AnotherNintendo Directmay be coming very soon, and it will likely giveMetroid Prime 4: Beyondits long-awaited release date.Nintendo Direct rumorshave suggested Nintendo will host a Direct in July, sometime after the release ofDonkey Kong Bananza, which just occurred on July 17.
VGChas now corroborated the Nintendo Direct rumors with its own sources, and suggests it will have big news regardingMetroid Prime 4. The first-personMetroidhas been mired in an incredibly long development, but was just recently rated in South Korea, being suggested for ages 12 and up, citing “mild violence.” Games being rated – by South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC), or its equivalents in the United States' ESRB and Europe’s PEGI, among others – is oftena sign that they are close to release, ready to be shipped to consumers.
Rumors Of An Imminent Nintendo Direct Have Been Corroborated
A Direct Next Week Is Possible
The rumors originated from leakerNateTheHate, who claimed on his podcast (via YouTube) that Nintendo was planning a Direct for the month of July, but didn’t want to host it beforeDonkey Kong Bananzacame out. NateTheHate is generally seen as reliable, and nowVGChas corroborated the plan for a July Nintendo Direct. With less than a week left in the month, however, it will have to come shortly after this coming weekend.
Nintendo typically only gives a single day of advance notice for its Directs.They are usually announced on social media the day before they air, with some small insight on what to expect. GivenMetroid Prime 4has just been rated in South Korea (and has yet to be given a release date), it seems likely that this Direct will heavily feature the upcoming Switch and Switch 2 exclusive.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond May Finally Get A Release Date
The Long Wait Is Nearing Its End
Metroid Prime 4: Beyondis one of the fewupcoming Switch exclusivesthat has yet to be given a release date – nor any window more narrow than this year. ThePrimesubseries hasn’t seen a new entry sinceMetroid Prime 3: Corruptionon the Wii in 2007.Prime 4has famously been through development hell, with production restarted at least one time since it was announced in 2017.
Beyondwas originally slated for the original Nintendo Switch, but will now release cross-generationally on the Switch 2 as well. The upgraded version will feature higher resolutions and greater frame rates, but also incorporate the Switch 2’s mouse controls. There have been instances of aNintendo Directfeaturing only one game numerous times (Bananzagot one recently), but the rumors are not specific enough to say if this will be the case forMetroid Prime 4.
