Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was a phenomenal sequel to Retro Studios’ first Samus adventure, although it is usually overlooked due to the iconic nature of its predecessor. Alongside a full single-player story that expanded on the original, Retro Studios also introduced a PvP multiplayer mode.
While Retro Studios remastered the original Prime game for Nintendo Switch ahead of the release of the upcoming fourth game—which may be Nintendo’s most expensive game ever made—there is no word on a remaster of the second and third games. However, Metroid Prime series producer Kensuke Tanabe has hope it’ll come back.
Speaking in the newly-released book Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective, Tanabe explained that they loved the second game’s underrated multiplayer mode. Removed for the third game, the producer explained that the multiplayer version of Prime wasn’t bolted on, but stayed consistent with the single-player mode’s quality.
“Retro finished the multiplayer mode without compromising on quality even under such challenging conditions,” he said (thanks VGC). “Being of its time, it was designed for local play, so the number of players who actually experienced it might not have been very large.”
Tanabe also explains that he would love to see the mode return for a modern online audience to give more players a chance to try out what Retro cooked up. “ If it is remade, I’d be delighted for more people to have the chance to experience it,” he said.
The producer also revealed that Retro Studios pitched a multiplayer standalone game for the Metroid Prime series after finishing the original game. However, “Nintendo directed Retro Studios to complete the next project in as short a time as possible.”
“Initially, there was a proposal to develop a multiplayer-focused Metroid Prime ‘1.5’ (and ultimately, multiplayer was realised in Metroid Prime 2). However, Retro expressed a desire to create a robust, standalone sequel in Metroid Prime 2,” the producer revealed.
Metroid Prime 2’s multiplayer did return in the form of the Nintendo DS game Metroid Prime: Hunters, a game which is coming back into the spotlight due to its direct ties to the upcoming fourth game. While this version did have online connectivity, many didn’t really want to play a PvP FPS game on the Nintendo DS.
Unfortunately, it does seem that Metroid multiplayer is on the cursed side with the last multiplayer offering being the extremely hated Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Following that title’s failure, Nintendo has kept the series locked to its single-player origins, but hopefully the series’ multiplayer can return one day.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launches on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 later this year on December 4, 2025.
