Beyond was announced under the working title Metroid Prime 4 at E3 2017, and was reportedly initially developed by Bandai Namco Studios with Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of the Metroid Prime series. Unhappy with progress, in 2019, Nintendo announced that development had restarted with Tanabe under Retro Studios, the developer of the previous Metroid Prime games. They announced the title Beyond and released the first trailer in June 2024. Beyond is scheduled for release in 2025.
Following the destruction of the Phazon,[a]Samus Aran fights for survival on the planet Viewros and confronts foes including the rival bounty hunter Sylux.[4]Beyond introduces psychic powers, which can be used to operate mechanisms and guide shots.[5] The Nintendo Switch 2 version allows players to use the Joy-Con controller as a mouse, similarly to a PC first-person shooter.[6]
Sylux was introduced in Metroid Prime Hunters (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, Samus Aran.[7] 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.[8]
In 2018, the Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimé, said Metroid Prime 4 was "well into development" and "proceeding well".[12][13] Nintendo did not show it at E3 2018; Trinen said they would share more when they "had something that would wow people".[14] In January 2019, the Nintendo EPD general manager, Shinya Takahashi, announced that development had restarted under Retro Studios with Tanabe. Takahashi said the previous studio had not met Nintendo's standards and that the decision to restart was not taken lightly.[15] In October 2020, Retro posted a job advertisement seeking storyboard artists to work on "emotional" and "interesting and innovative scenes that elevate the narrative".[16]Video Games Chronicle took this as an indication of a more cinematic focus.[17]
Release and promotion
Nintendo released the first trailer and the title Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on June 18, 2024.[9][18] 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 Metroid Prime Hunters.[19] Nintendo also announced that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is scheduled for release in 2025.[18] It was nominated for Most Anticipated Game at the Game Awards 2024.[20]
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.[5] In a Direct presentation on April 2, Nintendo announced a version for Nintendo Switch 2, with enhanced visual resolution, the option to use 4K at 60 frames per second or 1080p at 120 frames per second, and optional mouse controls when using the Joy-Con 2 controllers.[21]
↑ Parish, Jeremy (August 5, 2015). "Page 2 | "I was quite surprised by the backlash": Kensuke Tanabe on Metroid Prime Federation Force". VG247. Retrieved February 15, 2023. First off, [Yoshio] Sakamoto is behind the main series, taking care of all of that, the timeline. I'm in charge of the Prime series. I had the conversation with him to decide where exactly would be a good spot for me to stick the Prime universe into that whole timeline and the best place would be between Metroid II and Super Metroid. As you know, there are multiple titles in the Metroid Prime series, but everything takes place in that very specific point. Metroid Series go down the line, but with the Prime Universe, we have to stretch sideways to expand it as much as we can in that specific spot.
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