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Nintendo renewed Metroid Prime 3 and Hunters trademarks, sparking speculation about new releases.
Fans hope for remasters on Switch/Switch 2, particularly with Prime 4: Beyond launching in 2025.
Full remasters or less intensive Nintendo Switch Online emulation are possibilities.
Nintendo has reignited speculation among fans with recent trademark renewals for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime Hunters. This development follows the massive success of Metroid Prime Remastered, released in 2023, which has sparked rumors of a potential revival for these classic titles.
With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the horizon for 2025, many believe a full resurgence of the Prime series could be underway. The renewed trademarks have fans buzzing, fueling speculation about possible remasters or re-releases of these beloved games.
Trademark renewals are a normal part of doing business and do not necessarily mean new releases; the timing here is especially interesting with the expectation of Metroid Prime 4. Fans are hoping that Nintendo is getting ready to make these games available on updated hardware, possibly for the Nintendo Switch or even the rumored "Switch 2."
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, itself initially released on the Wii, would probably need a major revision to its motion control for a new console. But the success of Metroid Prime Remastered's updated control scheme is hopeful that Nintendo would be able to successfully port Corruption.
More surprising for some is the possible return of Metroid Prime Hunters. This Nintendo DS spin-off, although criticized for its ambition, struggled with its control scheme on the handheld console.
A remaster would present Nintendo with an opportunity to iron out these issues and present the game's innovative multiplayer and its villain, Sylux, to a new generation of fans and gamers who will now get to see her take center stage in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. A remastering of Sylux would be a great story, setting precedent for the next mainline title.
While fans and industry experts have their hearts racing, some remain skeptical. There has been persistent speculation that Nintendo would decide to add these titles to its Nintendo Switch Online platform through emulation and not as full remasters.
This would require less effort on Nintendo's part and follow the trend of increasing its digital retro library. Earlier reports indicated that complete remakes of Prime 2 and Prime 3 were in the works but may have been canceled in favor of Metroid Prime 4 as Retro Studios focused on the latter title.
With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond set for a 2025 release, the time frame for launching remasters of its predecessors in order to create hype is closing. Nintendo has been known to "shadow drop" titles, like in the case of Metroid Prime Remastered, so anything can happen at any time.
As the gaming world holds its breath for more official details from Nintendo, most likely through a future Nintendo Direct presentation, the prospect of revisiting these two landmark Metroid titles is an exciting one for enthusiasts.
