The Metroid Prime 4 release date may be inching ever closer, as developer Retro Studios has re-confirmed that the eagerly-anticipated new Metroid game for Nintendo Switch is still in development thanks to a new job advertisement — exactly three years after Nintendo scrapped the previous version of the game and handed development to Retro. So will Metroid Prime 4 release in 2022 on Switch, or is it still a ways off?
Will the Metroid Prime 4 release date be in 2022?
It is possible that Metroid Prime 4 may release at the end of 2022 but it is probably more likely to be at least 2023 or 2024. The good news is that developer Retro Studios seems to have finally reconfirmed that it is still working on the new Metroid FPS, thanks to a new job listing that the studio posted — the first tweet from Retro in around two years since it was last hiring people.
The job listing states that Retro is hiring for two vacancies “to join us on our journey to develop Metroid Prime 4.” Many fans have celebrated this low-key confirmation that the game is still in production and hasn’t been canceled, although others are concerned that Retro is still hiring staff for the project over three years since Nintendo said it was restarting Metroid Prime 4.
Finally. Proof of life. I admit was starting to get worried that Metroid Prime 4 was silently cancelled. https://t.co/QKXOkaYGjW
— Jammie Dodger 🇵🇸 (@SMXshow) January 27, 2022
If Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t release in 2022, then hopefully it will at least get a proper reveal in a Nintendo Direct sometime this year — even if some believe it might not be out for a few years still, maybe even alongside the next Nintendo console. For now, fans will just have to wait and see.
Assuming @RetroStudios took over this project the October prior, Metroid Prime 4 probably has 3 years and 3 months of development behind it. My hope is to see it in a Nintendo Direct this year, followed by a November, 2023/March, 2024 launch alongside Nintendo Switch 2. pic.twitter.com/Im7iTlMqrk
— Paul Gale (@PaulGaleNetwork) January 25, 2022
For any Metroid fans that haven’t beaten it already, the 2D adventure Metroid Dread was only released on Nintendo Switch a few months ago. Our reviewer called it “an excellent comeback for the series” — check out that review right here.
