Nintendo Renews Trademarks for 2 Classic Metroid Games – Could New Rereleases Be In Sight?

Metroid has one of the most patient and dedicated fanbases in the Nintendo family. They have been eagerly awaiting Metroid Prime 4 for years, but in the midst of the excitement for that game, Nintendo has renewed the trademarks for two older Metroid games. This is making fans wonder if Nintendo plans to do anything with those games in the near future.

The Renewed Metroid Trademarks

According to Insider Gaming, Nintendo has renewed the trademarks for the DS’s Metroid Prime Hunters and the Wii’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Both games sold well for their respective systems and received positive reception. Both games currently have a score of 85 on Metacritic.

What Do These Renewals Mean?

With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond heading to the Switch and Switch 2 later this year, perhaps Nintendo is planning to rerelease the Prime trilogy on the Switch 2 in preparation for the new chapter. The collection could also include Prime Hunters as a bonus game.

However, it might be more likely that these games are heading for Nintendo Switch Online sometime in the future. We already know that the Switch 2 will include GameCube games in the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack. It is definitely possible that Nintendo plans to add the DS and the Wii in future upgrades. The Switch 2’s Joy-Con mouse controls could mimic a DS stylus or a Wii-mote, so Nintendo adding these systems could be a real possibility.

Or Nothing Might Happen

It’s also possible that Nintendo renewed the trademarks of these games just because they wanted to maintain the trademarks of their property. Nintendo is notoriously possessive of its games, so they could have just wanted to renew the trademarks for that reason alone. There could be no plans to actually do anything with these games.

Conclusion

Game preservation is important because it lets younger gamers experience the classics that shaped gaming history. If Nintendo is going to be hostile about pirating their old games, they should make them available to the public. The retro collections that come with Nintendo Switch Online let today’s gamers discover (or rediscover) favorites from the older gaming generations. If Nintendo does plan to add DS or Wii games to Nintendo Switch Online someday, these Metroid games would be welcome additions.