Rumors earlier this week were floating around about Metroid Prime 4 being developed by an unexpected studio. It turns out, the rumors were true. Metroid Prime 4, previously announced at E3, is indeed being worked on by Bandai Namco Studios Singapore with collaboration with Nintendo.
The team is comprised of a number of former LucasArts Singapore staff that previously worked on the canceled Star Wars 1313. Development of the game is likely in the early stages still, as it has been heavily implied to be set for “beyond” 2018.
When Metroid Prime 4 was announced at E3 2017, Nintendo was tight-lipped on the details, though they did confirm that the game would not be developed by the previous titles’ developer Retro Studios.
Early this week, Resetera user Cinemikel found various job openings on LinkedIn, pointing towards Bandai Namco and Nintendo working on a first-person shooter/adventure game exclusively for Nintendo Switch, which absolutely fit the bill for Metroid Prime.
With all the data pointing towards Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, Eurogamer sources confirm this rumor to be true. Out in the open, this turns out to not be entirely surprising, given that Nintendo and Bandai Namco have partnered together in the past, specifically with Pokken Tournament for Wii U and later the Nintendo Switch.
While the collaboration is all but official, Nintendo has declined to comment on what they still define as a rumor.
