Retro Studios first burst into the gaming scene withMetroid Primeon the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. Seemingly coming out of nowhere to create an instant classic, the team looked like it would quickly become one of Nintendo’s foremost developers. Almost 20 years later,Retro Studios is tasked with bringing back theMetroid Primeseries, and Nintendo is all-in behind the team.
A recent report shows that Nintendo has invested over half a million dollars intoRetro Studios, specifically to remodel its headquarters. Initially, the report talked about an expansion, but updated information shows that the Texas-based developer will use the funds to remodel.
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Retro Studios has been hiring developers, including snagging members from theHaloteam, as it revs up its work onMetroid Prime 4. The team has been hiring triple-A talent, bringing in employees from Rockstar andGTA, Activision andCall of Duty,and more. With the team continuing to grow, a remodel to create more space makes sense.
Job postings for Retro Studios andMetroid Prime 4have continued to be posted online, as the long development process for the game has carried on. Nintendo asked Retro Studios to take over the game completely, after the previous team just couldn’t handle the vision Nintendo had in mind. So after successfully rejuvenating theDonkey Kong Countryseries, Retro Studios is again tasked with bringing life back toMetroid.
It has been thirteen years sinceMetroid Prime 3was released, so it is fair to wonder if Retro Studios still has the right team in place to continue the franchise. Fans have been anticipating the game for so long, it’s arguable thatMetroid Prime 4is becoming its own worst enemy. The hype leading up to this game is sky-high for Nintendo fans, even though all they’ve ever seen from it is a logo. Nintendo clearly still has faith in Retro, and that is evident in the investment that the Big N has put forth towards the developer.
Retro has become a quality over quantity-type developer. Its last game was over six years ago in 2014, the extremelywell-receivedDonkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. But the fact that the developer hasn’t made a game in so long seems to have more to do with Nintendo asking for help withMetroid Prime 4than the team simply taking a long time to make a game. It has been rumored that Retro Studios was working on aStar Foxracing game, but that was put on hold whenMetroid Prime 4was in crisis mode.
Before the team took overMetroidagain, Nintendo fans were confused as to just what the developer was working on, and they anticipated an exciting announcement at any time. Nintendo still believes the team is the right one for thePrimeseries, and perhaps big things are planned even beyond that.
