Legendary voice actress Jennifer Hale has been replaced as the voice of Samus in Metroid Prime 4, as revealed in the end credits of the up-to-date game.
Many actors have voiced Samus over the years, although Hale was the artist behind most of the bounty hunter’s grunts and screams in Metroid Prime 1, 2, and 3 (with additional work by second artist Vanessa Marshall).
Many fans assumed Hale would return as Samus in Nintendo’s highly anticipated up-to-date Prime game, but… Nintendo Life has now released a report on the end credits of Metroid Prime 4, which shows that Erin Yvette has taken on the role of Samus.
If you’re playing Metroid Prime 4 and think Samus’ grunts sound familiar, Yvette previously voiced Snow White in The Wolf Among Us, Alex in Oxenfree, and can currently be heard as Blonde Blazer in Dispatch.
Over the past few years, Nintendo has replaced many of its previous regular voice actors, including Charles Martinet, the veteran voice of Mario and Luigi. Meanwhile, Princess Peach and Toad voice actress Samantha Kelly discovered her 18-year stint when the Super Mario characters came to an end on the launch day of the Nintendo Switch 2 – when Mario Kart World was released without her. Takashi Nagasako, who voiced Donkey Kong for 21 years, was also replaced with the release of Switch 2.
IGN recently caught up with Hale and discussed her previous work as Samus and asked if she recorded any up-to-date material for Metroid Prime 4 during its long development.
“I don’t know,” Hale told IGN. “I don’t remember recording it or signing a contract, so it might have been a no. When we work, that’s what it is, everything’s under a code name, so they’d call it Sasquatch or Pineapple or Cookie Jar. And ‘OK, I’ll do Cookie Jar.’ And when you get to the session, they will tell you, but it will stay in your brain for a much shorter time. It doesn’t stick as much.”
Although Hale’s work as Samus is limited to the grunts of the famously silent bounty hunter, she stated that she still had the full voice for the character in mind while playing the role.
Over the years, Hale has voiced many famous video game characters, including Ratchet and Clank’s Rivet, Metal Gear Solid’s Naomi Hunter, and BioShock Infinite’s Rosalind Lutece. But it’s thanks to her role in Mass Effect that she may be famous. In an interview with IGN, Hale said she hasn’t been asked to return for Mass Effect 5 yet, but “she’ll be there before they finish their sentence” if BioWare contacts her.
“Not all of Prime 4’s additions work, but it’s still an excellent return,” IGN wrote in our Metroid Prime 4 review, rating the game 8/10.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
