Speaking with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream via a Weibo user, Kensuke Tanabe reportedly announced his retirement from Nintendo after completing work on Metroid Prime 4.
Succeeding him is producer Risa Tabata, who has worked with Tanabe since Metroid Prime and has risen through roles on Donkey Kong Country Returns, Game & Wario, Dillon’s Rolling Western, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
During his interview, Tanabe discusses several topics, including his decision to tease the relationship between Samus and Sylux in Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and his wish that the two would face each other in the future.
During the development of Prime 4, it became apparent that the time was right to make the dream come true. After all, Tanabe’s career at Nintendo spans four decades, and he knew it was the last hurrah.
“I envisioned Sylux as a dark, resentful villain who resorts to underhanded tactics,” Tanabe mentions. “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.”
“When we were developing Metroid Prime Hunters, the game designers at NST, the development company at the time, created complete backstories for all the hunters who appeared in the game. This included the setting that Sylux harbours resentment towards Samus and the Galactic Federation.’ At that time, I wanted to further expand the Metroid Prime universe and create various spin-off works in the future,” reveals Tanabe via a machine-translated interview. “So, although I thought he might already have his own set of background details, I asked him ‘not to finalize the details yet’ While I was laying the groundwork in Metroid Prime 3 and the 100% ending of Metroid Prime: Federation Force, I kept thinking, ‘Someday I want to make a game about the story surrounding Samus and Sylux.’ After that, a long time passed before I actually had the opportunity to make this game.
Considering my age, I felt that this might be my last chance to work on a Metroid Prime series title. Therefore, I planned this game as ‘the first installment of the Sylux saga.’ I designed Sylux as a dark, deeply resentful, and despicable villain; and from this game onwards, Samus would realize that a direct confrontation with him is inevitable and that she must defeat him completely. Because of this, the final battle between Sylux and Samus is not yet over. However, the time it took to complete this game was longer than expected. Furthermore, I have confirmed that I will no longer be able to participate in the production of the series in the future. Whether a sequel will be made is still uncertain, but I sincerely hope that someday, Ms. Tabata and Retro Studios will be able to complete this story and bring it to a conclusion.”
