Video game preservation has been something of a hot topic in recent years as many games are beginning to disappear from the world seemingly for good. It looks like the future of preservation might be switching from physical editions of games to digital ones and, whileNintendo has certainly made some efforts recentlyto preserve its massive library of older classics, there are still a lot of areas where it can be doing better. WhenMetroid Dreadwas announced earlier this year, plenty of fans were on the hunt for GameBoys and other older systems as many wanted to replay the franchise beforeDread’s release.
Unfortunately, getting access to a lot of the games inMetroid’s history isn’t a simple task. Nintendo hasn’t exactly made it easy to play a lot of older titles, especially from theMetroidseries. WhileMetroidwas never able to meet the high sales of franchises likeThe Legend of ZeldaorMario, it’s still one of Nintendo’s most iconic series, making this lack of focus on the series confusing. Hopefully, the sales numbers ofMetroid Dreadprove to the company that fans want to see more of Samus Aran, and that rereleases of older titles in the franchise would go over well.
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Recent reports from GamesIndustry.biz suggest thatMetroid Dreadhas been the highest-grossingMetroidrelease in the franchise’s history based on its UK sales numbers. It hasn’t quite outsold the originalMetroid Prime’s opening week in terms of physical sales, butDreadis only lagging behind by several thousand units, and when combined with thedigital sales that make up a large majority of gaming purchases, it’s clear thatMetroid Dreadmight just be the biggest release in the franchise’s history. As the game launched less than a week ago, there aren’t any specific sales numbers that have been provided by Nintendo, but if the game continues selling at the pace it’s currently at, it should eclipse the rest of the franchise soon.
Metroid Dreadis currently sitting at the number one slot on the Switch’s eShop, outselling Nintendo’s other biggest hits likeMario Kart 8 Deluxe,Animal Crossing: New Horizons, andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is a big deal for the franchise, as it’s never been one to move a lot of units. This makes it clear that, following the four-year drought between releases, fans have been craving a new adventure with Samus Aran.FollowingMetroid Dread’s release, it’s been made apparent that Switch owners are willing to pay for moreMetroid.It’s for this reason that it seems like a no-mother-brainer to bring more classicMetroidtitles to the Switch.
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The Switch Already Hosts Classic Metroid Titles
It simply doesn’t make sense to not publish the remaining two titles on the Switch whenMetroid 2was available on the 3DS' virtual console andMetroid Fusionon the WiiU’s. What’s more,Metroid 2saw a modern remake withthe 3DS’Metroid: Samus Returns, which could also use a Switch port since it plays very similar toMetroid Dreadand fans have been asking for a port since its release.
Metroid Fans Just Want More
All the evidence ofMetroid Dread’s success points to the fact that Nintendo should rerelease the other four 2DMetroidtitles on the Switch. While that would be a great place to start, there are still plenty of other excellentMetroidtitles that fans have been beginning the company to port to the console. Perhaps the games with the loudest fans arethe three mainMetroid Primetitlesthat took the traditional 2D-sidescrolling style of theMetroidseries and put them in a first-person perspective. The series was a major hit among fans of the franchise, but there’s been no official word on whether Nintendo is planning on bringing the original three games to the Switch.
There have been plenty of rumors suggesting thata remastered version ofMetroid Prime Trilogyis going to be released at some point, but there have been conflicting accounts given by insiders and past developers about what Nintendo’s plans are for theMetroid Primegames. While they were never as big as the mainPrimetrilogy,Metroid Prime HuntersandMetroid: Other Mwould also be welcome additions to the Switch’s library. Essentially,Metroidfans just want to play more of the games, andMetroid Dreadperforming well commerciallyshould prove to Nintendo that the effort and resources required to make that happen would absolutely be worth it.
IfMetroid Dreaddoesn’t motivate the company to start working on rereleases for earlier games in the series, then hopefullythe upcomingMetroid Prime 4will. The game has a storied development cycle, but Nintendo confirmed that it was making steady progress during the company’s E3 presentation. WithMetroid Dread’s early success already being what it is, it’s likely that the game is paving the way forMetroid Prime 4to see even greater heights. If the franchise has two consecutive hit entries, then it seems like Nintendo would have no choice but to give back to the fans and recognize that there’s a market for olderMetroidtitles by releasing some for the Switch.
Metroid Dreadis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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