''Metroid Prime 4: Beyond'' is an upcoming

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

developed by Retro Studios and published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

for the

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and the

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. Players control

Samus Aran is the protagonist of the video game series ''Metroid'' by Nintendo. She was created by the Japanese video game designer Makoto Kano (video game designer), Makoto Kano and introduced in the first ''Metroid (video game), Metroid'' (1986) for th ...

, who makes use of new psychic powers on the planet Viewros. ''Beyond'' is scheduled for release in 2025. ''Beyond'' was announced under the working title ''Metroid Prime 4'' at E3 2017, and was reportedly initially developed by

Bandai Namco Studios is a Japanese video game development, video game developer headquartered in Kōtō, Tokyo and founded in 2012, with studios in Singapore and Malaysia. Bandai Namco Studios is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Bandai Namco Games ...

. By January 2019, development had restarted under Retro Studios, the developer of the previous '' Metroid Prime'' games.

Kensuke Tanabe is a Japanese video game producer and designer working for Nintendo, where he currently is Senior Officer at Nintendo EPD. After he had graduated from the Visual Concept Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts, he decided to enter the ...

, who worked on all three ''Prime'' games, returned as a producer. Nintendo announced the title ''Beyond'' and released the first trailer in June 2024.

Premise

Following the destruction of the Phazon,

fights for survival on the planet Viewros and confronts foes including the rival bounty hunter Sylux. ''Beyond'' introduces psychic powers, which can be used to operate mechanisms and guide shots.

Development

In 2015, the producer

said the next '' Metroid Prime'' game could involve the bounty hunter Sylux, who was introduced in ''

Metroid Prime Hunters ''Metroid Prime Hunters'' is a 2006 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Software Technology and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in North America in March 2006, with other territories later. The story takes place ...

'' (2006). Sylux's gunship appeared in a special ending for '' Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'' (2007) unlocked after 100% completion, in pursuit of the player character,

. Sylux also appeared in the special ending of '' Metroid Prime: Federation Force'' (2016), infiltrating a Galactic Federation research station and releasing an infant Metroid from a stasis tube. Nintendo announced ''Metroid Prime 4'' during the

Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...

presentation at E3 2017. Bill Trinen, the director of product marketing at

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the company to p ...

, confirmed that it would involve Tanabe but not Retro Studios, which had developed the previous ''Prime'' games. While not confirmed by Nintendo, ''

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'' reported that ''Prime 4'' was being developed by

in Japan and Singapore. The Bandai Singapore staff included former

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staff who had worked on the canceled '' Star Wars 1313''. The Nintendo of America president,

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, said in 2018 that ''Metroid Prime 4'' was "well into development" and "proceeding well". Nintendo did not show it at E3 2018; Trinen said they would share more when they "had something that would wow people". In January 2019, the

Nintendo EPD abbreviated Nintendo EPD, is the largest division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. The division focuses on developing and producing video games, mobile apps, and other related entertainment software for the company. Nintendo EPD ...

general manager, Shinya Takahashi, announced that development had restarted under Retro Studios with Tanabe. Takahashi said that the previous studio had not met Nintendo's standards and that the decision to restart the project was not taken lightly. In October 2020, Retro posted a job advertisement seeking storyboard artists to work on "emotional" and "interesting and innovative scenes that elevate the narrative". ''

Video Games Chronicle ''Video Games Chronicle'' (''VGC'' is a British entertainment website covering video games published independently by 1981 Media. Led by editor-in-chief Andy Robinson, the team consists largely of former ''Computer and Video Games'' staff. Lau ...

'' took this as an indication of a more cinematic focus.

Release and promotion

Nintendo released the first trailer and the title ''Metroid Prime 4: Beyond'' on June 18, 2024. It showcased similar gameplay to previous ''Metroid Prime'' games, with Samus exiting her gunship, exploring a forest world, using her morph ball ability, scanning a Space Pirate and encountering the bounty hunter Sylux, who first appeared in ''

''. Nintendo also announced that ''Metroid Prime 4: Beyond'' is scheduled for release in 2025. It was nominated for Most Anticipated Game at the Game Awards 2024. Nintendo released a second trailer in a Direct presentation on March 27, 2025, introducing the forest planet Viewros setting, new enemies, the Lamorn race and Samus's psychic powers. In a Direct presentation on April 2, Nintendo announced a version for

, with enhanced visual resolution, the option to use 4K at 60 frames per second or

1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...

at 120 frames per second, and optional mouse controls when using the Joy-Con 2 controllers.

Notes

References

External links

Official ''Metroid'' series website

Official Retro Studios website
{{Retro Studios Upcoming video games scheduled for 2025 First-person adventure games First-person shooters Metroid games Metroid Prime Metroidvania games Nintendo Switch games Nintendo Switch 2 games Retro Studios games Single-player video games Video game sequels Video games about psychic powers Video games developed in the United States Video games featuring female protagonists Video games produced by Kensuke Tanabe Video games set in outer space Video games set on fictional planets