A user on Weibo has uploaded what appears to be an interview with Metroid Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe from Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream. In the article, Tanabe states that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was his final game at Nintendo, marking the end of a nearly 40 year career with the company. If another Metroid Prime game materializes, he claims that Risa Tabata (known for her work on Metroid Prime, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Paper Mario: Color Splash) will take over the producer role.
In some translated bits of the article, courtesy of VGC, Tabata claims that he planted hints for Sylux across Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime: Federation Force in the hope that he’d one day be able to make a game featuring him. He notes that because of his age, Metroid Prime 4 was likely the last opportunity he’d have to make that hope a reality, not to mention he states it’s the first game in the “Sylux Saga.”
“I envisioned Sylux as a dark, resentful villain who resorts to underhanded tactics,” Tanabe says. “After this game, Samus would realize that a direct confrontation with him is inevitable – she must defeat him completely. That’s why the final showdown between Sylux and Samus remains unfinished.” Some of the reason for that lack of definitive conclusion is because of how long Prime 4 took to develop.
Despite this being the final game for Tanabe and the end of a storied run with Nintendo, he didn’t set out to make Prime 4 any more special than the other games in the series. He notes that Nintendo worked closely with Retro Studios to deliver a “fun and unique experience for players of all ages and playstyles.” It seems the goal was to produce a game that could stand on its own rather than act as some send off to one of its developers.
While the veracity of this interview is still unknown, it does seem plausible considering Tanabe’s age. At 62 years old, he’s nearing retirement age already, and he’s been with Nintendo since before I was born. There’s only so many more games he could create in his life, and while I wouldn’t want to see him unceremoniously bow out of game creation, going out on his own terms is better than most developers get nowadays.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
