Nintendo and Retro Studios brought Metroid into stunning 3D with 2002’s Metroid Prime, rebooting the series in first-person shooter style through a sometimes challenging but ultimately fruitful relationship between Japanese and Western teams – each with their own unique backgrounds and perspectives. However, things didn’t always go smoothly for Samus along the way.
This is according to the novel book: Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective, in which Metroid Prime series producer Kensuke Tanabe comments, sharing memories and observations from his perspective while working with American Retro Studios on the Metroid game. This was a significant collaborative international effort for Nintendo. Retro was working on a completely separate first-person game before series producer (and Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda creator) Shigeru Miyamoto announced that it should be a Metroid game. Thus, Metroid Prime was born. Tanabe recalls: “Metroid Prime was not a project that was originally planned. It was a title that came about by accident, as a result of Mr. Miyamoto explaining the direction that Retro should take… In a way, you could call it a miracle.”
Tanabe sees the relationship between Retro Studios and Nintendo as ultimately hierarchical, with Nintendo having the final say. “…Nintendo retained the final decision-making power, there were many cases in the early days where our approach to specifications did not align, leading to misunderstandings. Retro often explained: “This is how Western studios approach and think about game development.” To help them understand our point of view, I told them, “Yes, but the game we are making now is a Nintendo game and this is Retro’s first time working on it.” I’ve worked on Nintendo games my entire career, so I think I have the most experience developing Nintendo games. So please trust me first.’”
This led to creative tensions, and Retro did not give up and clearly did not want to completely surrender to Nintendo. “One day during the video conference about the battle with Meta Ridley, our discussions kept contradicting each other and we couldn’t find common ground,” Tanabe continued. “Time passed and by the time the meeting (which started in the morning) finally ended, the sun was setting.”
Tanabe describes Retro Studios having to be introduced to a set of design philosophies specific to Nintendo, for example, designing enemies beyond bosses was something Miyamoto felt strongly about. “Many Nintendo developers have learned from Mr. Miyamoto that enemy character appearances should be designed based on functionality… this has not yet been articulated so concisely. As a result, it took us some time to clearly convey this Retro concept.”
In some cases, it is clear that the cooperation is working well, for example, Retro won in the implementation of morph ball rolling. In Metroid Prime, you generally view the game through Samus’ viewfinder in first-person mode, but for puzzles and tight spaces, Samus can transform into a rolling Morph Ball, after which the camera switches to a third-person view. Tanabe says about this: “The transition animation when switching from the first-person Morph Ball mode was proposed by Retro… however, Retro also suggested a skip function to shorten the morphing time, but Mr. Miyamoto recommended that it cannot be skipped as it was one of the opportunities to see Samus in the third person.”
It seems like Retro really pushed to develop the rolling mechanics and ultimately won, an example of Nintendo relenting in the face of a great idea. Tanabe says: “Retro also proposed a half-pipe rolling mechanic in Morph Ball mode. Initially, Nintendo was skeptical, doubting whether it would be fun at all. But Retro replied: ‘Please try it first before making your decision.'”
Nintendo series tier list
Nintendo series tier list
Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective will be released on October 28, 2025 and features hundreds of concept art from the trilogy on Gamecube, Wii and the Prime remake on Nintendo Switch. Retro Studios’ comments accompany Tanabe’s repeated notes, along with text taken from extensive explanatory logs and scans of the game. Metroid Prime 4, the latest work from Retro Studios and Nintendo, will be released on Nintendo Switch 1 and Switch 2 on December 4, 2025.
Samuel Claiborn is the editor-in-chief of IGN and repairs/breaks antique arcade machines and pinball machines in his garage. TCELES B HSUP to follow him @Samuel_IGN on Twitter.
