Nintendo Switch fans will have to wait longer for the Metroid Prime 4 release date.
The House of Mario officially revealed today that development of Metroid Prime 4 has been given a shake-up with Retro Studios now involved.
The news was revealed in a video posted on YouTube that’s presented by Shinya Takahashi, senior managing executive officer for Nintendo.
In it Takahashi-san said the “current development progress” of Metroid Prime 4 “has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series”.
He added: “We decided to have the producer, Kensuke Tanabe, work in trust and collaboration with the studio that developed the original Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios in the United States.
“By collaborating and developing with Retro Studios, we believe we can make this game something that will meet our fans’ expectations.
“We did not make this decision lightly. This change will essentially mean restarting development from the beginning, so the completion of the game will be delayed from our initial internal plan.
“We strongly recognise that this delay will come as a disappointment to the many fans who have been looking forward to the launch of Metroid Prime 4.
Nintendo Switch games update – Metroid Prime 4 release date DELAY revealed (Image: NINTENDO)
“I’d like to extend my deepest, heart-felt apologises to everyone that the launch will be delayed.
“It will be a long road until the next time we will be able to update you on the development progress, and development time will be extensive.
“However, we will continue developing the game so that when it is completed, it will stand shoulder to shoulder with the past Metroid Prime series titles.”
In the video, which was shared across Nintendo social channels, Takahashi-san explained the reasons that led to the Metroid Prime 4 development shake-up.
The Nintendo exec explained the current “development status” of Metroid Prime 4 was “very challenged”.
He said: “We deeply understand the high anticipation that Metroid Prime series fans have for this title.
“We have felt it especially from the passionate words from fans we heard when we first announced this title at E3 the year before last.
“Ever since the announcement, we have not been able to give you an update but as a result of the continuing development since that time – although this is very regrettable – we must let you know that the current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series.
Nintendo has revealed that the Metroid Prime 4 release date will be delayed (Image: NINTENDO)
“Nintendo always strives for the highest quality in our games; and in the development phase, we challenge ourselves and confront whether the game is living up to that quality of a daily basis.
“If we’re not satisfied with the quality, we aren’t able to deliver it to our customers with confidence, and the game will not live up to our fans’ expectations.
“From this perspective, we have determined that the current development status of the game is very challenged, and we had to make a difficult decision as a development team.
“We have decided to re-examine the development structure itself and change it.”
The Metroid Prime 4 release date delay is due to a development shake-up (Image: NINTENDO)
Metroid Prime 4 was first announced back at E3 2017, with only a logo shown of the game and no in-game screenshots or footage.
While the release date delay will come as a blow to gamers, the news of Retro Studios coming back on board will surely be welcomed by fans.
Retro Studios were behind the first three games in the critically acclaimed Metroid Prime series as well as the recent Donkey Kong Country games on the Wii, Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
• Stay tuned to Express.co.uk for all the latest Metroid Prime 4 and Nintendo Switch news