Retro Studios has been hard at work on something since the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, but neither the studio nor Nintendo have been forthcoming with it. Some have speculated that Retro is returning to the Metroid series to develop another Prime game, but according to Liam Robertson from Unseen64 during a recent podcast, it’s possible the studio is working on an entirely new IP they’ve pitched to Nintendo.
According to Liam, the studio pitched several new ideas throughout the end of 2013 and 2014 until they found one that Nintendo greenlit and the studio has been working on the project ever since.
I don’t actually know what the project is, exactly, but I know that it is something that Retro themselves pitched. … They came off of Tropical Freeze in very late 2013, I think it was, and they continued throughout 2014 pitching new projects. … And then they eventually pitched a project that went through, and NCL greenlit, and I assume that’s what they’re doing now—by all accounts, it is.
When asked if he thought the team at Retro could be working on another entry into the Metroid Prime series, Liam was skeptical that was the case, unless the team wanted to take the Metroid series in a completely different direction from the Prime series.
I don’t think Retro wants to do [Metroid Prime 4]. … I’d be surprised if Retro themselves pitched [that]. I think they’ve had their fill of Metroid. … And if it is Metroid, then it will be something different—like maybe a 2D one, or something—different from Prime.
Keep in mind that this is just a rumor at this point and one person’s speculation, but Retro Studios has been working on something since they shipped DKC: Tropical Freeze nearly two years ago.
What do you hope to see from Retro in the future? Do you want them to work on another core Nintendo IP, or would you like to see something entirely new? Nintendo learned with Splatoon that as long as the gameplay is solid, there will always be a new following for new experiences in the world of gaming.
