31 May 2026
Uncategorized Permalink

May 2026 News Roundup

May 31, 2026

Now that June 2026 is here, we have prepared a roundup of the Metroid news we had in May. See below:

May 8 – Neither version of Metroid Prime 4 sold 1 million

May 12 – MercurySteam announces layoffs

May 15 – SGDQ 2026 schedule is online – Bosses may Dread this one…

We published one new feature in May, an analysis of the history of the Lamorn by Seth. Additionally, on YouTube we shared Episode 34 of the podcast in video form.

As always, we’ll have more content to share in June and throughout the rest of 2026, so keep your eyes peeled for that! In the meantime, we’ll see you next mission.

15 May 2026
Metroid Dread Permalink

SGDQ 2026 schedule is online – Bosses may Dread this one…

May 15, 2026

Games Done Quick has finalized its schedule for SGDQ 2026, and we will get to see a special category for Metroid Dread!

All Bosses will be defeated in this one, and the speedrunner Hobbit may use nearly every trick in the book! This run will mark the first time that Metroid Dread is ran in the Unrestricted glitch category in GDQ history.

Metroid Dread is known to have bosses that are difficult to fight at first, but the skilled Hobbit knows all of their moves already, so we can imagine how satisfying it will be to see them defeated as quickly as we used to be in our first playthrough!

This run will go live 10th of July, at 1:45 AM EDT / 5:45 AM UTC. We wish you the best of luck, Hobbit!

Summer Games Done Quick 2026 is live between July 5th – 12th,
benefitting Doctors without Borders!

Source: Games Done Quick

12 May 2026
Metroid Dread, Metroid: Samus Returns Permalink

MercurySteam announces layoffs

May 12, 2026

Today, Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns developer MercurySteam announced they have conducted layoffs, or as they called it, “a workforce adjustment process.” Unfortunately, they are only the latest studio to make job cuts in what has become an unacceptably common trend in the gaming industry. MercurySteam didn’t provide an exact number of affected employees and have pledged to support them in their next chapter.

To the developers affected by these layoffs, the team at Shinesparkers want to thank you for your contributions to the Metroid franchise. You revitalized the 2D Metroid series and successfully realized two installments that fans had awaited for decades. We encourage you to lean on your industry peers, family and friends, and we hope you find your next opportunities as quickly as possible.

Source: LinkedIn

08 May 2026
Metroid Prime 4 Permalink

Neither version of Metroid Prime 4 sold 1 million

May 8, 2026

Earlier today, Nintendo released their latest earnings report, covering the fiscal year ending in March 2026. These reports include a list of games that have sold one million copies or more on both Switch 1 and 2. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is not on either list, suggesting that neither the Switch 1 nor 2 versions have sold more than one million individually.

This may sound ominous for the future of Metroid, but remember: according to previous reporting back in December, Beyond has sold one million units when the Switch 1 and 2 numbers are combined. Also, these sales figures only report physical sales, so digital is likely to be higher. All that to say, don’t assume this is a bad sign for our favorite Bounty Hunter. Even if Metroid Prime 4 wasn’t the smashing success Nintendo hoped for, it is not a death knell for the franchise.

Source: Nintendo

01 May 2026
Uncategorized Permalink

April 2026 News Roundup

May 1, 2026

Now that May 2026 has rolled around, we have prepared a roundup of the Metroid news we had in March. See below:

April 11 – In Search of Samus updated

April 14 – Samus Aran featured in one of Nintendo’s Gift Cards

We published one new feature in April, a wish list from Irene with what she’d want in a Nintendo Switch 2 update to Metroid Dread.

As always, we’ll have more content to share in May and throughout the rest of 2026, so keep your eyes peeled for that! As always, we’ll see you next mission.

18 Apr 2026
Metroid Dread Permalink

Feature: Changes to Dread I’d like in an NS2 Update

April 18, 2026

Our newest feature is now available! Irene, our Deputy Director, came up with a list of things she would love to see in a Nintendo Switch 2 update for Metroid Dread. It was last updated with Boss Rush mode in April 2022, but Irene had some ideas for quality of life improvements that could be made to enhance the experience even further. For example, slight changes to the map for increased world building and new speedrunning strategies, new E.M.M.I. death animations, and a Randomizer mode!

On another note, this is our 100th feature since we relaunched Shinesparkers in 2017! The Shinesparkers team wishes to thank each and every one of you, our readers, for staying with us all that time, and ever since our original founding in 2010. We would not have made it this long without your support. Here’s to another 100 features!

Click here to check out the feature

14 Apr 2026
Metroid Prime 4 Permalink

Samus Aran featured in one of Nintendo’s Gift Cards

April 14, 2026

As reported by Nintendo Everything, Samus is featured in one of the eShop gift cards. The gift card for Samus is valued at $150, though in our hearts she is obviously valued infinitely more than that!

The main render of Samus as she appears in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is used for the eShop gift card, and it is only available digitally for the time being.

Nintendo eShop Gift Card valued at $150, featuring Samus Aran as she appears in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Source: Nintendo Everything

11 Apr 2026
Metroid Prime 4 Permalink

In Search of Samus updated

April 11, 2026

We’ve updated In Search of Samus, a feature written by yours truly in 2023 after an extensive investigation into Samus’s actresses. Today’s update adds five unknown actors and both of Samus’s new actresses from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Erin Yvette, the new voice of Samus, and Krystle Martin, who provided motion capture for her. The unknown actors appeared in a 1989 Toys “R” Us commercial, the North American Metroid: Zero Mission commercial, and a commercial for Beyond that was dubbed into Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese.

If you have any leads on who these actors are, and/or who played Samus in the Japanese NES Metroid commercial, Super Metroid commercial, or her child self in the Metroid: Other M commercial, please get in touch with us!

Click here to check out the feature

02 Apr 2026
Uncategorized Permalink

March 2026 News Roundup

April 2, 2026

Now that April 2026 has rolled around, we have prepared a roundup of the Metroid news we had in March. See below:

March 17 – Super Metroid added to the Nintendo Music app

March 17 – Dread and Prime Remastered on ‘Handheld Mode Boost’

We published one new feature in February, a recap of our #OperationMetroidPrime4 campaign from late 2025. On YouTube, we shared an extended cut of the live-action Super Metroid commercial, and an updated voice comparison video for Samus that features her new effort sounds in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and voiceover from her perspective in Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese commercials.

We’ll have more content to share in April and throughout the rest of 2026, so keep your eyes peeled for that! As always, we’ll see you next mission.

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