Nintendo senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi took to the virtual stage during the developer's E3 2021 livestream last month and confirmed Metroid Prime 4 is 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 of Metroid Dread; the long-anticipated sequel to Metroid Fusion and official "Metroid 5." Metroid Dread has a 16-year-long history of turbulent development, and it just so happens evidence of that appears in the original Metroid Prime trilogy.
Because Metroid Dread ends the story that began with the original NES Metroid from 1986, many old and potential new fans alike have taken an interest in all the mainline 2D Metroid games leading up to Dread's release this October. In fact, some have argued it is evidence the Nintendo Switch should bring back a virtual console system to make each entry more readily available. But it would be hard to discount the importance of seeing the Metroid Prime Trilogy come to Switch as well, namely for one specific Easter egg.
Metroid Prime 3's Easter Egg
The Metroid Prime series is (currently) a trio of first-person shooters starring Samus Aran that began with a GameCube release in 2002 alongside Metroid Fusion on the Game Boy Advance. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption came out over the next five years, and by then the success of Fusion as a mainline entry in the franchise was apparent. In fact, Metroid Dread was in development as a follow-up to Fusion by 2007, as evidenced by an Easter egg in Prime 3 where Samus can scan an object that says, "Metroid project 'Dread' is nearing the final stages of completion."
All three original Prime games were re-released with Prime 3's Wii control scheme as Metroid Prime Trilogy in 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 port Metroid Prime Trilogy to Switch, but this seems as worthwhile a time to try as ever. This year is Metroid's 35th anniversary and Metroid Dread's release offers a reason to revisit Prime 3's historic Easter egg, but this would also be a perfect way to prepare fans for Metroid Prime 4.
Metroid Prime 4's Ongoing Development
Metroid Prime 4 has also had a rocky history since Nintendo 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.
After Metroid Dread was announced, pre-orders topped Amazon's Best Sellers chart, and sales of older Metroid games 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 into Metroid Prime 4. However, much like people want to play the main Metroid games through Fusion prior to Dread, many will want to get their hands on the original Prime Trilogy prior to Prime 4.
Even if the task does prove to be herculean, there's ample reason to believe that now is the best time to re-release Metroid Prime Trilogy on Switch. Not only will this capitalize on the hype built by Dread's E3 2021 announcement trailer and give players access to a piece of the game's history, it will also prepare the general public for Metroid Prime 4. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will take that step, but fans of the series would certainly appreciate seeing so many Metroid games together on one console.
Metroid Dread releases October 8, 2021 on the Nintendo Switch.
