Metroid fans have been waiting for a Prime 4 release date for what feels like ages, and it doesn’t look like the wait is getting any shorter. A new job listing from developer Retro Studios at least suggests that the game is still in active development.
As shared on Twitter, Retro is looking to hire a tools engineer and a technology engineer to join the team on its “journey to develop Metroid Prime 4.” Even just the phrase “journey to develop” makes the game’s release sound far off, but the roles themselves also imply Prime 4 still has a ways to go. The technology engineer listing mentions tasks like “implement[ing] new core technologies necessary to realize the vision” of Metroid 4. The tools engineer listing is for a person who “develops, maintains, and supports the Windows PC applications and libraries necessary for game content creation.” Roles like this tend to come along later in the development cycle, but they still imply we’ve got some time before Metroid Prime 4 arrives — neither role is meant to put finishing touches on a product.
Perhaps that’s why Nintendo insider Emily Rogers says that a Metroid Prime remaster is ready to go. It would make sense for Nintendo to want to give its fans some sort of consolation prize while they wait for a new Prime game. Of course, it was only a few months ago that 2D Metroid fans enjoyed Dread — a game that proves Samus is the hero the Nintendo Switch needs and deserves.
