Metroidfans have been putting up with a lot of long waits for the past decade.Metroid Primefans specifically have been waiting for a few years, asMetroid Prime 4has gone without updates for nearly 2 years.In between that game’s announcement and the upcomingMetroid Dread, some dedicated fans of thePrimeseries released a 2D re-imagining of the original GameCube game. Much like other fan projects that use the Nintendo IP, though, it has been forced to shut down any further development.
Thedemo for thisMetroid Primere-imaginingwas released earlier this year in April, and it was simply known asPrime 2D. This game was developed by a group known as Team SCU and had 4 years of work behind it. It played like a typical 2DMetroidgame, with the free-form aiming provided by the mouse, and could be used to shoot enemies. Fans praised the game for being a very faithful translation of the Gamecube classic to 2D. The developers were aware of the inevitable result, but still decided to take the risk by releasing the demo. It was a foregone conclusion that their efforts resulted in them ceasing further development onPrime 2D.
RELATED:Super Metroid Fan Finds Incredibly Rare ‘Easter Egg’ Using Glitches
The announcement was posted on Team SCU’s Discord server, where the developer was forced to remove both the download link to the demo and the MP3 soundtrack. Team SCU is also in dialogue with the company to determine how to further proceed, while keeping the name of said company vague. Many could surmise who asked the developer to cease development, though. According to the team, they had no regrets in releasing the demo, even if some fans advised in staying silent until the project was completed. They further stated that the team was proud of theirMetroid Primere-imagining, and thanked all of their supporters in giving them feedback and praise.
The news of the game’s shutdown was felt amongst theMetroidcommunity, with many disappointed that this was the end result. This brings to mindthe shutdown ofAM2R, orAnother Metroid 2 Remake, which was shutdown around the time Nintendo was releasingMetroid: Samus Returns. Much like the shutdown ofAM2R, fans decided to try and perserve the game after the removal of downloads.Prime 2Dwas similarly archived in a comment of the announcement on theMetroidsubreddit.
The company being so protective of its IPs has been an on-going struggle between fans and creators alike.Nintendo has forced cancellationsfor years now, and this fan game is just one in a long line. Still, many are hoping that Team SCU will put its experience working on thisMetroid Primeremake into something different in the future that doesn’t use theMetroidname.
MORE:Metroid Dread Could Be Setting Up the Best Years of the Franchise
