Retro Studios hasn’t released a new game since 2014. We think we know why!
281In early 2019 Nintendo shocked the world when they announced that were scrapping Metroid Prime 4 and starting over from scratch. Sweetening the blow to Metroid fans, however, was the surprise news that the game would now be developed by Retro Studios in Austin, Texas….the same legendary Nintendo subsidiary that created the original Metroid Prime series in the first place.
However, Retro Studios isn’t the same place it was in 2002. The devs who created Metroid Prime are all long gone from the studio. Many aren’t even working in the videogame industry any more, its been so long. Yet, Retro is determined. They have moved to a bigger office space and they are on a hiring blitz, sucking up top industry talent everywhere they can. But some of us are still concerned.
Most concerning is the fact that Retro Studios hasn’t put put a genuinely brand new game since 2014’s Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze…..its been almost 7 years! What has the studio been up to in the meantime? Where are the games that should have come out of this lost time period? What happened? And will this have any bearing upon the prospects for Metroid Prime 4’s success?
In this video we explore the news and rumors surrounding Retro Studios’s mysterious recent past, and we develop a hypothesis of our own. Perhaps Retro Studios’s greatest strength is their unique and tight knit relationship with Nintendo of Japan and the Japanese management of the company….but is it possible that such a situation is also Retro’s greatest weakness? We think that it is. Good leadership and rational guidelines are essential for the productivity of any company, but this might be a case of “too much of a good thing”.
As always, thank you very much for watching, and please subscribe in order to support our channel. We really appreciate all your support!
- CCP management
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Check out the August 2021 video by Jenovi where he recommends CCP:
https://youtu.be/3RoFe8_DA6I
Also check out Jenovi’s latest coverage of the 32X….seriously, no one covers the 32X as well as Jenovi:
https://youtu.be/1BEGKIBtexk
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Here are some sources that informed our video:
"Retro dissects DKC Returns" by Guy Crocker @GameSpot (March 7, 2011)
"Metroid Prime director on making the game, Nintendo's influence, leaving Retro" by Brian @Nintendo Everything (September 9, 2016)
"Former employee reviews signal bad news for Retro Studios" by Aric Sweeney @Nintendo Enthusiast (2018)
"WTH is going on with Metroid Prime 4?" by Game Explain @YouTube (January 25, 2019)
"Who is making MP4 at Retro" by Jordan Sirani @IGN (January 26, 2019)
"No, Retro Studios isn't buying a new HQ....so let's explore the new tale" by Game Explain @YouTube (October 30, 2020)
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