Retro, Samantha, and her baby a hand.
Oh well, a girl can dream...
Some casual reading on the subject of development timelines yields the following comparisons.
Time from initial announcement to release:
Fortnite ~ 6 years
Resident Evil 4 ~ 6 years
LA Noire ~ 6 years
Kingdom Hearts 3 ~ 6 years
The Last Guardian ~ 7 years
Dreams ~ 7 years
Doom (2016) ~ 8 years
And dare I mention... Mother 3? In its original incarnation as Earthbound 64?
(I am not going to include ludicrous examples, such as Starcraft II, Diablo III, or any Final Fantasy titles.)
The 2017 crop, which includes such titles as Beyond Good and Evil 2, Bayonetta 3, Skull and Bones, and SMT V, doesn't seem so outlandish. (To the great surprise of all, it appears that Shin Megami Tensei will win that race!).
The real story, for me, is the untold tale of Retro's lost output following Tropical Freeze. Considering that NCL seems to be (re-)investing in their US subsidiary, I am not surprised by the apparently choppy staffing situation. As long as Metroid Prime 4 has exited pre-production, I am not going to be overly worried.
This will launch with Switch 2 or whatever Nintendo decides to do for their next console. No way that this is seeing 2021 or even 22 without a new console to launch it with.
@DrDaisy to be fair to Nintendo they don't do that very often, but I think something didn't go to plan with metroid 4.
@AnnoyingFrenzy maybe, I hadn't considered that.
Can't wait to play this on my Switch 3 Pro.
I'm just glad that it's coming. Been waiting 15 (?) years for this, so I think I'll be able to hold on a little longer.
I literally just want a remastered collection of the first three on SWITH so I can see why Arlo and so many others are so hyped for this game
In reality this game has only been in development around 2 years since they completely scrapped the version that was originally announced at E3 2017.
Mmmm yeah will be getting this when it comes out in 2022/2023. However my expectations are chilled. Itโs like how good can this game be? Itโs a metroidvania game which restricts gameplay somewhat, and the more features u add to it it kinda gets diluted. Whereas in my mind with your Zelda and Mario you can always make it bigger and throw more stuff into the game. Like I said will be getting but doubt it can eclipse Metroid prime 1 or 2 or 3. Xxxx
this game will be released on 2030
It will be 2023 release at best!
I agree what did retro do between tropical freeze and being handed MP4
And how bad was the namco/bandi version. Treasure hunters bad?
This is a long way off, isn't it? grimace
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