Amid rumours of a potential delay for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Nintendo has reiterated the extremely long-awaited new entry in its beloved sci-fi series is still due to launch this year.
Metroid Prime 4 was originally revealed to be in development all the way back in 2017, but Nintendo announced it would be restarting the project two years later, saying its initial attempt had “not reached the standard” it sought from the series. Since then, we’ve had a Metroid Prime 1 remaster and the enjoyable Metroid Dread, but it wasn’t until last year that Metroid Prime 4 finally resurfaced with a first gameplay trailer and word of a 2025 release.
And officially, that release window has stayed firm, with Nintendo reiterating a 2025 launch during its big Switch 2 blowout back in March. However, the lack of updates since then – alongside claims by YouTuber Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly that Metroid Prime 4 was originally planned to be a Switch 2 launch window title but was delayed (supposedly the cause of that London Underground mix-up) and still “isn’t finished” – has lead some fans to believe a push into 2026 might be possible.
But despite all this, Nintendo has now recommitted to its previously announced 2025 release window in a press release confirming its presence at the upcoming Fan Expo Canada. During the show, attendees will have the opportunity to play the likes of Hades 2, Borderlands 4, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, and – of most relevance to us – Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which the company adds, is “available later in 2025”. So if there’s any word of truth to recent delay speculation, Nintendo certainly isn’t blinking yet.
Metroid Prime 4 was recently submitted for a classification rating in South Korea, raising hopes Nintendo might be ready to reveal a firm release date soon, and Eurogamer’s Ed Nightingale liked what he saw of the game earlier this year, calling it the “best example of Switch 2’s varied control capabilities”, even if you might want to prepare your thighs.