Metroid Prime Producer Reportedly Leaving Nintendo After 40 Years, Unsure if There Will Be Another Game to Wrap Up Sylux's Story

Nintendo seasoned Kensuke Tanabe has reportedly said that the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is his last crippled astatine the company, wherever helium has served for 4 decades.

Tanabe joined Nintendo successful the precocious 1980s arsenic 1 of its archetypal crippled designers, and worked connected classics specified arsenic Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 for the NES, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for SNES and Link's Awakening for Game Boy.

Over the second fractional of his career, Tanabe has served arsenic a shaper connected much than 60 titles, with a peculiar absorption connected the Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion series. But it's for his enactment with Retro Studios connected the Metroid Prime bid for which he's champion known.

Now, successful an interrogation with Nintendo Dream magazine, Tanabe has said that Metroid Prime 4 was his last crippled for Nintendo — meaning that helium has near the series' communicative unfinished, and the destiny of his villain Sylux uncertain.

Sylux has been built up arsenic the adjacent Big Bad of the Metroid Prime series, pursuing his instauration successful Metroid Prime: Hunters, and the extremity of the archetypal Metroid Prime trilogy that pitted Samus against Dark Samus. During the interview, Tanabe said helium saw Sylux arsenic a mode to "further grow the 'Metroid Prime Universe'" and make further games beyond the archetypal trilogy. Because of this, helium implored developers to foreshadow Sylux's beingness via cameos successful Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, portion keeping his afloat communicative under-wraps.

"A agelong clip passed earlier I yet had the accidental to marque this game," Tanabe said of Metroid Prime 4 (via instrumentality translation). "Considering my age, I felt that making this Metroid Prime bid mightiness beryllium my past chance. Therefore, I conceived and planned this task arsenic the 'first installment of the Sylux Saga.'

"I portrayed Sylux arsenic a villain with a acheronian personality, heavy resentment, and despicable methods; and from this crippled onward, Samus volition recognize that a nonstop confrontation with him is inevitable, and helium indispensable beryllium wholly defeated. Therefore, the last conflict betwixt Sylux and Samus is not yet over. However, it took longer than I had imagined to implicit this game.

"Furthermore, I person confirmed that I volition nary longer beryllium capable to enactment successful the accumulation of the series," Tanabe concluded. "Whether a sequel volition beryllium made is inactive uncertain, but I sincerely anticipation that 1 day, [assistant shaper Risa] Tabata and Retro Studios volition beryllium capable to archer this communicative wholly and bring it to a close."

Nintendo is yet to remark connected the report, oregon denote Tanabe's departure. IGN has asked the institution for much item today.

After a lengthy delay, Metroid Prime 4 yet launched for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 past month, albeit to a much muted captious effect than the franchise's beloved archetypal trilogy. Nintendo has truthful acold made nary authoritative announcement connected however good the crippled has sold. However, earlier this month, an unnamed Nintendo root blamed the caller slowdown successful Switch 2 income implicit the vacation play connected a "complicated" economical clime and the "absence of a large Western game" — contempt the motorboat of Metroid Prime 4.

"It's been 40 years since I joined Nintendo," Tanabe reflected. "Metroid Prime 4 volition beryllium the past crippled I enactment connected astatine Nintendo. However, we didn't deliberately bash thing 'special.' Instead, similar each erstwhile Nintendo titles, we worked unneurotic with Retro Studios to make it, hoping to bring a amusive and unsocial acquisition to players of each ages and types.

"If it becomes a crippled that leaves a lasting content connected players who person played it, I volition beryllium precise gratified. And for those who haven't played it yet, I anticipation you volition acquisition the chartless satellite Viewros done Samus' eyes."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social