Nintendo's success over the last few decades has been largely built on its suite of first-party franchises. Names like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda have kept Nintendo at the top of industry, but not all franchises have gotten equal attention. Many of the company's biggest names have fallen by the wayside in one way or another, and they rarely return to the same state they were before their dormancy. The Metroid franchise has long been a victim of this pattern, but that looks like it could very well change with the upcoming release of Metroid Dread.
The fact that Metroid Dread exists at all is a miracle to many fans. The game had become an urban legend after multiple cancelations, and Nintendo's lack of support for the Metroid franchise compared to other properties made it seem like fans might never get another classic 2D Metroid experience. Now that Dread exists, however, it seems like Nintendo is giving one of its biggest names another chance to shine. It's rare that Nintendo will give a mostly dormant franchise another chance like with Metroid, and Dread could be an encouraging sign for fans that hope to see the return of other Nintendo franchises.
Explaining Nintendo's First-Party Graveyard
With all of the success the Nintendo Switch has experienced with titles like Breath of the Wild, it's difficult to think the company could put out a first-party title that didn't dazzle fans. Nintendo is not infallible, though, and unfortunately some of its first-party titles have underperformed before. Star Fox is one of the best examples of this. The series is one of Nintendo's most well-known thanks to the critical success of games like Star Fox 64, but games like Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Zero received such mixed reception and disappointing sales that Nintendo hasn't given any indication there will be a new Star Fox game any time soon.
Another big part of the reason why Nintendo leaves so many franchises behind is because of how the company often tries to approach sequels. For example, F-Zero hasn't received a new mainline entry since the GameCube era. The creator of F-Zero's Captain Falcon described the issue earlier this year, saying the last F-Zero already perfected the franchise's formula. They said that because there was nothing new to be done with the series, there was no reason to make a new game. Many fans have expressed differing opinions over this, but it demonstrates how Nintendo rarely makes a sequel for the sake of it.
The Push For Metroid Dread's Success
Many gamers have recognized Nintendo's pattern of dropping certain franchises over the years, and it's resulted in a massive push for Metroid Dread to succeed. If the game's reception blows Nintendo away, not only could it motivate the company to support Metroid into the future, it could lead to other franchises getting a shot at redemption. Even if the company doesn't think it could offer anything new for names like Star Fox or F-Zero, the success of Metroid Dread could compel Nintendo to think otherwise and try something bold like with Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.
Nintendo seems to really be supporting Metroid Dread, which is encouraging for fans that have been waiting for a proper return to the series. While there are still many first-party properties that show no signs of making a similar comeback, the success of Metroid Dread could change things. It may take some time for Nintendo to recognize that it can find success in simply providing an updated version of an older franchise, but the existence of Metroid Dread shows that just about anything is possible.
Metroid Dread releases October 8 for the Nintendo Switch.