Video game preservation has been something of a hot topic in recent years as many games are beginning to disappear from the world seemingly for good. It looks like the future of preservation might be switching from physical editions of games to digital ones and, while Nintendo has certainly made some efforts recently to preserve its massive library of older classics, there are still a lot of areas where it can be doing better. When Metroid Dread was announced earlier this year, plenty of fans were on the hunt for GameBoys and other older systems as many wanted to replay the franchise before Dread's release.
Unfortunately, getting access to a lot of the games in Metroid's history isn't a simple task. Nintendo hasn't exactly made it easy to play a lot of older titles, especially from the Metroid series. While Metroid was never able to meet the high sales of franchises like The Legend of Zelda or Mario, it's still one of Nintendo's most iconic series, making this lack of focus on the series confusing. Hopefully, the sales numbers of Metroid Dread prove to the company that fans want to see more of Samus Aran, and that rereleases of older titles in the franchise would go over well.
Metroid Dread's Sales
Recent reports from GamesIndustry.biz suggest that Metroid Dread has been the highest-grossing Metroid release in the franchise's history based on its UK sales numbers. It hasn't quite outsold the original Metroid Prime's opening week in terms of physical sales, but Dread is only lagging behind by several thousand units, and when combined with the digital sales that make up a large majority of gaming purchases, it's clear that Metroid Dread might just be the biggest release in the franchise's history. As the game launched less than a week ago, there aren't any specific sales numbers that have been provided by Nintendo, but if the game continues selling at the pace it's currently at, it should eclipse the rest of the franchise soon.
Metroid Dread is currently sitting at the number one slot on the Switch's eShop, outselling Nintendo's other biggest hits like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is a big deal for the franchise, as it's never been one to move a lot of units. This makes it clear that, following the four-year drought between releases, fans have been craving a new adventure with Samus Aran. Following Metroid Dread's release, it's been made apparent that Switch owners are willing to pay for more Metroid. It's for this reason that it seems like a no-mother-brainer to bring more classic Metroid titles to the Switch.
The Switch Already Hosts Classic Metroid Titles
Nintendo's reluctance to bring more Metroid titles feels a little misguided. While the company likely has its reasons for keeping them away, the Switch already has both Metroid and Super Metroid available for subscribers of Nintendo Switch Online. They're simple ports of the NES and Super Nintendo classics and likely already saw a spike in players in the months following Metroid Dread's E3 2021 announcement. Unfortunately, however, games like Metroid 2: Return of Samus and Metroid Fusion can't be played on the Switch, so if fans are looking to experience all five parts of Samus' original journey, they're out of luck with parts two and four.
It simply doesn't make sense to not publish the remaining two titles on the Switch when Metroid 2 was available on the 3DS' virtual console and Metroid Fusion on the WiiU's. What's more, Metroid 2 saw a modern remake with the 3DS' Metroid: Samus Returns, which could also use a Switch port since it plays very similar to Metroid Dread and fans have been asking for a port since its release.
Metroid Fans Just Want More
All the evidence of Metroid Dread's success points to the fact that Nintendo should rerelease the other four 2D Metroid titles on the Switch. While that would be a great place to start, there are still plenty of other excellent Metroid titles that fans have been beginning the company to port to the console. Perhaps the games with the loudest fans are the three main Metroid Prime titles that took the traditional 2D-sidescrolling style of the Metroid series and put them in a first-person perspective. The series was a major hit among fans of the franchise, but there's been no official word on whether Nintendo is planning on bringing the original three games to the Switch.
There have been plenty of rumors suggesting that a remastered version of Metroid Prime Trilogy is going to be released at some point, but there have been conflicting accounts given by insiders and past developers about what Nintendo's plans are for the Metroid Prime games. While they were never as big as the main Prime trilogy, Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid: Other M would also be welcome additions to the Switch's library. Essentially, Metroid fans just want to play more of the games, and Metroid Dread performing well commercially should prove to Nintendo that the effort and resources required to make that happen would absolutely be worth it.
If Metroid Dread doesn't motivate the company to start working on rereleases for earlier games in the series, then hopefully the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 will. The game has a storied development cycle, but Nintendo confirmed that it was making steady progress during the company's E3 presentation. With Metroid Dread's early success already being what it is, it's likely that the game is paving the way for Metroid Prime 4 to see even greater heights. If the franchise has two consecutive hit entries, then it seems like Nintendo would have no choice but to give back to the fans and recognize that there's a market for older Metroid titles by releasing some for the Switch.
Metroid Dread is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
