Metroid Prime was a bold step for the classic Nintendo franchise when the game first released in 2002. The first Metroid game on GameCube ditched the series' classic side-scrolling formula in favor of a 3D first-person shooter style that would go on to be praised as one of Metroid's best entries. The highly successful game would go on to spawn a trilogy of titles between the GameCube and Wii with a fourth Metroid Prime game currently in development. Now, an industry insider claims the revolutionary Metroid game may soon be getting a fresh coat of paint.
Metroid Prime's release came after a long hiatus for the franchise that saw Samus skip the Nintendo 64, releasing eight years after Super Metroid debuted on the SNES. The newest Metroid's critical acclaim sparked a renaissance for the franchise that would see several games released over the coming years. Prime became one of the best-selling games on the GameCube and several publications have ranked it among the best games of all-time. Now, insider Jeff Grubb has revealed that Metroid Prime will reportedly be receiving a remaster later this year.
During a recent episode of his "Game Mess Mornings" podcast, Grubb revealed that Nintendo was apparently working on a "big remaster" of Metroid Prime, reportedly set to arrive in Holiday 2022. Grubb referred to the Prime remaster as a major "overhaul" to the original game, suggesting the remaster will likely be extensive. He would later reveal that Nintendo is also reportedly working on remasters for Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as well, though not on the same scale as the first game's.
A Metroid Prime remaster during the holiday season would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the game's release, something that Grubb also touched on during the segment. No official announcement has been made yet by Nintendo or Retro Studios about the rumored Metroid Prime remaster. However, Nintendo's planned remaster would not be the first attempt to modernize the game as a mod team going by Team MPR remastered Metroid Prime earlier this year.
Rumors of an updated version of Metroid Prime come as fans continue to wait on news about Retro Studios' Metroid Prime 4. Metroid Prime 4 has seemingly been stuck in development hell since its initial reveal in 2017, later changing hands from Bandai Namco to Retro Studios in 2019. Retro Studios have yet to showcase any gameplay from the in-development Metroid title as well, suggesting Metroid Prime 4's release may still be far off. While fans may be waiting a while for Metroid Prime 4, a remastered version of Metroid Prime's original trilogy will look to tide fans over.
Metroid Prime Remastered is rumored to be in development.
Source: Jeff Grubb - Twitch