Key Takeaways
- A former Retro Studios employee has accused Nintendo of micromanaging the development of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
- According to Nate Purkeypile, Nintendo employees would regularly fly to the US to request extremely minor changes.
- After being announced in 2017, Metroid Prime 4 is now aiming for a 2025 launch.
A developer who previously worked for Retro Studios on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has accused Nintendo of “micromanaging” the project. The artist, Nate Purkeypile, didn’t deny that the game turned out great in the end, but he did have a fair amount of criticism to share regarding Nintendo’s working relationship with the studio and its employees. The claims are all the more poignant in light of the ongoing work on the long-delayed sequel from Retro Studios, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
It’s no secret that the Metroid series has had to deal with many complex changes and hiccups throughout its development. It took seven years for fans to get their first look at Metroid Prime 4 after its initial reveal, largely due to the fact that Nintendo announced that it was restarting the project entirely in 2019. New insight from Purkeypile may offer a better glimpse into why it’s taken these games so long to come out.
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The ex-Retro dev spoke about his experience on Metroid Prime 3 in an interview with YouTube podcaster KIWI TALKZ. Purkeypile called his interactions with Nintendo “a whole other level of micromanagement,” stating that employees with little to do with the game’s actual development would frequently fly to the U.S. to request minor changes. These requests supposedly included adjustments as minuscule as moving a shoulder pad slightly. While it’s not clear if that particular comment was hyperbole, the management style was enough to drive Purkeypile to leave the studio after his work on Metroid. Considering how Metroid Prime 4 is now aiming for a 2025 launch despite being announced in 2017, it would make sense if the studio had to deal with even more unexpected changes.
Developer Claims Nintendo Had Unhealthy Relationship With Retro Studios
While requests for minor changes are certainly not the only factor that may have contributed to delays in the Metroid series, Purkeypile did emphasize how long it would take to make the adjustments Nintendo asked for. The artist claimed it would take as long as a month to get a single room just right, as one minor tweak would require working on all the other elements that might interact with the asset in question. Purkeypile admits that the finished project looks and feels great — many fans believe that Retro’s Prime titles are some of the best Metroid games ever made — but questions if the time and effort were worth it.
Purkeypile called Nintendo’s relationship with Retro “unhealthy,” but it looks like this strained relationship wasn’t enough for the two companies to part ways forever. Nintendo originally had Bandai Namco working on Metroid Prime 4 before handing the reins over to Retro after being dissatisfied with the way the project was progressing. Micromanagement or not, that shift is said to be the biggest reason why the sequel is taking so long. Whether Nintendo is still requesting many small changes is unclear, as is whether other employees feel the same. This latest criticism may cast a dark shadow over an otherwise beloved series and game company.
Retro Studios
- Date Founded
- September 21, 1998
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, United States
- Parent Company
- Nintendo