Retro Studios, the developer behind Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Metroid Prime, apparently had a project in development during the time between Tropical Freeze’s release in 2014 and Metroid Prime Remastered’s launch in 2023. However, there was a significant gap of about a decade without any new games from the studio. Tropical Freeze was ported to the Nintendo Switch a few years ago (with help from the studio), but that was it from Retro Studios for nearly ten years.
YouTuber Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly, who has maintained close contact with numerous former Retro Studios employees and has published several interviews on his YouTube channel, recently revealed that the developer was working on a music RPG during this silent period. While specific details are limited, the primary mechanic involved singing. Allegedly, Nintendo decided to cancel the project due to its perceived failure. Apparently, it was a “huge disaster” and it was “going nowhere.”
The Fate of Metroid Prime 2 & 3 Remastered
Following the cancellation, Retro Studios’ original plan was to remaster the entire Metroid Prime trilogy. This project was intended to help the company develop its production pipeline and enable future outsourcing assistance. However, after the original version of Metroid Prime 4 was scrapped, Retro Studios took over the duties of developer and proceeded to develop it as we know it today (and it looks quite good). Consequently, only the first Metroid Prime remaster was completed, with all other resources allocated to Prime 4. Because of this, the future of the Metroid Prime 2 and 3 remasters remains uncertain.
Retro Studios has a history of projects being canceled. There was a Shiek (from Zelda) spinoff, a Star Fox game, a Metroid spinoff, and more.
Would you have liked to have seen this interesting game? Personally, I’m okay with the studio focusing on Donkey Kong and Metroid Prime. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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