• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Nintendo of America says Metroid Prime 4 and "new Pokemon game" are 2018 titles

This isn't surprising. I said in the other topic a Metroid Prime 4 logo doesn't indicate how far in development the game is.

I wouldn't be surprised if first gameplay was revealed at the VGAs.
 

border

Member
What strategic sense does it make to show off footage of a game that's over a year away when they want you to buy all those games I mentioned that are coming out in the near future?

I would reject the notion that a more detailed look at Metroid Prime 4 was going to somehow distract from more recent titles. Nobody is going to skip buying Mario Odyssey because there's an MP4 teaser.

Strategically it doesn't make a lot of sense to show off Metroid Prime because, as Reggie pretty much said, it's too early. The reveal was needed to prevent the sort of backlash that Federation Force and Ultra Sun/Moon got, though.
 
This isn't surprising. I said in the other topic a Metroid Prime 4 logo doesn't indicate how far in development the game is.

I wouldn't be surprised if first gameplay was revealed at the VGAs.
Dude, they only have a logo... They started to develop the game at E3 that day... Some Gafers logic.
 

TZchassis

Member
Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Metroid & PIKMIN all have been announced for the Switch with a title only. The only common thing that they have is there was a 3DS game as well for each of them (Ultra Sun/Moon, Echoes, Samus Returns, Hey! PIKMIN). I can see why Nintendo may not be interested in showcasing the games early but have to acknowledge that they're in development to prevent blacklash (all of the announcements happened after the Switch Jan conference). Nintendo also doesn't usually have a CG teaser since they tend to highlight gameplay rather than story/VA (I don't remember a recent game having a trailer with no gameplay). Revealing more interesting / fun / impressive gameplay for these games will definitely undermine the 3DS titles too. I think we just have to be patient until the 3DS is not very relevant to Nintendo and doesn't account to a lot of their revenue.
 
Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Metroid & PIKMIN all have been announced for the Switch with a title only. The only common thing that they have is there was a 3DS game as well for each of them (Ultra Sun/Moon, Echoes, Samus Returns, Hey! PIKMIN). I can see why Nintendo may not be interested in showcasing the games early but have to acknowledge that they're in development to prevent blacklash (all of the announcements happened after the Switch Jan conference). Nintendo also doesn't usually have a CG teaser since they tend to highlight gameplay rather than story/VA (I don't remember a recent game having a trailer with no gameplay). Revealing more interesting / fun / impressive gameplay for these games will definitely undermine the 3DS titles too. I think we just have to be patient until the 3DS is not very relevant to Nintendo and doesn't account to a lot of their revenue.
I think Zelda was revealed with no gameplay. Although it's Zelda, big IP
 

TZchassis

Member
I would reject the notion that a more detailed look at Metroid Prime 4 was going to somehow distract from more recent titles. Nobody is going to skip buying Mario Odyssey because there's an MP4 teaser.

Strategically it doesn't make a lot of sense to show off Metroid Prime because, as Reggie pretty much said, it's too early. The reveal was needed to prevent the sort of backlash that Federation Force and Ultra Sun/Moon got, though.

I think less people will be interested in Samus Returns if they showed MP4 extensively.
 
I'm confident about the 2018 Nintendo releases...I feel like they have to get an installed base before they start focusing all assets to the switch.

I just wish we got the virtual console to plug some of the stretches in the meantime.
 

Hero

Member
"I'm not going to buy any games releasing next year because I bought a game this year."

Funny how the consensus wasn't that people were passing on Mario Kart, Splatoon or Mario Maker because BotW was coming. God forbid a company with a spotty record, when it comes to providing a steady stream of releases after year one, give good reasons for fans to be excited about what they have down the line.

Were you...not around at all the bitching and complaining every time BotW got delayed? It's like Nintendo learned not to show off games that won't be ready for multiple years.

pcRrmGF.gif


I would reject the notion that a more detailed look at Metroid Prime 4 was going to somehow distract from more recent titles. Nobody is going to skip buying Mario Odyssey because there's an MP4 teaser.

Strategically it doesn't make a lot of sense to show off Metroid Prime because, as Reggie pretty much said, it's too early. The reveal was needed to prevent the sort of backlash that Federation Force and Ultra Sun/Moon got, though.

You say that, but every game that requires money and/or attention competes with every other game that requires money/attention. It's exactly why Switch had an "anemic" launch but had a consistent weekly schedule of new game after new game with first party titles every month. This is also why they almost never release multiple first party games on one system on the same day. This really isn't a hard concept to understand.

MP4 announcement was 100% strategic because they were going to unveil/show-off Metroid Samus Returns (a game that was in development for years that they waited until t-minus three months till launch to show off) and didn't want to piss off the fanbase like they did with Federation Force.

So I'll ask which is more likely: MP4 is in development and they don't want to show it off for whatever reason, or the new team behind MP4 has literally nothing to show?
 
The only way Prime 4 is happening next year if its been in development since the Wii U days or its rushed and they get extra help like with Star Fox Zero.

Pokemon could happen if they are recycling a lot of the assets from Sun/Moon.

Tanabe said at E3 2015 that Prime takes about 3 years to make. Holiday 2018 is 3.5 years after he made that statement. Depending on when Nintendo greenlit Prime 4, I'd say a release any time in the back half of 2018 is realistic.

So I'll ask which is more likely: MP4 is in development and they don't want to show it off for whatever reason, or the new team behind MP4 has literally nothing to show?


Or they don't want to burn out their big reveals for next year's E3 and have a weak direct then.
 

Hero

Member
Or they don't want to burn out their big reveals for next year's E3 and have a weak direct then.

Absolutely and that would fall under the former category of the question I posed. There is such a thing as overkill. Look at 2014 or 2015 Sony E3. Heck, even this year they decided to show the same games as last year.
 

border

Member
You say that, but every game that requires money and/or attention competes with every other game that requires money/attention. It's exactly why Switch had an "anemic" launch but had a consistent weekly schedule of new game after new game with first party titles every month. This is also why they almost never release multiple first party games on one system on the same day. This really isn't a hard concept to understand.

So I'll ask which is more likely: MP4 is in development and they don't want to show it off for whatever reason, or the new team behind MP4 has literally nothing to show?

I don't think I really need to explain the difference between releasing two games on the same day, and releasing two trailers on the same day for games that are over 1 year apart. In the absolute broadest sense every game competes with every other game, but that's hardly a smart reason to hold back if you have something exciting to show. Arguably the double reveal of Odyssey and Rabbids undercut each other more than two Metroid games on two different platforms releasing at least 12 months apart.

Does the MP4 team have absolutely nothing to show? No. I mean they could have easily gotten away with concept art, CG trailer, new music, some story hints about the new game's premise, a glimpse at new enemy types, etc, etc. Do they have anything substantial that would show well? Probably not at this time, as per Reggie's comments. I would presume the game is in alpha or pre-alpha at this time.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
Do you think it makes strategic sense to show off an HD Switch game that isn't going to come until (at earliest) next year when they want you to buy the 3DS game in the series? This applies to both MP4 and Pokemon Switch. You guys act like footage accounts for much, when we have games from other developers/publishers like Sea of Thieves, Cuphead, Crackdown 3, etc that have had "actual footage" for years through multiple E3s and still aren't out.



What strategic sense does it make to show off footage of a game that's over a year away when they want you to buy all those games I mentioned that are coming out in the near future?

No footage is one thing, which can be interpreted in many ways. What convinces me is that, again, Reggie himself mentioned Prime 4 is particularly early in its development but they felt it was necessary to reveal it anyway... And for some reason you keep ignoring this.
 

zelas

Member
Were you...not around at all the bitching and complaining every time BotW got delayed? It's like Nintendo learned not to show off games that won't be ready for multiple years.
Yes I was. And even through all the complaining people still didnt decide they weren't going to buy other games in the mean time. Are people not buying games because Sea of Thieves was announced? Are people not buying other games because Shenmue was announced? Did sales of other games drop because The Last Guardian took forever to release? Is the jrpg genre tanking because of KH3 and FF7R?

Stop your nonsense.
 

Hero

Member
I don't think I really need to explain the difference between releasing two games on the same day, and releasing two trailers on the same day for games that are over 1 year apart. In the absolute broadest sense every game competes with every other game, but that's hardly a smart reason to hold back if you have something exciting to show. Arguably the double reveal of Odyssey and Rabbids undercut each other more than two Metroid games on two different platforms releasing at least 12 months apart.

I gave just one example of a reason why they chose not to show MP4 footage. You can't tell me that showing off MP4 footage in HD resolution wouldn't make Samus Returns. How much complaining is there already that there's not a Switch port? Again, there really was no need to show footage at this event. Look at how well the announcement itself did and now they can double dip when they do finally show the game off. They did the exact same thing with the Fire Emblem Direct. We're going to announce a new FE project for Switch but not show anything, so please buy Fire Emblem Echoes until then.


No footage is one thing, which can be interpreted in many ways. What convinces me is that, again, Reggie himself mentioned Prime 4 is particularly early in its development but they felt it was necessary to reveal it anyway... And for some reason you keep ignoring this.

Reggie is primarily a mouthpiece and he has contradicted both himself and NCL on numerous occasions. Everyone keeps ignoring the fact that Nintendo had multiple large projects under wraps and the reveal -> release is less than a year on them.


Yes I was. And even through all the complaining people still didnt decide they weren't going to buy other games in the mean time. Are people not buying games because Sea of Thieves was announced? Are people not buying other games because Shenmue was announced? Did sales of other games drop because The Last Guardian took forever to release? Is the jrpg genre tanking because of KH3 and FF7R?

Stop your nonsense.

Do you think it's more or less likely as time goes on with a game being announced/shown but not released that consumers get tired of waiting and move on? I think Sea of Thieves is absolutely going to suffer because of its long development time and the very least it has to contend with another pirate game that Ubisoft is showing off and set to release in less than a year since unveil. Look at all the complaining about how Shenmue 3 or FF7R are basically no shows for years now. That absolutely hurts these games.
 
God damn. If this has any truth to it 2018 would be amazing. As of right now, I am wondering what else they can announce for next year. Maybe Animal Crossing?

I saw the update. But I really hope this is true. A new HD pokemon game for Switch next christmas would be insane.
 
In a way, the lack of MP4 footage might be strategic. Get attention now for the logo, and then get another mileage of the E3 hype train when it gets released next year. Maximum press hype a few months before the launch date.
 

RagnarokX

Member
Tanabe said in 2015 that MP4 would take 3 years to make, and based on his language in that interview it was obvious the game had already started production or had at least been greenlit. So 2018 makes sense.
 
I could see it. Seems like lately they want to keep from showing off games more than a year from release.

Not to say it won't get delayed, that's a possibility.
 
I could see it. Seems like lately they want to keep from showing off games more than a year from release.

Not to say it won't get delayed, that's a possibility.

This is pretty much how I'm seeing it. It looks like they've learned their lesson when it comes to showing off things too early, and they're holding back.

This is just them avoiding pushback from the announcement of Samus Returns without having to really show off the game early.
 

border

Member
I gave just one example of a reason why they chose not to show MP4 footage. You can't tell me that showing off MP4 footage in HD resolution wouldn't make Samus Returns. How much complaining is there already that there's not a Switch port? Again, there really was no need to show footage at this event.

You make a case for spacing out game reveals that is not unreasonable. But like I said, Nintendo just revealed 2 new Mario games releasing on the same platform that will release within a couple months of each other. Taking MK8DX into account, that will mean they've revealed and released 3 Mario games within a 10-month span, all releasing on the same platform.

If they thought that was appropriate and prudent, why can't they do a full reveal on 2 Metroid games, releasing on different platforms more than 12 months apart? If they were as nervous and cautious as you are about announcements, there would have been more space between the reveal and release of Odyssey and Rabbids.

Some people are upset about Samus Returns being only on 3DS, but that would probably have happened no matter what they had shown of MP4.
 

zelas

Member
Do you think it's more or less likely as time goes on with a game being announced/shown but not released that consumers get tired of waiting and move on? I think Sea of Thieves is absolutely going to suffer because of its long development time and the very least it has to contend with another pirate game that Ubisoft is showing off and set to release in less than a year since unveil. Look at all the complaining about how Shenmue 3 or FF7R are basically no shows for years now. That absolutely hurts these games.
Whatever they feel about announced games further down the road the market does not take it out on closer, unrelated games by passing on them like you've claimed. Just show me some evidence of the games I've mentioned hurting other games if you truly believe that nonsense.
 

Iced Arcade

Member
If true, prime 4 might have been a Wii u project that switched mid cycle. But weird that they wouldn't have shown any footage.
 

Instro

Member
If true, prime 4 might have been a Wii u project that switched mid cycle. But weird that they wouldn't have shown any footage.

I doubt it, we know based on Tanabe's comments a year or two ago that they were not working on Metroid for WiiU.
 
I wouldn't. Not with the anime's progression as it is.

There is no way in hell they're jumping to a new device in the middle of a Pokémon generation. That is not happening and people need to stop expecting that to happen.

"Stop listening to the people who run stuff at GF who openingly addressed the public and gave people solid reason to expect the game to hit sometime 2018! Even though GF doesn't have a rep of publicly delaying mainline titles or giving fake out info!"
.
Fall/ Xmas 2018 is more than a year from now and is well with in the time of year I'd expect a Pokemon game to be released.

If he meant 2019 I'd think he would say it would release within the next 2 years.

But anyway, with GF's track record of not giving misleading release expectations and the fact that they've been working on the switch since it's start and I'd assume Nintendo would throw some help their way cause they gotta make Switch as successful as the WiiU was a flop .. I don't see a reason to think "It's gotta be 2+ years away!".
 

RagnarokX

Member
If true, prime 4 might have been a Wii u project that switched mid cycle. But weird that they wouldn't have shown any footage.

Tanabe (2015): "If we started for Wii U now, it would likely take three years or so. So it would likely now be on Nintendo's NX console."

Translation: "We've started working on Metroid Prime 4. It should be ready by 2018."
 

Black_Red

Member
I hope this also means that Fire Emblem, SMT and the other games announced with the switch are all 2018 games. :D
Pokemon
SMT
and
Fire Emblem

Would make it a fantastic year for RPGs.
 
Tanabe (2015): "If we started for Wii U now, it would likely take three years or so. So it would likely now be on Nintendo's NX console."

Translation: "We've started working on Metroid Prime 4. It should be ready by 2018."

It's certainly possible - it just means that at that time he already knew it wouldn't be a WiiU title anymore, perhaps development had already switched to the Switch by then.
 

Pyro873

Neo Member
We can't forget the anime. The anime exists as a promotional tool for the games and wouldn't continue the Gen 7 arc if the games shift to Gen 8. They plan these things precisely. There's breaking tradition and then there's this. Come on now.

Forgive me for claiming ignorance here, but doesn't the anime largely ignore the remakes as the respective games come out? I don't recall the story arcs deviating from the then-present regions for any of the remakes.

Like, when Lyra from HG/SS popped up in the anime for a few episodes, Ash and company were very much still in Sinnoh. Same for OR/AS, outside of the movie with Hoopa, weren't Primal Groudon/Kyogre regulated to a spin-off special during X & Y?

If we're following the logic of the anime, wouldn't that give more credence to possibly remakes being next in line, seeing as the Alola story arc is seemingly unfolding at a snail's pace?
 

border

Member
One other weird consideration: if Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon are both ready to launch in late 2018, would Nintendo even allow that to happen?

They may not want to release two big games close to each other, so it's possible that one might get pushed into Spring 2019 purely for the purpose of keeping a regular release schedule. If Nintendo had to choose between Metroid and Pokemon, I imagine they would rather launch a holiday Pokemon game and save Metroid as a Spring release when it will get more attention and not be lost in the shuffle of all the 2018 FPS games being released over the holidays.

Since they cannot commit to releasing either game in 2018, I suspect they are waiting to see which one might cross the finish line first.
 

AniHawk

Member
One other weird consideration: if Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon are both ready to launch in late 2018, would Nintendo even allow that to happen?

They may not want to release two big games close to each other, so it's possible that one might get pushed into Spring 2019 purely for the purpose of keeping a regular release schedule. If Nintendo had to choose between Metroid and Pokemon, I imagine they would rather launch a holiday Pokemon game and save Metroid as a Spring release when it will get more attention and not be lost in the shuffle of all the 2018 FPS games being released over the holidays.

Since they cannot commit to releasing either game in 2018, I suspect they are waiting to see which one might cross the finish line first.

they could release pokemon in october and metroid in november. they've done similar in the past.
 
Metroid in 2018? I doubt it.

Pokemon I could see. The only question I have is will it be a new gen. Because that would be a pretty short Gen 7...
 

jnWake

Member
One other weird consideration: if Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon are both ready to launch in late 2018, would Nintendo even allow that to happen?

They may not want to release two big games close to each other, so it's possible that one might get pushed into Spring 2019 purely for the purpose of keeping a regular release schedule. If Nintendo had to choose between Metroid and Pokemon, I imagine they would rather launch a holiday Pokemon game and save Metroid as a Spring release when it will get more attention and not be lost in the shuffle of all the 2018 FPS games being released over the holidays.

Since they cannot commit to releasing either game in 2018, I suspect they are waiting to see which one might cross the finish line first.

You say that as if Mario, Splatoon and Zelda aren't launching with 7-8 months distance.
 

D_prOdigy

Member
One other weird consideration: if Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon are both ready to launch in late 2018, would Nintendo even allow that to happen?

They may not want to release two big games close to each other, so it's possible that one might get pushed into Spring 2019 purely for the purpose of keeping a regular release schedule. If Nintendo had to choose between Metroid and Pokemon, I imagine they would rather launch a holiday Pokemon game and save Metroid as a Spring release when it will get more attention and not be lost in the shuffle of all the 2018 FPS games being released over the holidays.

Since they cannot commit to releasing either game in 2018, I suspect they are waiting to see which one might cross the finish line first.

Metroid Prime 3 - August 2007(NA) / October 2007(EU)
Super Mario Galaxy - November 2007.

Nintendo has never been averse to releasing two massive first party games for the same platform in the same period.
 
Top Bottom