One of the most exciting moments of E3 2017 was a 40-second trailer of a title card with no gameplay, no details and no hint as to what the game would actually look like. I’m talking about Metroid Prime 4, of course — a game Nintendo fans have been anticipating for over a decade now. We still know next to nothing about the game, but rumors began to spread earlier this week that Bandai Namco might be in change of its development.
On Friday, Eurogamer reported that multiple sources have since confirmed this detail to the site, claiming that Bandai Namco Studios Singapore will be the lead development team on the sequel in collaboration with Nintendo. Recently, the Japanese developer worked with Nintendo on the latest Super Smash Bros.
Rumors began to circulate earlier this week when several job descriptions on LinkedIn all pointed to Bandai Namco’s Singapore studio working on a “secret” or “exciting” IP for the Switch. Press-Start even noted that one of the studio’s lead designers listed an “unannounced IP (first person shooter/adventure exclusive to the Nintendo Switch)” on his profile. None of the profiles mention Metroid Prime by name, but the evidence is beginning to pile up.
Back when Nintendo first announced the project, it confirmed that Retro Studios (which produced the original trilogy) would not return for the new entry. Since then, gamers have been speculating about which studio would take over for Retro, and while it might be months before we know for sure, at least we have a likely candidate now. Metroid Prime 4 still doesn’t have a release date, but expect to hear more at E3 2018 this summer.
