Notably absent from Nintendo’s game announcements for the past few years has been our favorite female bounty hunter, Samus Aran. There has not been a new Metroid game since the 2010 Metroid: Other M, and fans are starting to notice.
In both its 2D and 3D versions, Metroid has been a fun series of puzzles, shooting, and being able to roll up into a tiny ball. The series began by offering a unique combination of platforming and combat, while recent games like Metroid: Other M have begun to seriously delve into the Metroid narrative.
Until recently, the only thing fans had to look forward on the Metroid front was the appearance of Samus Aran in Super Smash Bros. for WiiU. With an armored Samus and a Zero Suit Samus with some nifty new heels, Super Smash Bros. for WiiU seemed to be the only place Metroid fans could get their Samus fix. However, in a recent interview with Kotaku Nintendo Execs confirm that there are future plans for the bounty hunter.
When asked what the status was on the Metroid series, Shinya Takahashi (who runs Nintendo’s SPD group) responded:
So at this point we have two different types of Metroid games. We have the Prime style of Metroid game and we have the more traditional style of Metroid game. We feel that we do need to take care of both of these styles of play. And the hope is that at some point in the near future we’ll be able to share something about them.
While Takahashi’s answer is purposefully vague, it at least demonstrates that Metroid is not forgotten at Nintendo. In fact, with the mention that two types of Metroid games are under consideration, it’s possible that fans may be in for a slew of Samus games in the near future.
