Last night, new hints at the possible identity of the mysterious “talented new development team” working with Nintendo EPD’s Kensuke Tanabe on Metroid Prime 4 (working title) have surfaced. This comes via a LinkedIn page dug up by YouTube’s own DocTre81. The profile by the “lead designer” mentions an “Unannounced IP (First Person Shooter/Adventure Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch).” We have confirmed that this LinkedIn profile actually exists and it contains further details that strongly point to Metroid Prime 4, such as “[creating] many design concepts in order to meet Nintendo’s exacting requirements” and “regularly present[ing] pitches, storyboards, design directives, and gameplay to both Nintendo Headquarters and Bandai Namco Entertainment Group.”
Over the last few weeks and months, there had been hints from insiders that Bandai Namco might be behind the development wheels for Metroid Prime 4 already but the pairing has always seemed highly unlikely given Bandai Namco’s development portfolio not really aligning well with the foundations of the Metroid Prime series.
This has now changed with the new information suggesting that said Unannounced FPS/Adventure IP is indeed Metroid Prime 4 but being developed by Bandai Namco Singapore. Now, why does this change things? Well, Bandai Namco Singapore was founded in March 2013 and has thus far only lent development support to Bandai Namco projects such as Mario Sports Superstars or Tales of Berseria, for example. However, digging deeper into the people working at Bandai Namco Singapore now, there are several Western industry veterans from LucasArts (the canceled but highly sought after Star Wars 1313, SW: The Force Unleashed, etc) and Ubisoft Shanghai/Eurocom (Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, 007 Legends). These development credits along with the aforementioned FPS/Adventure IP exclusive to Switch complete the puzzle quite nicely as it aligns with Nintendo’s official description form their E3 2017 Fact Sheet and the existing rumblings about Bandai Namco being involved in Metroid Prime 4.
Nintendo’s Metroid Prime 4 Fact Sheet from E3 2017 (click to enlarge)
Naturally, take all of this with a grain of salt until it is officially confirmed who is developing Metroid Prime 4. But everything seems to point to Nintendo EPD collaborating with a team of several sci-fi/action/first-person/adventure/puzzle veterans at Bandai Namco Studios Singapore.