Metroid Prime 4: Beyond…Consoles?

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was first announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2017, and although it’s somewhat old news, it seems like there’s a looming question over our heads. Is this really going to be a Switch-only title? Research and deep thought led to the assumption that there is a large possibility Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also be a launch title for Nintendo's successor console, making it a DUAL-launch title that will be developed for Nintendo's next generation. There are a couple of clues that led to this assumption, and although there is no concrete answer to this question, there are some indicators.

A Much-needed Hardware Upgrade

First and foremost, the release date window. 2025 is definitely late in terms of the Nintendo Switch, a console that has been obviously overdue for an upgrade for some time now. It would be a little strange for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (an extremely anticipated Nintendo exclusive IP) to be released solely for the outrageously dated Nintendo Switch console, only for the tech to be superseded shortly after its release time frame. A dual-launch would make sense unless Nintendo decided to wait even longer for a hardware upgrade or released Metroid Prime 4: Beyond solely for the Switch with a “Switch 2” on the foreseeable horizon. Both scenarios make little to no sense…but I guess it’s still an odd possibility.

A Sales Predicament

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been on the minds of fans since after the release of Metroid Prime 3 Corruption for the Nintendo Wii. Many, (and I can’t stress it enough) MANY years have passed without any signs of hope of a Metroid Prime sequel, up until Nintendo Direct in 2017. This leaves us with a certain predicament. Many of the Metroid fan base is much older than Nintendo's main demographic of children. It is, however, a very strong IP to utilize, having it be a tricky situation in positioning one of Nintendo's stronger chess pieces. A strong move would be a dual-launch making a fresh Metroid experience for a new generation that much more easily obtainable. It's known that Nintendo often takes advantage of its games' popularity by releasing them on both outgoing and incoming systems to reach a broader audience.

Nintendo's history of dual-launch titles:

Nintendo has released several games on two systems simultaneously or close to each other, especially during transitions to newer consoles. Here are some examples:

- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Released on both the GameCube and Wii.

- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Released on both the Wii U and Switch.

- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U: While not a perfect match, these were released around the same time with some differences but essentially the same game.

- Hyrule Warriors: Released on both the Wii U and later on the 3DS, followed by a Switch version called Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.

Well, there you have it… all signs point to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond being released beyond the standard Nintendo Switch, and if not, we can almost assure Nintendo's upcoming new console will have some sort of backward compatibility to run this game.