A Metroid Dread sequel may have been given away by a Brazilian ratings website, and it may not be the only Metroid game in the works.
Ahead of Nintendo’s June Direct, one of the many games rumoured to be in the company’s pipeline was a remake of Super Metroid, which isn’t too unbelievable considering Nintendo’s capitalising a lot on nostalgia this year with Star Fox and The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.
There has been chatter of such a remake since 2020 and in 2023, a new 2D game from Spanish studio MercurySteam was also rumoured, which is very plausible considering Nintendo enlisted the studio for both the Metroid 2 remake and the popular Metroid Dread.
Now, actual evidence seems to have been discovered for a new game and it’s all thanks to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Initially spotted by Universo Nintendo, the ministry’s own ratings website recently posted a listing for something called Metroid Ravenous, that’s in production for the Nintendo Switch 2.
The listing was quickly taken down, but not before Universo Nintendo snapped some screenshots for posterity. Beyond the title and platform, there’s little else to go on, aside from a production year of 2026 and it not being suitable for children under the age of 12.
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According to the listing, this is because of the game’s depictions of violence, which was based on an analysis of 41 minutes of gameplay footage. In case you’re wondering, no, this footage was not included in the listing.
While there’s no mention of MercurySteam being the developer (only that the game is being distributed by Nintendo) and the title may not be finalised, Metroid Ravenous does sound like it would be a follow-up to Metroid Dread rather than a continuation of the first person Metroid Prime sub-series.
Aside from the word ‘ravenous’ potentially referring to the titular metroids’ ability to feed on organic life, it could also connect to Metroid Dread’s primary villain Raven Beak.
Metroid Dread marked the end of the mainline Metroid games’ ongoing story arc, which began with the original NES game, so any sequel would presumably kick off a brand new storyline.
As for when this new Metroid could launch, it’s difficult to say, as having an age rating usually means a game is, at most, only a couple of months from release. If that’s true it’s a mystery why Nintendo didn’t mention it during their June Direct.
So, does this mean the Super Metroid remake rumours are bogus? Not necessarily, as VGC’s Andy Robinson has insinuated that there’s at least two Metroid games currently in the works.
‘More than one of these are coming, I’m told. We eating, Metroid fans!’ he wrote on X. Two or more titles seems an awful lot for a franchise that has never been a big seller, but it may be an indication that these are smaller titles somehow – perhaps episodic games or similar.
What may be relevant is that it’s Metroid’s 40th anniversary next month, on August 6. That would be a reason to wait for a surprise reveal, but then again Nintendo has all but ignored the 40th anniversary of Zelda this year and the 45th anniversary of Donkey Kong.
This is the same company, though, that randomly added new Knockout Tour races to Mario Kart World yesterday morning, so who knows when or how it’ll unveil the next Metroid game.
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