This morning Eurogamer is reporting that, according to multiple sources, Bandai Namco is in fact working on Metroid Prime 4, which is perhaps the most anticipated Nintendo Switch title of the year. There have been rumors indicating Bandai Namco’s involvement for some time now, and recently those rumors were seemingly corroborated by a number of LinkedIn profiles from Bandai Namco Studios Singapore employees who hinted that they were working on an exciting first-person shooter exclusively for Nintendo.
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Eurogamer’s report also reminds us that Bandai Namco’s Singapore studio is home to former LucasArts staff who were working on the doomed Star Wars 1313 project, which we were all looking forward to. It’s at least nice to know that they’re getting to work on something else within the realm of sci-fi, and something that gamers are just as excited about — or dare I say, more excited about.
Of course, now that we have some firmer footing and we know that Bandai Namco is indeed working on Metroid, we’re suddenly paying much closer attention to the other rumors which surrounded this one. We were, for example, discussing a Nintendo Switch exclusive Ridge Racer along with this Metroid project due to some of those LinkedIn posts.
The post has since been removed, but one Bandai Namco Singapore employee, a “Lead Designer,” had this as part of his recent work lineup: “Ridge Racer 8 (Drift-based High Speed Car Racing Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch).” That wasn’t even subtle, was it?! This was all lumped together in the post that outlined the first-person shooter that we now know to be Metroid Prime 4. It really makes you wonder, doesn’t it?!
Needless to say, all of this remains in the realm of rumor and speculation until we get an official confirmation from Nintendo or from Bandai Namco. It’s possible that we see this game launch this year — we have no idea how long it’s been in development — but this is one project that they’re going to right, not fast. Our money is on more details at E3. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
