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Predictions Is it now established beyond the shadow of a doubt that Prime 4 is cross-gen?

Irene

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As the thread title suggests: is Prime 4 more likely than ever now to be considered a cross-gen title? The game didn't show up in today's Direct, which - if it were shown as a 2024 title - would suggest for it to be either one of the last big exclusives for the system, or the last big Switch exclusive..

Now, however, the game was absent, which at least in my opinion brings the cross-gen question back in full force. Nintendo announcing the game in the February Direct would indicate a launch window at least 5 to 7 months out, and then we're halfway through 2024 and the possible dawn of Switch 2 would be imminent.

Nintendo can't not release Prime 4 on Switch after originally announcing it for Switch - but them doing cross-gen titles isn't unheard of. What are your thoughts - would this be a likely scenario? Or are they really going to backpedal on the 2017 announcement completely and have the game skip Switch altogether in favour of Switch 2?
 
Affirmatory (y)

(Edit: more words:)

Thats how it should be, IMO. I.e. save it as part of 2024's Killer Launch Lineup to help the Switch 2 hit the ground running.
While they will release a Switch 1 version as promised, they can still use the game as a Showcase piece for what the new system can do.
In fact, it may help a lot to demonstrate the gulf in hardware capability if its something like "Switch 1 dynamic 900p/30fps vs Switch 2 4K/60fps locked + moar bells and whistles and tracings of rays). "
 
1000%

I said in the other topic nintendo doesn’t make games like Prime 4 often. You know it’ll look amazing and Retro will push graphics. This is tailor made for DLSS on Switch 2 where Nintendo can get the best performance for it.
 
Definitely. Once Nintendo is unleashing the glut of Mario ports and remasters, you know the consoles cooked. Hell, they're even following up the late Luigi's Mansion 3DS port with a Dark Moon Switch port, which they felt the need to spotlight again in this Direct even though there is quite literally nothing additional that needed to be said about it.
 
Probably, unless the next console is somehow trickier to develop for than we think.

It wouldn't be completely shocking if it just comes out for the Switch and is also backwards compatible. Having an upgraded version is not a guarantee.
 
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Catsylvania said:
I’m sticking with Metroid Prime 4 being Switch 2 only. There’s less reason to do cross-gen than with Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild.
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Imagine the announcement
"we are cancelling prime 4"
everybody gasping
"for the base switch"
everybody breathing in a sigh of relif
 
Dark Cloud said:
1000%

I said in the other topic nintendo doesn’t make games like Prime 4 often. You know it’ll look amazing and Retro will push graphics. This is tailor made for DLSS on Switch 2 where Nintendo can get the best performance for it.
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I imagine 4 as Prime Remastered on major steroids. It’s going to look incredible.
 
Yes but people are deluding themeslves if they think that it will not be still heavily based on the Switch Hardware
 
Always has been. The only doubt I had for years was how current Retro Studios could deliver after years of nothing.

Metroid Prime Remastered this year solidified not only are they still great but showed they understood how to beautifully recreate the visuals for Prime 1 in HD and keep the same environmental vibes of the original.

I immediately thought "Okay, Nintendo is 100% going to have Retro's Prime 4 be one of the main showcases for the Switch 2"
 
Catsylvania said:
I’m sticking with Metroid Prime 4 being Switch 2 only. There’s less reason to do cross-gen than with Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild.
Click to expand...
install base is reason enough

heck if anything the fact that they kept those games on underwhelming selling consoles is even MORE reason to keep it on one that has sold well
 
Cross Gen 100%
I still dont know if it'll be a launch title though. It seems like it'll get buried under 3D Mario (and maybe Mario Kart)

Launch Window probably
 
Jahranimo said:
Always has been. The only doubt I had for years was how current Retro Studios could deliver after years of nothing.

Metroid Prime Remastered this year solidified not only are they still great but showed they understood how to beautifully recreate the visuals for Prime 1 in HD and keep the same environmental vibes of the original.

I immediately thought "Okay, Nintendo is 100% going to have Retro's Prime 4 be one of the main showcases for the Switch 2"
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I think they will show it a little in the next direct, because I think that it will be still Switch and the blowout at Switch 2 presentation
 
Yes.

I said it when the Direct Speculation thread first went up, and now I am doubling down.

This Direct, and the absence of anything Metroid Prime 4, confirms that Metroid Prime 4 is Cross-Gen.

If it wasn't coming to Switch, Metroid Prime Remastered would have been delayed to Switch 2. But 2024 is all about Switch 2. You don't fully reveal a new addition to one your biggest hardcore focused IPs in the year of 2024 and not also release on the new console coming said year. A Switch only released would have been shown here. And they had all the room in the world for it, but choose not to show it.

It will be cross-gen and it will be glorious.
 
It's March. Nintendo finally shows the first look at Prime 4 during the Switch 2 showcase. We all go "oh wow, that looks amazing, leave it to Retro to really take advantage of the new hardware".

And then the presenter says "That was Metroid Prime 4 for the Nintendo Switch. And now here's the same footage actually running on Switch 2."
 
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Imagine if we get a Switch 2 September launch, and we start with Mario, Metroid Prime, and Pokémon in Sep/Oct/Nov.
 
It makes a ton of sense that it's crossgen, and also that they're waiting to show it for the first time until they can show it running on Switch 2 with the best graphics possible.

If they do an actual Switch 2 reveal event with stuff like Prime 4, 3D Mario, etc.... that's going to be special.
 
The Direct broke me, so I'm going with my unhinged, post-Direct option: Metroid Prime 4 comes out 2024 for Switch only. Switch 2 launch pushed back to 2025 because Mario games are selling too well.
 
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I don't believe it's cross gen at this point, I believe it has fully moved to Switch 2. We will still see Prime 2 and 3 on Switch 1 though.

There's nothing binding the game to Switch, games get moved around or cancelled all the time.

I'd love to be wrong though.
 
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Samus95 said:
I think they will show it a little in the next direct, because I think that it will be still Switch and the blowout at Switch 2 presentation
Click to expand...

Yup I 100% can see that. It worked well for Dread! Reveal and release within the same calendar year.
 
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I think it makes sense

Especially if it's a real looker that can upsell folks on why they NEED a Switch 2 like yesterday for all it's special little bells and whistles.
 
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Yeah it’s crossgen, we’re getting it holiday of next year I think. Wow retro studios is pretty bad at this developing video games thing
 
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They have to be waiting for Switch 2 for it to serve as a big showcase of its power. No doubt in my mind now. There's no space in early 2024 now and it'd be a huge waste to shove it out when it could serve as the big game for early adopters
 
Prime 4 is going to be the first Nintendo game since Prime 1 that pushes graphics as a selling point. Time is a circle and I am very excited.
 
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
They opened a bunch of job postings two months ago that added on to the description (which hadn't been there before) that it was specifically being made for the Nintendo Switch.
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I imagine most companies would do the same if it didn’t want to (unofficially) reveal a game was delayed off the current platform it was announced for before it was ready to announce the delay.

Lugia667 said:
install base is reason enough

heck if anything the fact that they kept those games on underwhelming selling consoles is even MORE reason to keep it on one that has sold well
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I disagree. First, I said “less reason to do cross-gen”, not “no reason”. Second, Nintendo should want to give people more reasons to upgrade. It doesn’t really need the goodwill of doing a cross-gen release this time.
 
I don't think it's 100% likely (it is possible the switch version gets canned in favor of the successor), but it sure as hell is more likely than ever before.
 
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Catsylvania said:
I imagine most companies would do the same if it didn’t want to (unofficially) reveal a game was delayed off the current platform it was announced for before it was ready to announce the delay.
Click to expand...

Except they didn't need to put in the language specifying it was for the Switch.

They hadn't had that language before.

But they specifically added that language so...
 
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Yeh

If it's not exclusive to next gen

Same with DK

Which I think is likely to be exclusive to next gen
 
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I wouldn't bet the house just yet, but it seems more likely than it did a few hours ago.
 
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Catsylvania said:
I disagree. First, I said “less reason to do cross-gen”, not “no reason”. Second, Nintendo should want to give people more reasons to upgrade. It doesn’t really need the goodwill of doing a cross-gen release this time.
Click to expand...
Imagine Nintendo presenting "here's MP4 for Switch 2. And here's the inferior 30fps 720p version for Switch, that we made to keep our promise and that no one is going to play since any Prime fan will want to play this on Switch 2 anyway"
 
Wow, I'm surprised there are so many who think Prime 4 is next-gen only.

They promised this for Switch, 5 years ago. They made special updates in multiple Directs assuring players that it was still coming and development was progressing. It will come to the current Switch, 100% ... as a lesser version ofc.

It is clear that they are being strategic with this game and aware that its a headliner. If anything, it signals to me confidence that it is shaping up well and worthy to be billed as one of Switch 2's killer-apps, even as a cross-gen release.

Edit:
This also gets me thinking of how the cross-gen titles will be marketed and presented. I am anticipating a good number of titles in the next few years that aim for cross-gen. I assume that in terms of presentation, they just show the gorgeous Switch 2 version i.e. in Directs. And then perhaps theres a small bubble/badge at the corner of the screen "also coming to Switch".
 
Yeah.

I'm thinking Princess Peach Showtime is now the last fully original Switch exclusive.

One wrinkle that I think is possible is that Metroid Prime 4 could be released as a Switch game, but one of the main points in its marketing is that playing it on Switch 2 will upscale it. That's a total guess on my part but I wouldn't be surprised if some select Switch games can get an upgrade if played on Switch 2.
 
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I wouldn't be so sure about a Switch release. This is not Twilight Princess situation where they kept showing us the GC running the game across some years. Or even BOTW one.

The same way they can cancel a previously announced game they can also cancel a Switch port.
 
balgajo said:
I wouldn't be so sure about a Switch release. This is not Twilight Princess situation where they kept showing us the GC running the game across some years. Or even BOTW one.

The same way they can cancel a previously announced game they can also cancel a Switch port.
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Yes but we also have retro asking specifically for people on Prime 4 developed on Switch on linkedin
 
One of the rare things I've actually been right about for years, lol

The kinds of games you want to launch a system with are the total opposite of the kind of games you want to wind down a system with. We saw the games that you wind down a system with in the Direct today. Spin-offs and remasters of your largest selling IP. Low-cost, high return games to capitalize on a huge install base and casual market.

The kinds of games you want to launch a system with are those that will appeal to early adopters, tech reviewers, and taste makers on social media. Because you want the loudest voices to create an immediate buzz for your new product - first impressions matter. And also becuase titles that appeal to more hardcore gamers don't need a large install base - the people they are for will buy the machine for the game.

So Metroid, while not a "big" game in Nintendo's catalogue, is simply perfect as a crossgen launch title. It appeals to those groups, much like Zelda does. And the fact that the main appeal of the new system will probably be the increased visual fidelity, while Metroid Prime is probably the Nintendo series that relies most on visual fidelity (to create atmosphere, sense of place etc) and also can showcase such fidelity - it's all perfect.

Furthermore, being a big launch title could possibly propel the Metroid series to a higher level of awareness and sales if the game is good. It could become associated with the Switch 2 for the first year much as BotW was. There's just a ton of reasons to do it.

So, you could launch with Metroid Prime 4 and a crossgen version of TotK with maybe even FE: Genealogy in July or August for the early adopters, then have the big tentpole 3d Mario game arrive in October for the family audience.

Or just launch with MP4 and Mario on the same day. There's no reason to be afraid of those games cannibalizing each other's sales. Nintendo fans / early adopters will buy both, and together they'll get the system off to a flying start, which is 1000000% the important thing.

EDIT: I do think the Switch version could be cancelled but I don't expect it. The reason they could cancel it is because they know that the audience that wants to play it would mostly be fine with it. The Metroid Prime audience will be buying Switch 2. Tell them "we couldn't fit our INCREDIBLE VISION for this game on Switch" and everyone will just get hyped at the new pretty trailer. Not the same as BotW situation. But I still expect crossgen.
 
Yes, I'll even go on a limb and say it will be a launch title, along with a new 3D Mario, and the Genealogy remake (if it even exists).
 
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Do we think Nintendo will do like the Switch launch a big games each month?

If I rember right the March-December period of 2017
 
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