As fans continue to wait for a final release date, Nintendo has reaffirmed that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still on track for 2025.
After a long and bumpy development that has stretched much of the past decade, fans are eager to hear when the highly-anticipated Switch and Switch 2 exclusive will arrive.
But as the months roll on and gossip spreads of the game needing more time than initially expected, Nintendo has now re-stated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will still launch before the end of the calendar year.
Indeed, in a news post advertising the company's upcoming preseence at Fan Expo Canada, Nintendo has stated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be playable there ahead of it becoming "available later in 2025."
It's unclear if this hands-on opportunity is a new demo, or the one made available to members of the public who attended the Switch 2's pre-launch tour. Still, it's a positive sign the game and its launch are in Nintendo's sights — and still coming at some point within the next five months.
The statement comes amid online discussion surrounding the fact that Nintendo has not released new details on the game or fresh footage of it for a little while. The last new Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer uploaded to the Nintendo of America YouTube account comes from the company's Nintendo Switch 2 full console reveal back in March. Since then, the biggest news about the game's launch has been the advertising slip-up that saw the game promoted as being "Out Now" in a billboard on the London Underground. If only!
At the same time, Nintendo leaker KiwiTalkz had prompted concern among fans that the game was originally due sooner, closer to the Switch 2's launch, but has been held up due to last-minute snags. This, just days after Nintendo's recent third-party focused Partner Direct (where Metroid Prime 4 would not have featured anyway) has contributed to a sense of unease among fans over the game's arrival.
It has been a long wait for a new 3D Metroid game, lengthened further by Nintendo taking the decision to reboot the project's development back in 2019 after an earlier incarnation being made by Bandai Namco did not meet Nintendo's expectations.
Nintendo's current Switch 2 release schedule for the remainder of 2025 includes Drag x Drive (August 14), Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World (August 28) and Pokémon Legends Z-A (October 16), plus Kirby Air Riders and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which do not have set dates.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
