Nintendo senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi took to the virtual stage during the developer’s E3 2021 livestream last month and confirmedMetroid Prime 4is still in the works after restarting with Retro Studios, but provided no new information beyond that. Luckily for fans of the series, that was a segue into the announcement ofMetroid Dread; the long-anticipated sequel toMetroid Fusionand official “Metroid 5.“Metroid Dreadhas a 16-year-long history of turbulent development, and it just so happens evidence of that appears in the originalMetroid Primetrilogy.
BecauseMetroid Dreadends the story that began with the original NESMetroidfrom 1986, many old and potential new fans alike have taken an interest in all the mainline 2DMetroidgames leading up toDread’s release this October. In fact, some have argued it is evidence theNintendo Switch should bring back a virtual console systemto make each entry more readily available. But it would be hard to discount the importance of seeing theMetroid Prime Trilogycome to Switch as well, namely for one specific Easter egg.
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TheMetroid Primeseries is (currently) a trio of first-person shooters starring Samus Aran that began with a GameCube release in 2002 alongsideMetroid Fusionon the Game Boy Advance.Metroid Prime 2: EchoesandMetroid Prime 3: Corruptioncame out over the next five years, and by then the success ofFusionas a mainline entry in the franchise was apparent. In fact,Metroid Dreadwas in development as a follow-up toFusionby 2007, as evidenced by an Easter egg inPrime 3where Samus can scan an object that says, “Metroid project ‘Dread’ is nearing the final stages of completion.”
All three originalPrimegames were re-released withPrime 3’s Wii control scheme asMetroid Prime Trilogyin 2009, and this collection also came to Wii U in 2015. Former Retro Studios senior game designer Michael Wikan said it would take a"herculean effort” to portMetroid Prime Trilogyto Switch, but this seems as worthwhile a time to try as ever. This year is Metroid’s 35th anniversary andMetroid Dread’s release offers a reason to revisitPrime 3’s historic Easter egg, but this would also be a perfect way to prepare fans forMetroid Prime 4.
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Metroid Prime 4has also had a rocky history sinceNintendo announced the game with a teaser image at E3 2017. As previously mentioned, the game had to restart development under Retro Studios in 2019 because Takahashi said it was not meeting Nintendo’s standards.
AfterMetroid Dreadwas announced, pre-orders topped Amazon’s Best Sellers chart, andsales of olderMetroidgames on the Wii U virtual console skyrocketed. The game has quite apparently jumpstarted interest in what has often been considered one of Nintendo’s more niche, undersung franchises, and that may offer better momentum leading intoMetroid Prime 4. However, much like people want to play the mainMetroidgames throughFusionprior toDread, many will want to get their hands on the originalPrime Trilogyprior toPrime 4.
Even if the task does prove to be herculean, there’s ample reason to believe that now is the best time to re-releaseMetroid Prime Trilogyon Switch. Not only will this capitalize on the hype built byDread’s E3 2021 announcement trailerand give players access to a piece of the game’s history, it will also prepare the general public forMetroid Prime 4. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will take that step, but fans of the series would certainly appreciate seeing so manyMetroidgames together on one console.
Metroid Dreadreleases July 21, 2025 on the Nintendo Switch.
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